Blue October, Wild Moccasins, Tontons kick off Super Bowl LIVE

Fans at the Super Bowl Live concert downtown Saturday Jan. 28, 2017.(Dave Rossman photo) Fans at the Super Bowl Live concert downtown Saturday Jan. 28, 2017.(Dave Rossman photo) Photo: Dave Rossman, For The Chronicle Photo: Dave Rossman, For The Chronicle Image 1 of / 101 Caption Close Blue October, Wild Moccasins, Tontons kick off Super Bowl LIVE 1 / 101 Back to Gallery

Super Bowl LIVE kicked off nine days of music at with drama, disco and calls for unity.

Houston-bred bands Blue October, Wild Moccasins and The Tontons drew receptive crowds on the main stage after a day of performers in and around Discovery Green. Small stages scattered throughout the area offered everything from dance to brass bands to vocalists.

Blue October veered from thundering synths to crashing guitars throughout its hourlong set. Several songs -- "I Want It," "Sway," "Say It," "Light You Up" -- were aided greatly by expert staging. It was an impressive barrage of lights and smoke and crowd energy.

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They clearly adore singer Justin Furstenfeld, who reminisced about "growing up in The Heights" and offered several positive affirmations. He talked frequently about overcoming his own struggles.

The crowd sang along with everything, from "Into the Ocean" to the affecting "Fear" to "Hate Me," the band's highest-charting single. It was all very earnest -- and impossible not to be impressed by the connection Furstenfeld has with the crowd.

The Tontons offered a polished, refined set that showcased lots of growth and earned an increasingly warm reception. Singer Asli Omar's voice has gotten stronger and more textured. And she was giddy about playing to such a large crowd in her hometown.

"I'm so proud of our city this week. Houston doesn't always get the reputation it deserves," she said. "This is a great city."

Guitarist Andrew Lee strummed a guitar with a sticker that read, "He will not divide us." (The word "divide" was represented by a division sign. Very Ed Sheeran.) The camera frequently focused in on it.

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Wild Moccasins turned their set into a full-on dance party with bouncy indie-pop and disco, including Eye Makeup" and "Sponge Won't Soak" from 2014's excellent "88 92" album. Zahira Gutierrez continues to be one of the city's most engaging vocalists.

The band previewed several new songs from a to-be-recorded album that draw from '80s new wave and pop. The only thing missing was glitter cannons.

Super Bowl LIVE continues Sunday with Lyric Michelle and Lecrae.