Comeback Kid, Rise Against, Silverstein, Sum 41 more mall punk then you can shake a stick at.

Last night was the first time I had attended a concert at Red Rocks. I have to say that I had heard of Red Rocks several times in the past, and own a few DVD’s of some concerts that were shot at Red Rocks. From what I had seen on the DVD’s it looked like an amazing concert venue. This round I was slated to see few bands that I haven’t seen before. The four band scheduled to play were Sum 41, Silverstein, Rise Against, and my personal favorite Comeback Kid. I haven’t seen any of the other bands before, but this will be my third time seeing Comeback Kid. I will say that it was my first time seeing them outside of a club setting where everyone is ear to ear with one another.

 

 

 

 Red Rocks is about 15 miles from my doorstep and is really not to difficult to get to from where I live. The parking lot that is outside of the amphitheater is nestled in between the surrounding areas natural rock formations which look like something out of an old star trek episode, which would technically make it look like a part of the California desert, but who is counting. The entrance to the park is a winding road that leads to a mess of stairs which take you into the seating area. The tickets I had been given were nothing special. They were something like 85 rows back from the stage, which to be honest put a black mark on the evening early out. Before plopping down on the benches I decided to grab a beer. No surprise the cost was 6.50 for a 12 oz. Coors light. 

Sitting in my seat I took in the natural setting that Red Rocks provided. In the distance I could see the outline of Denver and the surrounding area. The show kicked off with Comeback Kid, which is a personal favorite of mine. This time around it was weird seeing them from so far away. The other two times I have seen them they were packed into a club with a capacity of no more then 300 people. This was a change to say the least, but as always they delivered. Most of the crowd was unfamiliar with them, but there were a few people singing along like me. After there set more people started to pack the place.

 

The next band to hit the stage was Silverstein, and post hardcore copy of everything I have heard for the last 2 years. I wasn’t impressed and the 14 year olds sitting around me were more star struck then I would ever be. But the way I look at it, metalcore is the new boy band. Trust me it will be out the window as soon as they become Juniors in high school. After there set was over the night had fallen on the show, I have to say about that point I was starting to get a good buzz on, but since I was out of money, there was no more chance of me really getting into the show, if you know what I mean. The next band up was Sum 41. I hate to admit it, but I was into Sum 41 when I was in high school. So I sang along with a few songs.

 

I will give it to Sum 41, they do put on a good show and know how to work a crowd. In the middle of the first song they stopped and Derrick invited 8 people up on stage to watch from the side, As well as provoking the crowd to tell them to “Fuck off” several times. There antics only elevated when Derrick announced that he felt like Elvis and ran behind the risers and grabbed a pair of Elvis style shades, a scarf, and a pillow to put under his shirt. He then broke into a rendition of heartbreak hotel as well as a few other Elvis standards. I can’t really say that I found it all to amusing but different none the less. After they finished there set it was Rise Against that was up.  I’m not the biggest Rise Against fan but I do respect them and think that there music is catchy.

 

I was really surprised by how energetic they were, and treated the show like any other. It reminded me of going to a punk rock show when I was 13, but in a large arena. Between songs Rise Against praised Colorado as well as the kids who came to the show for keeping it “Punk Rock”, and even giving praise to Chicago’s Alkaline Trio. I have to say that the band jumped up a peg when they played a Minor Threat cover song of the same name. Most people liked it but a select few, including me, freaked out. Being a Minor Threat fan I think it was a fitting song to cover. Also the band incorporated two violins and a chelo for two of there songs. It showed that the band had there stuff more together more then pop punk sound would let on.

 

Wanting to get out of the show before I was slammed with traffic I took the queue from the singer that it was going to be the last song and started heading for the exit. I hopped into the car and headed back to the highway. Overall I was impressed by the show and it made me think this new wave of punk ain’t so bad, true it’s not a smelly punk club, but it was enjoyable none the less, and I made it to bed in time to catch the last few minutes of Conan. So a good night overall and not a bad close to my Summer.

Jimmy Eat World at the Gothic

Finally I have something to post in the music section. So last night I saw Jimmy Eat World at the Gothic in Englewood. To be honest I have really liked them since “Bleed America” came out. I guess that is my dirty little secret that I keep hidden from the world. That and the fact that my first concert was Neil Diamond, so now that the cat’s out of the bag I will continue. It didn’t suprise me that the show was totally sold out, and when I got there the line was streatched down the street. For the most part it was somewhat of a young crowd, I guess we can chalk that up to MTV. Thank you…. I guess.

 When we got inside the entire floor was packed, so the chance of being extra close was somewhat out of the question. I decided to go back to the bar and grab a beer before the rest of the audience packed themselves in. I jockied for a spot just behind the floor. it was a perfect spot that was just to left of the stage and had a good view. For anyone who has never been to the gothic, their is really no such thing as a bad seat in that venue, and the sound is amazing.

 The opening act was an Artist named Maria Taylor. I had never heard of her before, it wasn’t until she took the stage that the name clicked with the face. She had done a few songs with Bright Eyes, and once did a suprise duet a few years back while at a show in Seattle. As solo artist she was ok, but I really didn’t dig her solo stuff as much as her work in Azure Ray, and the stuff she did with Bright Eyes. I could see myself picking up her new solo record, but I think I would have to be in the wright mood to really enjoy it.

The crowd aplauded her and she was off. Between the break I decided to get another beer from the bar and returned to my spot. Since this was my first time seeing Jimmy Eat World, I didn’t really know what to exspect, which added to the overall excitement of the show. As soon as the lights fell Jim Atkins took the stage with acoustic in hand. he played a few songs solo before the rest of the band came out. One serious change that I didn’t exspect was there choice to play songs that they don’t play on the radio. Some even going back to there second record “Static Prevails”. In between songs Jim would banter something silly in regards to the other members of the band, clearly stating an inside joke that the audience didn’t have an in on.

 Allot of the songs on there set list served to keep the mood light and turned the night into a slow jam rather then a faster paced concert. An hour and half in, the band left the stage for what was a predictable encore. The crowd clapped and chanted for the band to come back out. Not to stray to far from the mainstreem, Jim came out again, alone, for an acoustic version of “The Middle”, which may have just been added to my list of accoutic versions of a song that are as good or better then the orignal.

After they played a few more songs from there yet to be unreleased album they wished the crowd a good night and left the stage. I was left with a feeling of being satisfied and not really wanting more. I drove away from the show with a new respect for Jimmy Eat World, and had to give it to them for wanting to play good music that they liked rather then what was being played on the radio. Also I didn’t feel so bad for being a Jimmy Eat World fan, and almost felt grown up for liking there softer side more then there rock side.