Third Eye Blind at the Marquee 06.13.2009

May 7, 2009 by FromTheCrowd  
Filed under Upcoming Events


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Third Eye Blind
w/ special guests
When: 6/13/2009 6:30 PM
Where: Marquee Theatre
Ticket price: $27.50*
Price day of: $30.00*
* Prices subject to service fees 
Ages: All Ages

Buy Tickets for the Tempe show from the Marquee with this link

 
Since 1997, San Francisco’s Third Eye Blind have recorded three best-selling albums and assembled one career retrospective. 3EB will release ’Ursa Major’, their first studio collection in five years, in autumn 2009.

Led by Stephan Jenkins, 3EB won wide success during a tumultuous group of years when the major-label recording industry was finally losing its grip on an enterprise that for decades it had dominated with steely efficiency. Nothing could have made 3EB happier! 3EB, however, have experienced no comparable loss. Instead, they have gained artistic clarification — and, surprisingly, a fan base larger than ever.

Participation in the older, untouchable realm of nervous star-making and could color a band’s identity. In the case of 3EB, it often blurred the perception of their brilliant musical creations. In recent years, those creations have recast the band among a current generation of fans.

3EB now write, tour, record, and communicate in a fluid new world where their music continues naturally to evolve. Their exchange with their audience is unfiltered.

Les Claypool at the Marquee Theatre 06.12.2009

May 7, 2009 by FromTheCrowd  
Filed under Upcoming Events


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Les Claypool
w/ Capillary Action
When: 6/12/2009 7:00 PM
Where: Marquee Theatre
Ticket price: $25.00*
Price day of: $27.00*
* Prices subject to service fees 
Ages: All Ages

Buy Tickets from the Marquee Theatre for this show

 
The most original rock bassist to come along in the ’90s was unquestionably Primus’ Les Claypool. With his oddball sense of humor and funky playing, Claypool took his varied musical influences and created an invigorating and completely inventive style. The Les Claypool story begins on September 29, 1963, when he was born in Richmond, CA. As a teenager, Claypool met fellow student Kirk Hammett (yes, the Kirk Hammett of Metallica fame), who turned him onto such rock acts as Jimi Hendrix, Cream, and Led Zeppelin. It was around this time that Claypool took up the bass, influenced by the likes of Rush’s Geddy Lee, Yes’ Chris Squire, and Paul McCartney. Although Hammett asked Claypool to join a band he was in, he opted for another group in his high school, progressive metallists Blind Illusion, while broadening his musical horizons by playing in jazz and swing bands. Upon discovering such fusion and funk bass greats as Stanley Clarke and Larry Graham around this time, Claypool began incorporating “slapping” into his playing technique.

After graduation, Claypool played in a local cover band, the Tommy Crank Band, which specialized in blues, R&B, funk, and mainstream rock hits. Playing several sets a night almost every night of the week, he sharpened up on his improv skills, and after a short while, there wasn’t a musical style that he couldn’t pull off convincingly. It was while with Tommy Crank that Claypool bought his first Carl Thompson piccolo bass (after seeing Stanley Clarke play one), an instrument that would become his trademark. It was around this time (early to mid-’80s) that Claypool began demoing his own original compositions, which would become the impetus for Primus. Originally called Primate, Primus consisted of guitarist Todd Huth and drummer Jay Lane in addition to Claypool, who also contributed vocals (in a strange sing/speak style, almost a kin to a narrator) in addition to bass. Although the trio instantly created an underground following in the San Francisco area, Primus was put on hold when Huth left and Claypool returned to Blind Illusion (whose sound now resembled a thrash metal band), and appeared on the group’s lone album, The Sane Asylum, on Combat Records.

His return to Blind Illusion didn’t last long, but he met a kindred musical spirit in BI’s guitarist, Larry LaLonde. By 1989, a new Primus lineup was formed — Claypool, LaLonde, and new drummer Tim “Herb” Alexander, and not long after their first album was issued — the live set Suck on This. The album caused such a buzz with college radio that the independent label Caroline signed the group, resulting in reissuing their debut and their sophomore effort, 1990′s Frizzle Fry, while the trio toured with such bands as Jane’s Addiction and 24-7 Spyz. 1991 proved to be an even better year for the group, as their major label debut (for Interscope), Sailing the Seas of Cheese, reached gold status a year after it’s release, as the trio opened for such varied artists as Public Enemy, Anthrax, U2, Fishbone, and Rush. Primus scored a surprise Top Ten hit with 1993′s Pork Soda (and subsequent headlining spot on that year’s Lollapalooza festival tour), solidifying the band’s status as quirk rock’s undisputed kings, as more hit releases followed throughout the decade and new millennium — Tales from the Punch Bowl, The Brown Album, Rhinoplasty, and Antipop, as well as penning the theme song to TV’s South Park (Claypool also tried his hand at directing the band’s videos). In addition to his Primus duties, Claypool has always had time for side projects — Sausage (a reunion of the original Primus lineup), Les Claypool & the Holy Mackerel, The Frog Brigade, and Oysterhead, as well as guesting on albums by other artists (Buckethead, Jerry Cantrell, Victor, Limp Bizkit, Tom Waits, Rob Wasserman, etc.)

