Downtown Saturday night, 300 eager kids crammed into a small, dimly lit, dive bar to got a chance to see the future of punk music.
Pabst Blue Ribbon cans, flannel, and dark brim glasses were in abundance as Polar Bear Club ended their six-week tour at Mohawk Place Saturday night.
The sold out crowd had waited a long time for this concert, and when Polar Bear Club took the stage, it was well worth the wait.
After technical difficulties forced a delayed start to the show, the anticipation for PBC seeped through the pours of every person in the crowd. As the band opened with "Eat Dinner, Bury the Dog and Run," the excitement came to the forefront.
While the audience was stagnant during the openers, the crowd proceeded to cram into the front half of the venue in effort to get that much closer to PBC as they screamed every word back at the band.
PBC clearly took the advice of The Gaslight Anthem, as its stage show is both energetic and engaging. Lead vocalist Jimmy Stadt was moving and leaping as the crowd took his every lyric to heart.
The band fed off the crowd's energy, leading to each member getting even more into the show. Anybody in the crowd saw why PBC sold out a venue that does not sell out often.
As the band tore through their 12 song set list, the crowd let its passion shine. During most of the set, Stadt was almost inaudible because the crowd was that much louder than his amplified voice.
The set, however, did hit a couple snags. The cord to Stadt's microphone gave out, and needed to be replaced. While microphone malfunctions certainly aren't out of the ordinary, the second delay was.
Contrary to the positivity that PBC promotes in their music, a fight broke out in the pit, causing the band to stop mid-song to stop it. After security escorted the two fighters out, both the band and the crowd picked up right where they left off.
A few songs later, PBC officially banned moshing at its shows because it runs contrary to the band's positive message. (Jumping, screaming, and getting rowdy is still acceptable, though.)
As the band finished its set, the crowd left everything on the dance floor. Most of the crowd left dripping in sweat and unable to speak after all the screaming.
The crowd might have been there for PBC, but the opening acts did their best to entertain the anxious crowd.
Fireworks, which had been direct support for most of the tour, was not at the final date. Because of this, Balance and Composure became the direct support, and its abstract sound was a nice change of pace from the rest of the bands on the bill.
Rochester natives Such Gold did a good job providing a fun set, but Pentimento was the opener that blew the crowd away. Born and raised in Buffalo, Pentimento had the hometown crowd on its side, and the band had the crowd dancing and involved.
As the crowd filed out of Mohawk Place, one thing was apparent: Polar Bear Club's friends truly are living saints.
Email: arts@ubspectrum.com
Photo: Mhdariby / Wikimedia Commons
