Jimmy Eat World, Elefant, and Reuben's Accomplice (Ft. Lauderdale, 1/7/05) Jan 27 '05 (Updated Jan 31 '05)    Write an essay on this topic. Tweet Popular Products in Music The Dirtchamber Sessions, Vol. 1 by The Prodigy From $11 Jersey Boys [Original Broadway Cast Recording] by Original Broadway Cast From $8 The Bottom Line A-fricking-mazing. 'Nuff said. I had the opportunity to see Jimmy Eat World live at Revolution in Fort Lauderdale, Florida this past Friday night. Revolution is a fairly small venue that looks as though it may have once been a warehouse. The listed max capacity is 999, and I'd say it was definitely flirting with that number. With the mosh pit lower than the stage, the club has a platform that goes around the sides and back of the room, even with the stage, and an upstairs that mirrors the bottom. In other words, I don't believe there was a bad seat in the house for this concert. Drinks were fairly expensive, but that's obviously how they make their money; tickets were sixteen dollars before Ticketmaster's charges, and a bottle of water at Revolution was five. The concert, which was scheduled to start at 6:30, didn't get underway until closer to 7:30, when Reuben's Accomplice finally came out onstage. Formed in Phoenix, Arizona, the band consists of lead singer/guitarist Jeff Bufano, guitarist/backup vocalist Chris Corak, Andy Eames on the bass guitar, and Jim Knapp on drums. A new addition to their lineup was Amy Ross on keyboards and backup vocals. In March of 2004, the band released their second album, The Bull, The Balloon, and The Family on Western Tread Records, a label started by Jimmy Eat World frontman Jim Adkins. Reuben's Accomplice has a soft, pop sound that focuses on drums, guitar, and keyboards, with the vocals a secondary matter. Their setlist included the melodic "Underneath The Golden Grain" and about six other songs. Their banter with the audience was kind of weak, which I think hurt them. When Bufano asked if anyone had any questions, the most common one shouted was "Who are you guys again?" Their emo-derived pop was solid, although nothing overly spectacular. The work of Ms. Ross on the keyboards and backing vocals were pretty good, and Knapp's drumming very solid. The band played for about thirty-five minutes before the crew came out to reconfigure the stage for the next artist. Elefant is Argentinean-American lead singer Diego Garcia, guitarist Mod, bassist Jeff Berrall, and Kevin McAdams on drums. The New York-based band plays a brooding style of indie rock that definitely appealed to the audience. Garcia's charisma played to the crowd, which seemed to hang on his every word, even if they hadn't heard the songs before. Their setlist traversed from the dark and emotional to the upbeat and pop-driven. Elefant was an excellent opening act for Jimmy Eat World; they got the crowd going. Diego Garcia is a talented singer with a very good backing band. I'd love to see where these guys are a couple years from now. Most of the set came from their debut album, Sunlight Makes Me Paranoid. The very last song was one they had never performed before, titled "LA." Elefant Setlist (In Order): Sunlight Makes Me Paranoid Make Up Oh Oh Hello Tonight Let's Dance Now That I Miss Her Love Bokkie Misfit LA Finally, around 9:45, the band everyone wanted to see came on stage, Jimmy Eat World. As they began the intro to "Bleed American," the energy just exploded in a wave of screaming fans coupled with red and blue strobe lights. From there, the thousand or so people in attendance went into a frenzy as the band played through a good portion of Futures, along with the notable songs from Bleed American. Since much of the fanbase began to adore the band beginning with their earlier, more emotional music, they also included songs from Clarity and Static Prevails and some non-album cuts. "Futures" and "The World You Love" went over well with everyone; the entire crowd joining in singing the words. The band delighted through their setlist of seventeen songs plus two encores. Every three or four songs, it seemed that Jim and Tom were changing guitars; afterwards, Adkins' shirt looked as though he'd jumped in a pool. That same energy he seemed to feel coursed throughout the thousand or so of us who'd stood there for three hours until they came onstage. It wasn't just the band's musicianship that kept the fans entertained. Several times during the set, Adkins stopped playing and bantered with the fans about the weather ("We're desert boys. We can do 110 degrees, but we can't handle hot and humid.") and footwear ("Who's wearing flo-ho's? Those aren't flo-ho's, you get second prize."). If the whole music thing doesn't pan out, Jim may just have a calling in stand-up comedy; granted, you wouldn't have gotten either of those jokes if you weren't there. There were only two minor problems with the entire concert. First, it took nearly half an hour from when Elefant went offstage before Jimmy Eat World came out, leaving the fans standing and wondering what was going on. And secondly, the band had minor difficulties with the guitar amplifiers before one of the songs, leading to several minutes of irritating white noise. Much of the concert had the audience moshing and singing along, showing just how much fun we were having. Tom Linton grinned through practically the entire set, and Jim just looked like he was having an exorbitant amount of fun. It's not just their onstage presence. After the show, myself and the person I was with at the show were able to easily get backstage and meet Jim Adkins and Zach Lind, two very nice guys. Zach gave his drumsticks to my friend, and was very easygoing and gracious. Things like this help build the band's reputation as being very active as far as meeting their fans and being very down to earth. Jimmy Eat World finished their setlist and walked offstage to a thunderous round of applause. It took chants of "Jimmy, Jimmy," to bring them back out for the encore, which was well worth the price of admission by itself. Starting with their smash-hit single from Futures, "Pain," the band played every second like it was their last. And finally, as a rousing closer, they kicked out punchy sentimental favorite and Bleed American stalwart, "Sweetness." Jimmy Eat World Setlist (Alphabetical): A Praise Chorus Authority Song Bleed American Blister Drugs Or Me For Me This Is Heaven Futures Get It Faster Goodbye Sky Harbor If You Don't, Don't Kill Lucky Denver Mint No Sensitivity Nothingwrong The Middle The World You Love Work Encore: Pain Sweetness If you're looking to see an incredible live band that can make a fan out of anyone, look no further than Jimmy Eat World. Ten minutes into their setlist, I guarantee you'll be hooked. They've committed to touring for the next two and a half years, so there's a good chance they're coming to your area at some point. While they're spending much of the next couple months over in Europe, Americans should keep an eye out for tour dates near you. You will not be disappointed at all. Concert Information: Ticket Price: $25.65 including applicable Ticketmaster charges Venue: Revolution (Fort Lauderdale, Florida) Overall Grade: A Jimmy Eat World - Futures Copyright T. Pascarella, 2005. Written for The-Trades.com (article published 01/12/05), and reproduced by the author here. This may not be reprinted in any form without contacting the author first and getting express written consent.

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