Taking Back Sunday at the Marquee 06.09.2009

May 7, 2009 by FromTheCrowd  
Filed under Upcoming Events


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Taking Back Sunday

w/ Anberlin, Envy On The Coast
When: 6/9/2009 6:00 PM
Where: Marquee Theatre
Ticket price: $25.00*
Price day of: $25.00*
Ages: All Ages
* Prices subject to service fees 

Buy Tickets from the Marquee for the Tempe Show
 
TAKING BACK SUNDAY started with Eddie Reyes, punk rock for life who was calling Long Island home in 1999. A fertile area for some of today’s most (insert synonym for promising here) advantageous, bright, favorable, felicitous, fortunate, golden, halcyon, happy, hopeful, lucky, opportune, propitious, prosperous, rosy, timely, well-timed young artists, Eddie quickly found three friends nearby with a shared musical vision and recruited one from a little further away (current vocalist) Adam Lazzara originally moved to NYC from High Point, North Carolina) to play bass. After their initial demo circulated, (insert line-up change here) Victory Records quickly signed the band and put them in the studio with Sal Villanueva of Thursday fame running drills.

TELL ALL YOUR FRIENDS, their debut album was released in March 2002 and the band continued to tour, winning fans over by their (insert synonym for exciting here) agitative, animating, appealing, arousing, arresting, astonishing, bracing, breathtaking, commoving, dangerous, dramatic, electrifying, exhilarant, eye-popping, far out, fine, flashy, groovy, hair-raising, heady, hectic, impelling, impressive, interesting, intoxicating, intriguing, lively, melodramatic, mind-blowing, moving, neat, overpowering, overwhelming, provocative, racy, rip-roaring, rousing, sensational, showy, spine-tingling, stimulating, stirring, thrilling, titillating, wild, zestful live shows. By the summer of that same year, only a few short months later, shows were selling out in advance and word of mouth continued to spread. Sharing the stage with Boxcar Racer, The Used, Jimmy Eat World, New Found Glory quickly followed and the band saw less and less of home and more and more fans dedicated to the catchy yet meaningful songwriting layered over a unique blend of rock’s best attributes. Lyrics such as “Why can’t I feel anything from anyone other than you” taken from Cute Without the ‘E’ (Cut From The Team) and “You could slit my throat, and with my one last gasping breath I’d apologize, for bleeding on your shirt” taken from their upcoming single You’re So Last Summer became anthemic sing alongs with audiences quickly overpowering stage wattage output at tour stops from coast to coast. Believe it or not the entire band writes as well. All of them play guitar and write melodies. No fact checking necessary, even drummer Mark O’Connell is very involved in the writing process.

Fast forward to spring of 2003: TAKING BACK SUNDAY embarked on the Takeover Tour, their first national headlining tour. Playing to (insert synonym for sold out here) awash, brimful, brimming, busy, chock-full, clean, close, compact, crammed, cramped, crushed, dense, full, full house, full up, huddled, jam-packed, jammed, loaded, lousy with, massed, mob scene, mobbed, overflowing, packed, populous, sardined, stiff with, stuffed, swarming, teeming, thick, thickset, thronged, tight, topped off, wall-to-wall crowds in most of the US and Canada (2,200 fans in Toronto when the band had never stepped foot over the eastern border) helped the press take notice and features in Rolling Stone, Spin, Alternative Press (cover) and Revolver quickly followed.

