Acronyms! Acronyms Everywhere!
May 16 '05 (Updated May 17 '05)
The Bottom Line Check out Jimmy Eat World if you get a chance. Good, fun rock show.
Jimmy Eat World with Taking Back Sunday and Mates of State
Friday, May 13th 2005
Oakland's Henry J. Kaiser Arena served as the stage to showcase the good, the bad, and the unusual of emo bands. A trifecta of acronym rock bands - Jimmy Eat World (JEW), Taking Back Sunday (TBS), and Mates of State (MOS) - shared the billing on Friday, May 13th.
The historic auditorium more closely resembled a high school gym by the time the Bay Area's Mates of State took the stage. The male/female duo of organ player/singer Kori Gardner and drummer/singer Jason Hammel opened the night with their own quirky take on the emo genre. MOS mix bubblegum melodies, whirling organ, and straight ahead beats to create an unique sound that hovers somewhere between unabashed pop and Musak.
After the unusual came the bad. Taking Back Sunday were next and blasted out over an hour of their angular, guitar driven songs. Though TBS's set was full of energy and received a hearty reaction from most of the fans (the show seemed split down the middle between diehard JEW and TBS fans), the band seems to lack the melodic sharpness and vocal charm of other similar bands. And if there is one category of music that demands uniqueness, melody, and vocals it's emo and all of it's subcategories. The band did play "a new song" called "What it Feels Like to be a Ghost." The new track sounded very polished and was the bright spot of the group's set. The other bright spot was guitarist Eddie Reyes. Besides playing flawless lead riffs, Reyes also provided a good deal of vocals, and his energy set the tone for the
rest of the band. At one point, his exuberance caused him to take a spill, tumbling backwards over a cable. He didn't miss a note. Unfortunately for TBS, it seems like lead singer Adam Lazzara has never missed a "Lead Singer Cliches 101" class. Lazzara's trite stage comments and routines were so practiced and transparent. Apparently the new phrase every lead singer must know is "This is a dance number." And there is something really bothersome about lead singers who never leave the mike on it's stand.
Finally, the good. Jimmy Eat World are what is right with rock music. A small band that struggles and makes good. That's what it's all about. It is JEW's simple formula that makes them stand out from the mass of pop/punk bands - good melody, good riffs, good lyrics, good songs. Pretty simple formula, but very hard to get right. After a few acapella lines from Futures, lead singer Jim Adkins was joined by bassist Mitch Porter and guitarist/vocalist Tom Linton for Clarity's "For Me This is Heaven." Drummer Zach Lind really got the set going with the next song, "Bleed American." The band didn't play a song from their newest album, Futures, until the fifth song. It's refreshing to see a band play songs from their whole catalog instead of just showcasing the new stuff.
JEW worked through a handful of songs from Clarity, Bleed American, and Futures, as well as a few older tracks. Guitarist Tom Linton took the mike to sing "Blister" and "Seventeen." The set mostly consisted of the band's higher energy songs, leaving out ballads like "Drugs or Me," "Hear You Me," and "Night Drive" in favor of rockers like "Praise Chorus," "Pain," and their breakthrough hit "The Middle." Those ballads would fit in well, though. Jim Adkins has the voice and presence to pull off slower songs live. The band is dynamic enough to play longer, more diverse shows. The band closed out the show with a rampant version of "Sweetness" with all four members jamming in front of the elaborate, TV-laden stage setup.
Though they were billed as the main act, Jimmy Eat World really shared the lead billing with Taking Back Sunday. It's a shame, too. JEW seems ready to go to the next level as a rock band. Headlining tours, two-hour sets and all.
Jimmy Eat World setlist:
For Me This is Heaven, Bleed American, Lucky Denver Mint, Kill, Work, The World You Love, Blister, The Middle, 23, Get it Faster, Seventeen, Futures, Praise Chorus
ENCORE:
Pain, Sweetness
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Given2FlyMike
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Member: Mike Assenzio
Location: Sunrise, FL
Reviews written: 41
Trusted by: 13 members
About Me:
Master currency exchanger, Pearl Jam fan, Music Lover, aspiring screenplay writer, occasional musician and songwriter
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