|
I had been waiting for months for this show (I got my ticket the day they went on sale) and for the most part was not dissappointed. The two headlining bands, MxPx and Simple Plan, are two bands I would love to see outside of an all-ages show setting. The main reason? All the teenybopper girls there screaming for SP's Pierre Bouvier (Vocals) and David Desrosiers (Bass/Vocals) detracted A LOT from the music. Jersey a somewhat poppy hardcore-ish band, not from their namesake state but rather from Canada, were so-so. They seemed a bit tired, and I would love to see them again before I decide if I like them or not.
Coming into the show, I had only heard two of Sugarcult's songs, "Bouncing off the Walls" and "Pretty Girl", both of which (I'm glad to say) they played. Many of the songs on their set list came from their new CD "Palm Trees and Power Lines", and were very likeable. Their new single "Memory" is very catchy. They are a very good band to see live, interacting with the audience. I can't wait to see them play again (and get another hug from their guitarist, Marko!)
I had no idea which band would be next, as this was a co-headling tour, and the two main bands were flip-flopping. Fortunatly, Simple Plan was up next. Now, I have their CD "No Helmets, No Pads, Just Balls", and I must say live, their music sounds very different. Jeff Stinco and Sebastian Lefebvre prove that they are two of the better guitarists to come out of the "Pop-Punk" explosion of 2003. As a band, they are all very humorus and fun; they craked jokes and interacted with the audience quite well. As they only have one CD out, they played most every song off of it. Quite suprisingly, they played the coversongs they played on MTV's New Years Eve special:
|
Pink's "Get the Party Started" and the Black Eyed Peas' "Where is the Love?". It wasn't something I was expecting, and I concider it to be one of the highlights of the show. With their hit song "Perfect" they showed a bit of accustic skill, with Bouvier actully playing guitar, before crashing into a plugged in version of the song (complete with drummer Chuck Comeau racing to get back behind the drumset in time and just barely making it!).
Sadly, once Simple Plan left the stage, a large amount of the audience left. Concidering that MxPx has been a major inspiration for many of the pop-punk power players of todayt, I felt that was very disrespectful. But those of us that DID stay were in for a treat! Mike Herrera (Vocals/Bass), Tom W (Guitar/Vocals, I'm sorry I can't spell your last name!), and Yuri Ruley (Drums) played hits spanning their entire careers, not just off of their newest disk "Before and Everything After".
Most of their songs have a sing-a-long quality, something I particularly enjoy. "Responcibility", perhaps my favorite song of theirs, made an apperance early on. They even did a cover of The Clash's "Should I Stay or Should I Go?", with Tom taking over the singing duties. Second highlight of the show: Check!
RATINGS:
PERFORMANCE: 8 out of 10
INTERACTION: 10 out of 10
SONG CHOICES: 8 out of 10
OVERALL: 9 out of 10
|