By now TELL ALL YOUR FRIENDS had surpassed 200,000 records sold. The band had plans to travel to Europe and then return to the US to spend the summer as one of the main stage acts on the 2003 Vans Warped Tour. (insert line-up change here) Instead they welcomed Fred Mascherino and Matt Rubano to the mix. Mascherino comes to Taking Back Sunday from one of their favorite bands, Breaking Pangaea, best known for significant college radio airplay and critical raves. Fred’s strong backing vocals, guitar virtuosity and insightful lyrics bring an added dimension to the Taking Back Sunday sound. New Bassist Matt Rubano is a native of Baldwin New York and a life long friend of Mark’s, so the chemistry between the two is unmistakable. Matt has recorded and toured with a variety of artists from all genres of music, but is best known for his work on Lauryn Hill’s grammy winning debut, “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill”.

Debuting the new line-up at the last three Warped shows in Philly, NY and NJ respectively allowed the band to dispel the rumors of a (insert synonym for break-up here) adjourn, disassemble, disband, dismantle, disperse, disrupt, dissolve, divide, divorce, end, halt, part, scatter, separate, sever, split, stop, sunder, suspend, take apart, terminate and allowed TAKING BACK SUNDAY to blast through songs from the record and introduce some new ones which received a more than favorable review from fans and press alike. Their third video for You’re So Last Summer will feature a guest appearance by Public Enemy’s Flavor Flav. Why you ask? “Why not,” would be their reply, there are no rules.

In late summer the band will play some scattered festivals and radio shows, play a benefit with Blink-182 for cancer striken pro-surfer Jason Bogle in a 1,500 capacity club in San Diego, make their network television debut on Jimmy Kimmel live (September 9) then head back out across the nation with Saves the Day in the Fall. The fans have waiting patiently. They will not be (insert synonym for disappointed here) aghast, balked, beaten, blue funk, cast down, chapfallen, complaining, defeated, depressed, despondent, disconcerted, discontented, discouraged, disenchanted, disgruntled, disillusioned, dissatisfied, distressed, down, downhearted, foiled, frustrated, hopeless, let down, objecting, shot down, taken down, thwarted, unhappy, unsatisfied, upset, vanquished, worsted.

Mastodon Concert Review 04.16.2009

April 17, 2009 by FromTheCrowd  
Filed under Concert Reviews

By Melanie Nelson, www.FromTheCrowd.com Concert Columnist

 

After a venue change from Martini Ranch to the Marquee Theatre, Mastodon was set to headline an evening of progressive/experimental metal with Kylesa and Intronaut opening. This genre was definitely a new one for me, but I was heading in with several preconceived notions of what I would be facing.

We did arrive and walk into an exclusively black-shirt clad, male dominated room. Every individual somehow arranged themselves to stand perfectly still in two foot intervals – all respectively listening to Via Vengeance. Via Vengeance was loud, exceptionally loud when you consider that he’s a band of one. This individual remarkably covered drums, guitar and vocals all on his own.

During the set change, I took the opportunity to peruse the crowd. There was a surprising range of ages and types: many parents were attending to stand guard over their high schooler and friends, there was the expected beer drinking twenty-something crowd and a large portion of thirty to forty year olds. I suspect (this is supported by many logo t-shirts) that several of the latter began as Pink Floyd fans and simply updated their genre.

Chatting with the crowd, it was clearly a night for Mastodon fans. Rick and Cindy W. have been Mastodon fans for 5 years. Leviathon easily stuck out as their favorite album, but Rick was also well informed on their latest album, Crack the Skye.  To ensure the vision/story/message of this album was relayed, Rick forewarned me to expect the entire album played cover to cover. The band would then return for a second set of some of their older hits. Mastodon’s new album appears to have some mixed reviews with their departure from a usual style; Rick mentioned having to listen to it a few times to fully appreciate it. This wouldn’t be the first time I heard this from the crowd.

Mixed in the fanbase of such Mastodon knowledgeable people as Rick were people like Gary S. and his friend Mero K., who had simply been dragged to the concert by a friend and were only hoping for a good show.

Intronaut began their set checks and the drummer and guitarist had some truly impressive practice riffs, demonstrating promise for a great show. In fact, drummer Danny received a large deal of applause before the show had even started. Once Intronaut did get underway, their music had the expected hoarse howling vocals of a metal band but their skilled ability with their instruments was well demonstrated and included some interesting lyrical moments. The more I considered their one particular song, the more I realized that the musical interlude woven into it really did resemble the soundtrack from the movie Labyrinth. I can’t imagine David Bowie’s thoughts on that one.

One of my main thoughts during Intronaut’s set was that for a supposed metal concert, this was a remarkably still crowd. Where was the head banging, the mosh pit, the crowd surfing?  Did my toes really have nothing to fear?

