Gathering around the Warfield theatre on a friday night forming a line that snaked around the corner and paralleled itself were hundreds of fans of Versaemerge, A Rocket to the Moon, The Maine, Cobra Starship, and Boys Like Girls.
Opening was Versaemerge. You could tell that lead singer, Sierra Kusterbeck, was a bit off and we found out later it was due to illness, but she brought it the whole time. The guitarists and bassist were throwing in back-up vocals and one of them was hitting some gorgeous falsetto notes. I always count it a plus when the band loves what they’re doing and one of the guys couldn’t stop smiling and every now and then you could catch some one on stage mouthing the lyrics as Sierra belted them out. Most in love with performing goes to Versaemerge.
Typically, roadies are good for testing instruments. A Rocket to the Moon had different ideas. The audience couldn’t stop screaming as the band members came on stage to sound check their gear. Once they were ready, they gave us Shook Me All Night Long by AC/DC. Their energy was strong through out but the vocals started stronger than they left us. Something that bothered me were the lights. This was the only band with this problem, but their lights seemed to be on a sporadic melt down. They didn’t match the music well. I don’t know if I’m the only one who noticed, but come on, it distracted me right out of the performance. But, kudos to the drummer, Andrew Cook for high energy and smiles.
I have never heard the Maine before, but I almost bought their album on the way out. I’m still not sure if that’s because of their music or their insane, demanding energy. When you watch these guys perform, they’re jumping around, screaming at you and not taking a breath like they should to keep you on your feet and believe me you stay on your feet. John O’Callaghan, lead vocals, is a cusser and is not afraid to notify the audience when they “suck.” Total participation was the only option and he won. At one point, the crowd didn’t know the lyrics of the song and he wanted us to sing along. He just asked, “Does anyone know the lyrics to this song?” Yes, it was quite cinema-like. The small girl goes up on stage and sings the end of the song for us and the audience finally learns the lyrics . . . can’t remember them now though. They covered Def Leppard’s Pour Some Sugar On Me and left us stoked for Cobra.
As soon as I saw the signs that read “Get Awesome,” I knew this was a show for me. Cobra managed to turn the pop-rock mood into a strobing dance club in one song and held it for the duration. I always appreciate it when a band doesn’t open with their “hot” single and Cobra left “Good Girls Go Bad” for last and hit us with “The City is At War,” “Snakes on a Plane,” “Hollaback Boy,” and “Smile for the Paparazzi.” They started out a bit stiff, which I initially blamed on their skinny jeans. As the set progressed, they warmed up and then combusted. I’m quite certain that they got 97% participation from the crowd. Impressive. Gabe takes home an award for the most frequent indication of the crouch.
Finally, Boys Like Girls graced the stage and opened with a recent favorite of Black Eyed Peas fans. They came out and sang “I Got A Feeling” and transitioned right into “Love Drunk.” I think what I enjoy most about this band is how much they love the audience. Most bands say it, but I could feel that they were glad to have us there. Their energy was great. Martin Johnson, Paul Giovanni, and Bryan Donahue never seemed to be standing still, they threw out their picks like they didn’t need them, and on top of all that, they sounded beautiful. I was almost surprised to hear the harmonies from them. The voices were so on that the audience picked up the talent of singing hero/heroine without sounding like cows. For the very planned encore, the band gave us a ballad and then a classic, “The Great Escape.” They invited the entire audience on stage. How they finished the song with a bunch of crazy teenie boppers (or whatever they call them these days) grabbing at them, I’ll never know, but they made a lot of nights.
The venue was excellent spatially. I’ll go to the Warfield again, but the lights were amazing and then awful and the bass was consistently muddy throughout the show. If they watch that stuff, we’ll be alright.
Quote of the night: “That’s the fucking San Francisco treat right there.” –John O’Callaghan
