Fortunately tonight I did not have any trouble getting my passes and everyone else that I came with (about 5 of them) all had previously purchased tickets online. We all entered the show without incident as opposed to the previous night’s tirade. The show was moderately packed, a little lesser than one would think for a show stocked with fairly well-known indie/punk bands, however the fact that it was Halloween and many people have scheduled engagements for the night may have had an impact. Either way it was not overly crowded which was a plus. This show was held in the Ballroom, the larger room of Warehouse Live and tonight smoking inside the venue was not being permitted. Although it is tough to police such a policy, especially in a low lit venue, I did notice a big difference between the smell of my clothes between tonight and last night when I got home. Being a non-smoker, it’s definitely something I appreciate.

Hit the Lights were playing their last songs as we entered the Ballroom. They seemed like their set went off with a bang, and the front man was dressed up like a pirate, so things couldn’t have been so bad. The few songs I heard were very melodic and up beat. I know they did a Gin Blossoms cover in the past. I didn’t hear that, but I would have been happy if I had.

Cartel took the stage second. These guys really weren’t in the Halloween spirit as much as the others, but each member of the band wore a different style of fake moustache which spiced up the performance. The band played only 5 songs, but each song had to have been 5 minutes plus each. Towards the end, the length of the songs got a little redundant, but overall the content was there. They were a very melodic indie-pop outfit, with some great vocals. I did notice that these guys didn’t have any roadies to set up their gear, nor had any sort of huge intro. Sure they are still an opening band, but on a bill like this, I’m not used to seeing the band until after the room has gone black and the sample has played through. These guys just got up there, tuned up and played. Good stuff, but they might need to make a few radio edits if they intend on getting any play.

Before The Early November took the stage, I was sitting in front of the barricade getting my camera situated and I could hear nothing more than some kid smashed to the front of the barrier yelling to the band’s roadies to get off the stage and just let New Found Glory play. When the band came on stage the kid had the audacity to flick the band off and started to boo before I turned around and put him in check. Kids these days. With the disrespectful infant silenced, the boys from The Early November came out rockin. They all were outfitted with classy vintage suits and some even wearing fedoras. They had a little guitar trouble during their first few songs, but once things were hammered out they hammered out the jams. They even worked in a bit of Champagne Supernova a la Oasis during the ending to one of the songs. If you told me that there is this somewhat lesser-known indie band that just released a triple disc record and plays with three guitars on-stage, my reply would probably not be positive, but these guys completely pull it off. The guys are always moving on stage too, and that is always a plus in my book. With a great live sound, and an innovative, introspective recent release, these guys are doing alright.

I am pretty sure the last time I saw New Found Glory; they played at the Oven with about 40 other people. Obviously this time was a bit different. Usually a band that has been around this long, and that I’ve liked for this long, will come into town supporting a new release that is less than spectacular. I rarely give in to going to see the band, since most of the time I will be disappointed with the lack of older songs played and the abundance of the newer, “different” songs played. New Found Glory’s new album is in fact different, but an amazing sort of different. The album is great, so there is no way these guys could have disappointed me, even if they tried.

I’m going to have to give credit to whomever chose the between band, house music during the lengthy set-up time before New Found Glory. We heard some B-52’s, Ace of Base, some old school Mariah Carey, even some Phil Collins. Usually the house music is whatever obscure crap that the sound engineer picks out, but whoever was manning the control booth tonight was on the ball.

After the jams had ceased and the venue went black, the crowd silence was disturbed by a sampling of Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun”. The members of New Found Glory came out dressed in drag. I knew it was going to be something, but this was hilarious. Not only women’s clothing, but they even had on the fat suits and wigs to add to the authenticity. The best part of it all was still being able to see their tattoos and sneakers on with the costumes. Although I wouldn’t have been upset with hearing solely material from the new album, I was pleasantly surprised to hear a nice mix of older, faster songs and newer songs. They played their rendition of Peter Cetera’s Karate Kid hit, “Glory of Love”. Sure these guys have gained considerable notoriety over the years, but they are the same old kids and seem genuinely un-jaded and that’s why I still like them so much. Their set, complete with a short encore and mic-handouts made my night. Well that and seeing my friends, who were the stars of the show, dressed as a priest, a hot-dog and a banana. -Todd Spoth (www.toddspoth.com)