When Kylese took the stage next, their vocalists were determined to add to the metal atmosphere with the head banging and swinging hair, which made for a much more active band to watch compared to Intronaut’s interesting but physically stiff performance. 
The challenge with Kylese is that it really was just ear bleeding noise. While the drummers (two!) were perfectly synchronized and had a rhythm, it was just methodical noise with timed yowling from vocalists Phillip and Laura. Overall I really did prefer Intronaut’s instrumental intricasies.
While I can’t say that I enjoyed the music at this point, it did offer me an opportunity to watch the formation of a mosh pit. With honorable mention of Intronaut’s single Australopithicus, I give you:

 

The Evolution of Mosh

·         A large crowd begins creepily head bobbing in unison

·         Participating group inches forward together

·         Shoulders are added into head bobbing motion

·         Hand and arm slowly raise with “rock on” symbol

·         Legs begin to shake in time with head bob

·         A small hop is added

 

Now this hop appeared to be the signal to the surrounding crowd to clear out a large circle to make room for the beginnings of the mosh pit. Sadly, I lacked the ability to interpret this signal. The perils of shortness almost continued, but thankfully this mosh area only numbered three. Everyone seemed hopeful for future crowd participation though.

 

Mastodon fans were everywhere at the end of Kylese’s performance.  Folks such as Matt G. had smartly decided to wait outside or arrive late in the evening to save their ears.  Again, Matt was a longterm Mastodon fan who still listed Leviathon as his favorite album.  He had no particular expections out of the set beyond wanting to hear some “crazy ass” drumming and guitar riffs. 

 

It was a very different crowd when you reentered the stage area.  Twice as many people had come out of the woodwork and were much more energised, chanting the band’s name and randomly cheering for Mastodon’s perforance to begin.  Even with the huge crowd, the Marquis’s sloping floor ensured a great view for everyone, including those of us guarding their toes at the back.

 

For all the Leviathon fans, they were indeed going to have to wait.  The first set was the entire Crack the Skye album played cover to cover.  A huge screen was onhand to help illustrate the band’s story of an out of body celestial journey with images of the cosmos intersperced with movie clips and stills.  

 

Mastodon fans should have absolutely no complaints over getting their full ticket value because Brent, Bill, Troy and Brann played for two hours.  This wasn’t a lazy, ballad ridden two hours either.  These four men were getting full body workouts with the crazy ass drumming and guitar riffs I was told to expect.  The crowd’s energy stayed with them the entire time through until their ending set of three songs from previous albums.  It was a great performance – compared to Kylese’s noise, this was music.  It was loud, it made the whole floor and room vibrate, but these men knew how to play and perform.  And if your skin wasn’t numb from all the vibrations and your ears weren’t ringing even with your earplugs as you left after that long evening of performances, you were probably one of the very few.

Mastodon Pick of the Week 04.16.2009

April 15, 2009 by FromTheCrowd  
Filed under Pick of the Week

Tax Refund… check

Drive to Tucson… um.. no…

Still want to see a great show…  YES!!

Another pick this week:

Mastodon @ Marquee Theatre!

Thu, April 16, 6:30pm – 11:00pm
Marquee Theatre (It moved from Martini Ranch)
Mastodon w/ Kylesa, Intronaut, Via Vengeance 6:30 PM, All Ages
Tickets for Martini Ranch will be honored… see you there!

Puddle of Mudd Tour at the Marquee 11.17.2007

November 17, 2007 by FromTheCrowd  
Filed under Concert Reviews

By Hillary Morton, FromTheCrowd.com Contributor

Puddle of Mudd’s latest tour hit the valley on Saturday, November 17 at the Marquee Theater, featuring, Cinder Road, Deepfield and of course, Puddle of Mudd.  Although the venue was less than half-full, the artist provided an entertaining performance.

The opening act, Cinder Road, had a great sound and very fun to watch. They provided an almost theatrical experience with excellent stage presence, which really got the crowd going.   Deepfield, the second act, featured amazing music but a little less entertaining.  They just weren’t able to capture the crowd in the same manner that Cinder Road.

Finally, Puddle of Mudd hit the stage and the crowd became ecstatic.   They kicked off the set with, “Control”.  The group pleased the crowd by playing their more of their old favorites such as ‘Blurry” and even ended the set with “She Hates Me” as well as tracks from their latest release, “Famous”.  They played with an abundance of energy and sounded as if this was one of their first concerts on their tour even though they have been on tour for eight months.  They eagerly interacted with the audience, involving them in the performance. 

