Show Review

This was my first time seeing Saves The Day.. Moneen, too, was another first-timer for me, and trust me, I was happy as hell to see them blow the roof off the house.

Moneen was crazy! The guitarist/singer and band were going nuts for every song, throwing their guitars around. The singer actually broke his guitar, and ripped his bassist's shirt! This band is a band you have got to see, and even though they don't sound perfectly akin to their record sound, their style and composure makes up for it. Insanity!

The crowd went crazy as Taking Back Sunday took the stage, but I wasn't too into it at all. The new singer is, at best, a good John cop-off, and it just isn't the same anymore. Adam seemed to have somewhat of an attitude as well, but I might be imagining things. Someone yelled "Fuck Straylight Run," to my disappointment, and Adam handled it pretty well saying, "no one should ever say that," or something along those lines. Anyways Adam did his usual lack of singing performance, spitting out the occassional two words and letting the crowd handle the rest, but their music was pretty on target. The new guitarist/singer did a good job playing guitar and even added a few cool parts of his own (mini arpeggios, etc) but his voice just seems like it's trying way, way too hard to sound like John (but then again, I guess that's his job). Their new songs, however, were terrible. I was hugely disappointed and suddenly realized that this band is going to be done with soon. The new songs lack any sort of punch or finesse that the old ones had, but I suppose we'll see how they sound on the record. Let's just say I'm glad Saves The Day was headlining.

Finally Saves The Day was incredible. They played a generous mix of old material all the way back to their EP, but didn't play anything from Can't Slow Down. Chris Conley's voice was literally impeccable, and even the old songs from Through Being Cool sounded incredible. The new songs even had a little different effect on me, just because Conley is able to sing so perfectly. This band is a band you have to see; their musicianship is as professional as any huge band. Conley's appreciation was expressed with head bowing and hand folding, and he had a certain charisma and charm that I loved. They did an encore that consisted of the amazing song "Ups And Downs," followed by "Cars And Calories." Other great songs they played included "Nightingale," "At Your Funeral" (opener), "This Is Not An Exit," "Rocks Tonic Juice Magic," and of course "Holly Hox, Forget Me Nots." They played a few others from theo ld and new as well, but those were the songs that I really remembered having a great impact. They put on probably the best vocal performance I have ever seen, and I strongly suggest you go see them when they come, because even if you like me were disappointed in the new record, you will absolutely love their diverse, thick set.

review by Andrew Martin