The forum really is a great venue. Everything about it is wonderful; the interior design, the stage, and most importantly, the sound. All of these things combined make for quite an enjoyable experience and over the years I have seen many performances by some of the biggest names in the business. Tonight, Jimmy Eat World and friends collectively brought the house down with flawless performances filled with good times and no hassles.
Occult punk heroes, Alkaline Trio, took to the stage first and without wasting any time dove straight into Time To Waste sending the diehard fans down the front into a pogoing frenzy with beers held high in appreciation. The band sounded great, tight and precise and probably shouldn’t have been put as the opening band as they are years beyond that although on this night their fans seemed to a minority judging by the lack of cheers floating around the room. That didn’t stop vocalist / guitarist Matt Skiba and vocalist / bassist Dan Andriano from delivering the goods. Backed by drummer Derek Grant, these sons of Satan blasted through the likes of the punishing Cringe, the anthemic This Could Be Love and even slower numbers like Every Thug Needs A Lady and finisher Radio. Once again, Alkaline Trio came and delivered and we can’t thank them enough.
I honestly had no idea that Panic! At The Disco were even still a band but here they were, sandwiched between two melodic punk rock band dishing out their epic sing-a-long songs. The indie rockers started off bouncy and really had the crowd groovin’ but half way through their set things just seemed to go a bit dull. Well, that was until vocalist Brendon Urie advised the crowd about his love of the Vine app and from there they leaped into a barrage of deathly growls, hardcore screams and fast paced punk beats with a one minute song that appeared to be titled Positive Hardcore Thursday. This short piece of punk was definitely the highlight of their set and it brought the life back to those of us who were fading fast. Finishing with I Write Sins Not Tragedies, the crowd was back dancin’ and getting their jig on.
It could be said that Arizona’s Jimmy Eat World are fast becoming the U2 of punk rock. They may not have the billions of dollars but they write catchy songs filled with huge choruses and infectious vocal melodies that trying to sit still or not sing-a-long too just seems impossible. They’re one band who can just string together a perfect song structure with ease and have you arm in arm with those around you screaming at the top of your lungs as they played both hard rockers and ballads alike.
Tracks like Sweetness and Bleed American are no doubt crowd favourites just as much as they are staple anthems of the indie punk rock world. The mellower numbers like Here You Me and 23 fit in perfectly amongst their hard edged ass kickers like Big Casino and Chase This Light. The crowd really danced up a storm as the band brought the show to a close with their smash hit The Middle. Hearing the sold out crowd at The Forum scream out the words over the band was really something else. Jimmy Eat World have come a long way since their debut and there’s no reason why they can’t be at the top of the musical heap right alongside Bono and his buddies, except maybe their name. I still can’t work out just who, where, or what a Jimmy Eat World is exactly. Maybe this is a good thing?
Words By Damo
Photos By Carbie Warbie
