Fan Reviews

2/5/03
The Metro - Chicago, Illinois
by Amy

The show was amazing! I really enjoyed everyone who played. The show started with Fiction Plane at 6:30 (however soundcheck took too long and they really started at 7, oops). They started and kicked some major ass! Everyone who was there got into the music! They played til like 7:30ish than Vandetta Red went on, they were good much harder than a lot of the kids there thought they would be. They played til like 8:15ish. Something Corporate went on next and all these girls had a mad rush towards the stage, it was crazy. Something Corporate played for about an hour and once they finished there was a mad rush of girls out the door. It was amazingly funny! My friends and I figured they didn't know Julianna theory has yet to go on! So Julianna Theory went on and everyone went crazy, people were moshing it was great! Personally I found it much nicer with out all of the annoying Something Corporate Fans. All in all the show was amazing! If I could have left that show after seeing just one band I would have for sure left after seeing Fiction Plane!
The best thing there was was how amazingly cool FP was! They were some of the nicest guys I have ever met. I always picture a lot musicans of being somewhat rude but everyone I met last night were completely the opposite.
Well Peace Out !

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February 6, 2003
Decatur, IL
by Kathy Wheeler

Fiction Plane was the first of three bands to perform along with Something Corporate and The Juliana Theory and started promptly at 7 pm. They played to a half-full auditorium at Milikin University (maximum capacity 1900). There were a few problems with the sound throughout, but the band more than made up for this minor glitch with their enthusiasm and easy going attitudes. Joe Sumner seemed at ease on stage immediately and came across very amusing with an inclination towards profanity. Unfortunately of the three bands, Fiction Plane was given the least amount of stage time, and their set consisted of 7 or 8 songs total in about 40 minutes.
They started out strong with “Everything Will Never Be Okay”, which seemed the most “radio friendly” of all the songs I heard, then launched into “Hate” sounding very much like some older U2 songs in my opinion. The band then alternated well between harder rock songs like “Silence” to softer fare such as “Fallow”, a beautiful song that was my personal favorite of the evening. I also really enjoyed the biting lyrics of “Cigarette”. All of the band members seemed to enjoy themselves and joked with each other and the audience. Joe had an excellent stage presence and the crowd responded eagerly when he spoke, which was often. He was wearing a Nirvana t-shirt and extremely loose cargo pants that appeared likely to fall right off of him as he jumped up and down, especially at the end. Joe was the lead vocal for all the songs and his voice sounds amazingly like his father Sting in his earlier days with The Police on songs like “So Lonely” and “Next To You”.
After their performance, the entire band came out to greet the crowd. They were very gracious signing autographs, taking photos and chatting, and Joe even took the time to make sure he spelled my name correctly as he signed my Santa’s Boyfriend CD insert simply - Joe S. The new drummer, Pete from Indiana, drew a drum beside his autograph, which looks cute. Joe is very tall and lean and looks quite a bit like Sting. I got a couple of pictures with the entire band, and purchased a 5-song CD sampler featuring songs that will be on the new album out next month. I asked about their tour and learned they will continue through the rest of the year.
All and all, it was a wonderful evening and a spirited performance by Fiction Plane; I wish only they had been given more time to play. I expect to see great things from Joe Sumner and Fiction Plane and feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to see them perform live, because I’m guessing Fiction Plane will not be making their way through central Illinois again any time soon, if ever.