Puddle of Mudd really seemed to play and sing their hearts out on stage, even though Wes Scantlin, lead vocals, informed the crowd that his voice was a little under the weather from the constant touring, but the crowd couldn’t tell.  Their vocals were great, and they played extremely well.  The only thing is that I felt that they looked a little worn down; although that is understandable with their touring schedule.   By the end of the night, they played all the crowds favorite songs and even covered a song by Nirvana, keeping them jumping up and down the whole time.   I enjoyed Puddle of Mudd’s music; it was worth the wait.

Bloodsimple Concert Review 11.11.2007

November 12, 2007 by FromTheCrowd  
Filed under Concert Reviews

By David Hopper, FromTheCrowd.com Contributor

The Marquee Theatre played host to Bloodsimple and Hellyeah on November 11.  If you’ve never been to the Marquee, it doesn’t appear to be a very big looking venue until you get inside.  People were lined up fairly early to get in and see the concert, a show that I was personally was not impressed with.  When Bloodsimple finally hit the stage, the crowd was sparse and docile. 

They opened with their song “Ride With Me”, a song where the beginning, seems to me, to be an obvious rip off of The Doors song “The End”.  It has been changed in a few ways so as not to seem that way but any Doors fan would immediately notice.  The lighting accompanying the show was mediocre at best and the bands stage presence was uninspiring.  Bloodsimple lived up to the Heavy Metal sound with loud screaming and heavy guitar licks, but in all the band did not seem to act as one.  Every member was doing their own thing instead of trying to get the crowd into the music.  As the concert continued, more people made there way in a small mosh pit that had formed in the center of the venue, but it never seemed to get very far.  Even as they continued their set, the crowd just did not seem to be getting into their performance or the music all that much.   It wasn’t all bad news though; a few people I talked to seemed to enjoy themselves.  Three friends who had come to the show Brandon, Julio and Dave all said they enjoyed Bloodsimple for putting on a good show but like many others were waiting for Hellyeah to get onstage. 

Overall, as I said it was an uninspiring show, nothing jumped out at me as extraordinary.  The band just did not seem to be energetic or excited, few words were spoken to the crowd to get them into the performance, and after all was said and done Bloodsimple did not seem to distinguish themselves apart from any other heavy metal band.  I feel like I could go to any heavy metal show and see and hear the same thing as I did last night.  To anybody who considers themselves an aficionado of heavy metal perhaps you can pick up on something that I did not however, I wouldn’t count on it.  Perhaps of I were to go and the lighting was stepped up a notch and the band tried a little harder instrumentally and energetically it could be a good show.  However, something tells me not only will that not happen and even if it did, I would not go see it.

She wants Revenge at the Marquee 11.05.2007

November 6, 2007 by FromTheCrowd  
Filed under Concert Reviews

by Adam Scott, FromTheCrowd.com Contributor

She Wants Revenge electrified the Marquee Theatre Nov. 5th with their amazing sound and gloomy, almost Goth feel.  Just dropping their second album This Is Forever, SWR is riding high upon the electro/darkwave scene. Most will know this powerful duo from their first single “Tear You Apart” oddly enough, directed by Joaquin Phoenix who added a sort of cinematic story to the already intoxicating hit. This song catapulted them to the public eye and absolutely put them on the map landing them tour dates with the epic Depeche Mode.

Coming into this show I have to be honest, I knew very little about this band other than their very first single. I did however know they had a small cult like following that were few, but definitely in attendance at the show. With the band’s emphasis on feeling the pubescent poetics that everyone could relate to, dancing was everyone’s first priority. Heavy bass lines and monotone cries from lead singer Justin Warfield left me with my foot tapping and hips swaying.

About midway through the set finding myself hypnotized by red lights and strobes in their one off performance of “She Will Always Be a Broken Girl” the song was cut short due to a fight in the crowd. Hands down the most exciting part of the night! After repeated comments to the “guy in the green jacket with yellow stripes” Warfield began yelling at him and others that in true Tempe fashion, tore off their shirts and began fighting. At this point Warfield had the crowd chanting to kick these people out, not to mention challenging one of them to come on stage for a scrap stating “I will take you down!” After some brief apologies from the band for getting worked up SWR finished their set with a lackadaisical piano interlude then finally ending with a few more songs that everyone could sing to. If the highlight of my night was a fight at a SWR concert this show lacked a little in the attention getting realm of a performance. Nonetheless, I still can’t stop saying, I Want To F**king Tear You Apart!

