After a transportation delay and making our way through several blocks of San Francisco, my friend Ted and I found ourselves outside The Great American Music Hall, in line to pick up our tickets and go inside for a great show. Once we arrived, we realized that as two 19 year old guys, we were not the norm in terms of attendees for the show. We actually felt old, which was not what I expected. The majority was young teenage girls who were very vocal throughout the coarse of the show. Not to say that that's bad, but it wasn't quite what I expected. Anyways, when we got inside, we were pleasantly surprised by a number of things. The size of the crowd was fairly small, smaller than I anticipated, and the atmosphere of the venue was fantastic. It was an older place, with architecture and decorations like that of The Warfield, another great venue in the City by The Bay. The other surprising element was the food; both Ted and myself were famished, and we discovered their decently sized menu, ordered, and were immensely impressed by the quality.
Enough about that though. Let's get to the main point (see what I did there?).
The show.
It kicked off with Brighten, a 3-piece Pop-Rock band out of Chico, California. They had some good music, but came off as a little awkward in-between songs. They also didn't seem quite on top of things, but that was slightly understandable since they said that this was their first tour in two years, and they were still getting used to things. They did perform well, however, with a short set of 5 songs, mixing some from their latest release, Peace and Quiet, to songs they wrote in 2009 and earlier. It was an enjoyable opening group.
The next band to hit the stage was This Century, another Pop-Rock band, but out of Phoenix, Arizona. The minute they got up, the band knew exactly what to do and was a very tight knit group. They were comfortable with each other and in sync, and got the crowd going quickly. They opened with a crowd favorite, "Hopeful Romantic", and moved through a very upbeat and energetic set. I enjoyed all the songs they played, seeing that they were one of the bands I came to see, and sang along to all the words I knew. Two things I noted that were cool about their time on stage is that they had their keyboardist, Alex Silverman, played all the bass guitar parts on the keyboard, creating a cool blend of real instruments and electronic elements. Also, the bass rumbled the place, so that's always a plus. The other thing I noticed was the mic stand that their lead singer, Joel Kanitz, used on stage. It was clear and lit up on the inside, and changed colors to match the current lighting set up for the main stage. It was awesome to say the least, and definitely looked like a lightsaber from time to time. One of my favorite parts of seeing This Century live was how they added little tweaks and such to their songs. They kept them all mostly the same, but added some extended instrumentals or added crowd vocal parts to keep things fresh. It made the experience unique, and more memorable in my opinion. One of the best parts of the night, however, was when I headed downstairs after their set to check out their merchandise. I bought a hard copy of their new album, Biography of Heartbreak, (which you can find my review of here), and not only got a free poster thrown in, but was able to get both signed by their lead singer, Joel. He was really cool and down to earth, and shook my hand and took a picture with me. I really love meeting the artists I love and telling them that they're doing a fantastic job. It was easily a highlight of the night.
A Rocket To The Moon was the third band of the night, coming out and getting started loud and energetic. The energy of their set was the most notable part, because they kept it up and constant. You could tell that they were experienced, and just having a good time on stage. They kept more towards alternative-rock side, but definitely had some pop here and there. The entire time with them felt a little bittersweet, however, because they mentioned that this tour would be their last tour ever; the band was finished after. And while it's understandable that sometimes you have to move on from bands, it is sad to see a band in it's prime end things. They put on a killer last hurrah, though, and the crowd loved them, shouting the words back almost louder than the band. One of the highlights was when they were transitioning out of one of their hits, "Baby Blue Eyes", and they managed to fit a short cover of Taylor Swift's "22" in on the end. It was ironic because in interviews past, A Rocket To The Moon has called themselves the male Taylor Swift. Overall, the boys put on a great show, and it was a fine last effort.
Now, the best part of the night; The Maine. I've been listening to these boys since I was in 8th grade, so for about 5 years now I've been rocking out to their tunes. I have loved them from then until now, through their sound change and maturing and all. I even got to see them in 2009 when they were touring with Boys Like Girls and Cobra Starship, which was a killer show as well. I have used their songs for breakups, for good times, and for all the things in-between So to say I was excited for them to come on stage was an understatement. Their entire set was stellar, from the song choice to the energy to the love for the fans. They played hits from all through their catalogue, with a lot of my favorites by them. They let the fans sing a lot of parts, which I thought was cool and a really neat way to include the audience. The best part of their set was most definitely when their lead singer, John O'Callaghan, decided that it'd be a good idea to climb up from the stage and serenade the people on the balcony. Being up on the balcony, I rapidly made my way to where he was to take pictures (and fangirl just a tiny bit). It was one of the coolest things I've seen a band do, and the crowd absolutely loved it. Later on in the show, John also climbed down onto the floor and sang surrounded by dozens of love-struck fan girls. But besides his antics, the show really was well done. The only complaint I had was not about the band itself, but the sound crew, who had to stop in-between a few songs and fix a few things. They also never had John's vocals up nearly enough, which made it hard to hear him sometimes over the crowd and instruments. Aside from those issues, however, the band was fantastic. They got the crowd going, they got into the music, they jumped, they just had fun with it. And they were very thankful to the fans, even acknowledging that without the fans, they wouldn't be able to do what they do. It was cool to hear a band acknowledge that, because it is the truth. I also liked how John took a moment near the end to get serious and tell the kids to make the most out of their lives. Besides his overuse of "the f-word", it was a really great way to end the show.
This show was one of the best shows I've ever been to, and a complete steal at $25 a ticket. The bands were great, the venue was great, and it all came together for a fantastic time.
Here's the setlists for each band. (Note, I may have messed up some of the songs, and I missed one of Brighten's songs, so my apologies. If you went and have corrections, let me know!) Also, any song with a * next to it indicates I've linked it to the video I took at the concert.
Brighten:
I'll Be There
Carolina
Home
(Unknown)
Little Locket
This Century:
Hopeful Romantic
Tip Toe
Skeletons*
To Love and Back
Everywhere Everything
Bleach Blonde
Slow Dance Night
Sound Of Fire
A Rocket To The Moon:
Call It Home
(Unknown)
Wild & Free
Whole Lotta You*
Baby Blue Eyes/22 Cover
If I'm Gonna Fall In Love
Dakota
Give A Damn
Nothing At All
Like We Used To
Mr Right
The Maine:
Love & Drugs
Misery*
Inside Of You
We All Roll Along
Into Your Arms
Right Girl
Happy
Some Days
Kennedy Curse
My Heroine
These Four Words*
Whoever She Is
Identify
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
Count Em 1, 2, 3
Like We Did (Windows Down)
We'll All Be
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