"Sold out" was an understatement - the place was packed. Wednesday night at the Town Ballroom, kids were popping out of the woodwork right up until headliner Motion City Soundtrack stormed the stage.
The Minneapolis-based rockers opened with "Capital H" from their old album, which instantly had the crowd moving as one. People were jumping up and down dancing before anything was sung.
Looking pretty as always, lead singer Justin Pierre belted out well-known songs "Everything is Alright" and "When 'You're' Around" while his porcupine-style hairdo remained primped throughout.
An elaborate light show added interesting effects that poured over the band and the audience. However, after the first few songs, the light show became irritating. People came to watch the band play and hear the music, not to be made woozy by intensely flashing lights that could potentially cause an epileptic seizure.
In between songs, Pierre mumbled whatever was on the top of his head, most of which didn't make any sense at all. He even apologized for being annoying, and promised the audience that he'd stop babbling and just play.
He spoke about the last time Motion City Soundtrack played at the Town Ballroom with Brand New, and told a story about how after one show he was thrown down the stairs in back of the stage and has since resolved to only drink water.
Men Women & Children started the evening off, pumping up the crowd and setting the mood for a promising night. Their innovative techno-party sound combined well with the bubble machine that was also a treat. The applause that met the end of their set was enough to make someone think that they were not an opener but instead, an A-list headliner.
The Matches dove onto stage ready to rock off some socks. Lead singer Shawn Harris' attire made him look as though he had mugged Beetlejuice. As with Harris and his outfit, there were times when the entire band seemed like they were trying too hard. They were excessively dropping f-bombs even though the audience was comprised of kids who had to get a ride from their parents.
"Their show was what I came for and it was crazy. I rocked so hard, I could use a shower right now," said a sweaty Dan Gleeman from Canisius College.
Next on the bill for the evening was The Format. They had their own laid-back feel with songs that both rocked and soothed the ear. As an opener for Motion City Soundtrack, their set at times was too slow and sometimes lost the crowd's interest. Their performance helped remind the audience that it was about time for the band that most came to see.
The show ended with an encore by Motion City Soundtrack, returning to play two more songs, ending with "The Future Freaks Me Out" as the entire place erupted and sang the lyrics back at the band. At times, Pierre didn't even need to sing because the crowd did the job for him.
"I loved the last song they sang so much, I knew they would come back onstage because they had not sung it yet," said Katie Learner, a Buffalo State College student. "This was a great show, even better than Warped Tour. You can dance to their music and forget about everything else."
However, not everyone was swept away by MCS's set.
"I was actually a bit disappointed in Motion City Soundtrack's performance," said Doug Huff from Jamestown Community College. "They sounded much better on their CD. I'm not sure if it was the vocals or the damn lights, but something just wasn't right. The Format was not my style, but The Matches had some good songs."
With smooth set changes, decent sound, and a thoughtful lineup the "Commit This to Memory" tour was worth the risk of a downtown parking ticket.