As I Lay Dying Review 10.27.2007

October 28, 2007 by FromTheCrowd  
Filed under Concert Reviews

By B. Nixon, FromTheCrowd.com Contributor

As I Lay Dying performed a show at the Marquee Theater on Saturday October 27 that can only be described as a live-wire.  The crowd fed off of the intense energy pouring out of the amps. 

Being previously untouched by the experience that is watching a show like theirs, I had to do a little homework on their history.  In comparison to some of their earlier recordings they continue to pour out hard driving guitar riffs while, varying the tempo and delivery of some of their pieces.  But no matter what they still remain true to their blitz attack metal style.  After listening to tracks on their earlier albums the progression and technicality became much more clear when looking back on their set, it definitely reflected their variability. 

It was easy to see the connection between all four band mates and the cohesiveness between drummer, Jordan Mancno whose sheer speed on snare sets a thrashy tone for guitarists, Phil Sgrosso, and Nick Hipa.  You can tell they have developed a loyal following in the Arizona crowd, who would enthusiastically join the more melodic anthem type choruses.  I went into the show inexperienced with the genre and unfamiliar with the band and left feeling completely amped up, a feeling that I am sure everyone left with that night.

Lifehouse “Who We Are” Tour 10.22.2007

October 23, 2007 by FromTheCrowd  
Filed under Concert Reviews

By D. Marcher, FromTheCrowd.com Contributor

As many of you did not know, judging by the size of the crowd, Lifehouse performed at the Marquee Theater on October 22nd.  Even though the Marquee was only filled to about half capacity, Lifehouse performed as though they were entertaining an arena full of their biggest fans.  Unfortunately the same can not be said for their opening acts, luckily, the fans realized that there was light, in this case Lifehouse, at the end of the tunnel.

HoneyHoney, kicked the show off with their unique folk take on rock, perhaps their sound is best describe by their MySpace, calling it backyard rhythm.  The duo, comprised of Suzanne Santo, the singer and violinist and Ben Jaffe, rhythm guitar and bass drum, charmed the small audience.  Santo, while small in stature wowed the audience with her strong vocals.  She looked sweet and innocent; however, this was all dispelled when she began singing a playful song dedicated to all of the couples in attendance.  While their music was heavily based upon prose, it was lighthearted and fun, something that is often not found in the music of today.  As the crowd slowly trickled in, everyone in attendance seemed to enjoy the performance, which was actually their last with the Lifehouse tour

Unfortunately, the same can not be said for the next band, Midway State a quartet from Toronto, that just joined the tour the day before.  With that said, perhaps it is this lack of experience on the stage, which made this performance so disappointing.  Midway State provided easy pop rock melodies that seemed to fall upon deaf ears, as they were unable to capture that audience with their performance.  The crowd, which was now about quarter capacity, freely walked around in and out of the theater, with little interest in the performance.

For the fans that had come for Lifehouse, this was just not their type of music and I would say a poor selection for the tour to compliment Lifehouse.  Perhaps it was best said by Amber, 18 from Phoenix, “I didn’t leave because I wanted to save my spot (in the crowd) for Lifehouse, otherwise I would have.”  Amber, was not alone in her sentiment, Mike, 30 of Goodyear, said “I would have come later, had I known.”    Midway States’ lead singer was full of dramatic movements and obvious angst, but it seemed self absorbed.  To be honest, I would have been just as happy to have listened to elevator music, while waiting for Lifehouse, and those in the audience that were listening to their mp3 players, must have felt the same way.

Finally, Lifehouse, the trio comprised of Jason Wade, Rick Woolstenhulme, Bryce Soderberg, came on stage to the delight of all of those in attendance.  Jason Wade erupted into “Make Me Over”, followed by “Spin” and the crowd couldn’t have been happier.  The audience ate up the high energy level that Lifehouse emitted.  You could instantly tell that this crowd was in for a great evening of music.  Not letting the size of the crowd place a damper on the evening, couples danced together freely, almost as if this is the way the audience should have been.  The boys of Lifehouse made full use of the large stage, Bryce, the bassist, even leaped onto the speakers to the surprise of the crowd.  There were plenty of other surprises too, such as Bryce taking on lead vocals for a cover of  Badfingers’, “No Matter What”.  Jason Wade’s vocals were as impeccable as ever as he commanded the stage, leading the crowd through seven songs from “Who We Are”, the latest Lifehouse release.  Jason and company, of course, also played fan favorites such as their mega hit, “Hanging by a Moment” and even dedicated “You and Me” to all of the fans in attendance.  Overall, Lifehouse managed to salvage a somewhat disappointing night of music, into one of my favorite concerts this year.

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