|
|
Jimmy and Co. Rock the HouseSep 17 '01 Write an essay on this topic.
Popular Products in Music
The Bottom Line Sadly cut short, the Bleed American tour, featuring Jimmy Eat World, Hey Mercedes and Reuben's Accomplice, was packed with powerful music and plenty of smiles. Check out future shows!
I've been a Jimmy Eat World fan for years and have had the chance to see the band perform about half a dozen times. Each show has been energetic, heartfelt and impressive, but I'd have to say that throughout the years, pretty much NOTHING has topped the most newest performances on the band's tour supporting the recently released Bleed American. I was lucky enough to catch the last installment of the tour at Mississippi Nights in St. Louis. Because of the recent national tragedy and impending birth of drummer Zach Lind's baby girl, the tour was cut short so that everyone could go home to loving families. Upon arrival to the club, I was really happy to see that the show was sold out. I'd heard reports of most previous shows being filled to capacity, but in St. Louis, I just wasn't sure. I had seen the band play a year earlier in a smaller venue, and the crowd was pretty sparce. Mississippi Nights is a much bigger, more popular club located right on the banks of the River, and kids poured in hundreds after hundreds. Opening was Reuben's Accomplice, a band, like Jimmy Eat World, from Tempe, Az. They had a far-more traditional "emo" sound: sleepy, flowing guitars; pretty, floating melodies; beautiful, strong vocals with harmonies to die for. I was unfamiliar with the band, but I definitely left a fan. Check out their newly released record on Better Looking Records, the new home for a recently reunited Boilermaker. Next up was Hey Mercedes, rising from the ashes of Braid, who made its fourth appearance in St. Louis. The popularity of the band was apparent, and the crowd was very receptive to the new songs from the three-month stalled, forth-coming release on Vagrant Records, Everynight Fire Works. Kids bobbed their heads but alas could not sing along to many songs, other than those on the band's self-titled EP on Polyvinyl Records. Despite its lack of record, the band still put on a powerful performance. Many of the new songs have a much darker, more moody feel than do the poppy, jangly songs from the EP. I look forward to great things from Hey Mercedes and eagerly await the release of their record in mid-October. Finally, Jimmy Eat World took the stage. And as excited as kids were for Hey Mercedes, they nearly lost their heads for the new Dreamworks darlings. I was really taken with the overall age of the crowd -- mostly high school kids and even younger. Of course, the bar was full, too, but I was glad to see that Jimmy Eat World has finally begun to appeal and reach out to a wide audience. I even saw a few fans with their parents -- who were also wearing Jimmy Eat World T-shirts. The band played an intense, full-throttle, 90-minute set. When I saw the length of the set list, I was thrilled. The band mixed in a wonderful variety of songs, fast and slow, new and old, from its seminal release Static Prevails to the experimental Clarity. The bulk of the songs came from Bleed American, and at times, the crowd sang louder than singer/guitarist Jim Adkins. Many of the kids in the front row belted their hearts out and knew every word to every song. The band has a new, dedicated following. In addition to the normal four-piece construction of the band were an extra guitarist/keyboardist and female vocalist/keyboardist. Many of the songs from Bleed American have beautiful, haunting, female vocals and the live versions of the songs "Hear You Me" and "Cautioners" were heart-achingly blissful. The renditions would not have been the same without the live additions. Good move. On stage, the sweat poured, the smiles beamed and the music rocked. The band's on-stage presence is one of its strongest attributes. Whereas Hey Mercedes moves with energetic, agonized lusts and lunges, Jimmy Eat World plays with contained perfection and at times explosive fission. They keep composure through the sweat and tears and remain tight and in-synch as a band. Every moment is right-on and empowering. For a zany mad-house of an ending, Jimmy Eat World played the near-cult favorite "Sweetness," in which members from both Reuben's Accomplice and Hey Mercedes joined the stage to sing in the familiar choruses of "woah-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh." Much rough-housing ensued: spraying beer, chugging various liquids, piggy-back rides, dancing, etc. The crowd, and the bands, were all smiles, and the finale was a great closing to an impressive show and a successful, but sadly cut-short, tour.  |
| Read all comments (3)|Write your own comment |
|
Ads by Google
|
by kiwifella
by George_Chabot
![Jersey Boys [Original Broadway Cast Recording] by Original Broadway Cast Reviews](http://di2.shopping.com/images/pi/95/a4/8a/2006752046-100x100-0-0.jpg?p=p1.e0231d4832cb48b4d0f3&a=2&c=1&l=8071320&t=120604065714&r=2)
