Show Review

New York City rounded up the punk rock aficionados on Friday night for the Tooth and Nail Tour at Irving Plaza, now going by the name, The Fillmore. The atmosphere was surprising as I entered the small venue. Several fanny pack dads floated through the near empty room watching their kids from a distance. The crowd- or what was considered that, was low key and was not what I was expecting to see at an MxPx show.

The first band up was Run Kid Run, who proved themselves to be a steady opener. Not many heads were present for the set, but they made the best of it and the ones that watched enjoyed the performance. They sang catchy tunes like “Sing to Me” and “We’ve Only Just Begun” that got the crowd clapping and enjoying the band. They were definitely a band worthy of this tour.

Next up was a band I had never seen before but can say I’m a huge fan of now- Sullivan. Musically, this band is fantastic. They have serious energy and could pump up any crowd in seconds. The only thing that was slightly off was lead singer, Brooks Paschal, who quickly earned the nickname “Hands.” He was insanely theatrical with his hands wailing about which made it very hard for me to withold laughter. It was overbearing and funny to say the least. He's a good singer and doesn't need the acting. Not to take away from the music- they played some new songs like “The Process” and “Florida Queen” which got people excited for what’s to come from their new album. This is a great band and I can’t wait to see more of them, whether it’s to giggle at Paschal or to hear great music- both are perks if you ask me.

This next band I was extremely excited to see. The Fold has flourished these past few years and I knew they were going to be incredible. This band takes home many awards for the night in my book. They had the best sound and next to MxPx, the crowd was into them the most. They were the most fun to watch and got people singing to songs like “Gravity” and “The Title Track.” They also played some songs off their newest released album that proved this band just gets better and better. The Fold play amazingly with their songs sounding polished and fluent.

The Classic Crime came on and were slightly different than the other bands. They seemed to have a solid following because a lot of the crowd knew the words to songs like “The Fight” and a song that stuck out to me, “The Coldest Heart.” I don’t know if I saw what the crowd did- the band was good but I don’t know if I would have placed them right before the headliner.

The place seemed to fill up a lot more by the time The Classic Crime was done. MxPx was about to take the stage and I felt a rush of nostalgia for the good ol’ days at Birch Hill. I was excited to see these guys in action again. MxPx came out on stage and everyone was ready. They started off the show with “Tomorrow’s Another Day” and “My Life Story” which had the crowd clapping and bouncing around, but no pits- which was weird. If any band could start a good pit- it should be MxPx. They played old favorites like “Responsibility” and even took some requests from the audience such as “Move to Bremerton” and “Invitation to Understanding.” Fans shouted “Where’s Yuri!” as to be surprised he wasn’t present. The band introduced the drummer as Chris Wilson from “The Summer Obsession” and said he was filling in for Yuri. Wilson did a great job as a stand-in.

MxPx put on a flawless performance. They made it clear that they are a band that has put the time and effort into being a truly great punk rock band. They interacted with the crowd and tried to get them going, but it seemed they weren’t the type of crowd that went crazy like the usual punk rock types. It was interesting to see such young kids there singing along to all the songs. They ended with a kickass encore with songs “Do Your Feet Hurt” and the infamous “Punk Rawk Show.” It is evident the punk rock scene has died down quite a bit from years ago but if punk rock is planning to mosh its way back into the hearts of scenesters any time soon, MxPx will be the pit starters, especially with their new album coming out in July.

This Tooth and Nail tour was a great one and if you get the chance, go check it out. Undoubtedly at least one band will catch your ears and you’ll have a great time.

review by Christina Reynier