While many people chose to drown their sorrows in Labatt Blue and bleu cheese after another disappointing Bills playoff loss, more than a handful found something to help them cope with heartache on Saturday, January 17. Syracuse-native Sydney Irving & The Creatures made a trek down the thruway to The Bug Jar in Rochester to give the Flower City reason to celebrate.
On this night, something better eased the emotional rollercoaster for Bills Mafia as they harkened back to a past life of youthful adventure that often led to the doorstep of The Bug Jar, while others discovered a hidden treasure for the first time.
The Bug Jar is like entering a secret avant-garde world where thousands of musical acts have performed on the boxy stage, some before they were stars. Performers like The White Stripes, The Black Keys, Vampire Weekend, Arcade Fire, and King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard have all graced the intimate performance space. You’ll instantly notice the “upside-down” room decor, with furniture hanging from the ceiling, while motorized bugs rotate and creepy antique dolls dangle above the bar. Overlapping band stickers serve as readable wallpaper and a running tabulation of its many musical guests.
Sydney Irving held court at her merch table in the bar area as the night got started, ready and willing to chat with anyone willing to peruse her wares. Her welcoming attitude set the tone for her concert to come later in the night. But first, The Turbulents came to warm the crowd’s spirits on this cold January evening. An Upstate NY-based pop-rock band formed in 2021, The Turbulents current line-up consists of Devon Platzer (Vocals), Kyle Cushman (Vocals/Guitar), Dan Litavsky (Drums/percussion), and Sanaa Finley (Bass).
Platzer’s powerful voice filled the tiny room while the groovy foundation laid by the diminutive Finley loomed large. Together, the two packed a punch of sisterhood strength with their original songs from their debut album, Falling Through Stories, and included select covers in their show. “SYFMMS” stands for screw you for making me scared, while “Coal Burn” angrily asked, “Is this how you treat all your friends?”
Devon toyed with the crowd during Chappell Roan’s “Red Wine Supernova” before her wailing cry for help in her portrayal of an unassuming fascist prison guard, bemoaning the current state of our country. Cushman took over the vocal lead on System of a Down’s “Chop Suey” before the band ended their set with a hard-driving class act original song, “Renee.”
Boundless energy followed when Sydney Irving skipped in front of the onlookers in her black leather jacket and sequined short shorts. The set started with an aggressive beat from Rochester drummer Brian Eberts, which led the precocious pop songstress to ask, “What Have You Done?” as her opening number. Fresh off a new record deal to finish 2025 on a high note, it’s clear that Irving knows what she is doing.
Original songs from her third album, Unfashioned Creatures, released with the backing of Deko Entertainment, were skillfully interwoven with choice covers throughout the night by Syd the Kid. Her second single from her newest LP, “Rain,” vaulted Irving and The Creatures into “You’re So Vain” by Carly Simon.
Veteran singer/songwriter and keyboardist Ashley Cox from Syracuse, who won a SAMMY in 1997 for Best New Artist, lends enthusiasm and a steadying presence to the youthful Irving, the winner of the same award 25 years later. On this night, Cox, a longtime headliner in the Syracuse music scene, was pushed to the back of the stage to make room for the rest of the band but came to the forefront when her vocal harmonies co-mingled with Irving to create a full girl power rocker dynamic on “Wish That I Knew.” Cox deserves renewed focus on her past accomplishments; she serves as a perfect mentor and counterbalance as Irving navigates her nascent career.
For a budding performer, Irving changed the pace well throughout her lengthy set. She slowed things down with originals “Find Me” and “Make Me Stay” before stepping away from her guitar to sing the REM classic “The One I Love”. A cover by Tom Petty followed, which the crowd recognized quickly as “Running Down a Dream” with its signature riff and guitar solo by Kyle Cushman, serving in double-duty after his stint in the opening band.
Sensing that her guitarist and the rest of her band could use a break, Sydney shuffled them off into the crowd so she could strap on her acoustic guitar – front and center, solo-style. All alone, she delivered a stirring rendition of her emotional love song, “All I Need Is You,” to the captive audience. Irving then injected some of her goofball humor as she struggled with the funny tunings of her own version of the oft-covered Joni Mitchell classic, “Big Yellow Taxi.”
Irving invited the backing band to rejoin her on stage and continued to keep the crowd on their toes by mixing in a story of her foray into the country music scene in Nashville before singing “Jolene” by Dolly Parton. She closed her set of originals with the crowd-pleasing “You Can’t Forget About Me” – a peppy pop-rock tune with an anthemic, hook-driven chorus – her first release from her current album. She tied a bow on the night with an energetic medley of “Rebel Rebel” by David Bowie and “Blitzkrieg Bop” by The Ramones.
Make sure you catch Sydney at one of her several solo gigs lined up over the next several months in Central NY before your chances to see her on a small platform fade away. Irving is gracious and curious when meeting her fans in person, both before and after her performances. In addition, she’ll be spreading her wings with The Creatures at showcases in NYC and Philadelphia in March, leading up to a featured supporting slot for veteran Pat Travers Band at the Rome Capitol Theater on March 13th.
Grieving Bills fans forgot the pain of their agonizing loss to the Broncos earlier in the night. Feeling defeated, some entered the show skeptical. A varied show by Sydney Irving & The Creatures with stage theatrics, well-timed covers, and genre shifts kept concertgoers entranced and focused on a star in the making. The Bug Jar has a certain magic and charm that does that to people. Now, those in attendance may be lucky enough to recall the time Sydney Irving turned the hallowed The Bug Jar into her coming-out party in Rochester.
Setlist: What Have You Done, Rain, I Don’t Wanna Fight You, You’re So Vain (Carly Simon), Wish That I Knew, Find Me, Make Me Stay, The One I Love (REM), Running Down a Dream(Tom Petty), All I Need Is You*, Big Yellow Taxi (Joni Mitchell)*, Move On, Seasons Change, Jolene (Dolly Parton), You Can’t Forget About Me, Rebel Rebel (David Bowie) > Blitzkrieg Bop (The Ramones)
*Sydney solo acoustic
Sydney Irving and the Creatures: Photos by Daniel Bocchino
The Turbulents: Photos by Daniel Bocchino
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