As soon as I walked into the Meridian my friend and I were hit in the face with the thickest smoke I have encountered at a show. The majority of the crowd at the half full venue were smoking cigarettes. This wouldn’t have been so bad if there weren’t two fog machines hadn’t started  from right before the first band of the night, Monsters are Waiting, and been on through the majority of the show.

Burning eyes aside, the four piece Monsters are Waiting took the stage shortly after eight o’clock. The three guys and a girl band started playing with psychedelic images were projecting images on and behind the drummer.

The groups sound was monotonous, and rather boring. After taking pictures during a couple songs I made my way to the back of the venue, away from the fog machine, to watch the rest of the show. A few songs into their set their music began to get a little better but the singer’s vocals reminded me of a little girl crying about not getting what she wanted. After a half hour set, in which most songs sounded the same, especially the choruses, the band left the smokey stage for Pretty Girls Make Graves.

Like I said, the last time I saw Pretty Girls, they were opening for Death Cab, and the entire show was nothing less than amazing. Pretty Girls Played Strong and sounded great, and the crowd was pleasant. The crowd that gathered at the Meridian for the night were a mix of goth kids and emo kids.

Pretty Girls Make Graves started their set strong musically, but the vocals weren’t as clear as they could have been. Their guitarist, Jay Clark, commanded his instrument and all of his pedal board, which almost rivals that of Minus the Bear, almost. The group played songs off of their latest album, Élan Vital, and several songs off The New Romance. The sound improved throughout the set and sounded more like the band I remember seeing two years ago. While the band put forth much energy during their performance, the audience didn’t move at all. People standing completely still at shows is something I have never been able to understand. But I guess that’s why the Dismemberment Plan wrote “Do the Standing Still”.

During the song “Parade” the guitarist gave up his guitar and aided drummer Nick Dewitt on drums. The extra percussion was just as interesting to watch as it was to hear. By the time their set was finished, the band had danced and played for forty-five minutes with out any interruption. While they weren’t as good as the first time I saw them, I still enjoyed their set.
Next up for the night would be the headliners, She Wants Revenge.

The first time I heard She Wants Revenge I thought that Interpol had made a terrible album. Shortly after the group started playing, my opinion of them would be confirmed. The band played with the same dark dance oriented music as Interpol, but without style and energy. After taking pictures during the first three songs, I decided to spare my eyes, from the smoke, and ears, from the music inside.