To kick off the show, Say Anything took the stage. This young band from Los Angeles brought a sound all their own and did a great job of making it known. The dripping sarcasm and quirk found their lyrics and music was also found in the energy they gave out. Which may sound weird, but speaking personally, I felt angry yet energetic. I suppose it’s the nature of the beast that they seem to have trapped in their new record …Is a Real Boy. As far as performance goes, Say Anything does not appear to be that new to the game. They kept the energy moving and had their rests and harmonies and timing down. All in all, Say Anything is a tight band with a tight album that seems to making quite the quiet stir in the world of music.

Up next was the Alabama rock group, Northstar. There is not much to tell a person about this band other than that they are simply themselves. I can’t think of any band to compare them to. They’re just a group of guys who like to rock out. When they performed they apologized to the crowd for having a short set and not getting to play everyone’s favorite songs. However, they managed to pull together a good set list that blended lots of old goodies and new ones as well. I give these guys props.

The following band was one I’m not huge on. Hot Rod Circuit seems to have a good following but I have never found myself getting into their music. My reasoning is that all their songs sound the same and typical to me. As a result, when they played their long set I quickly lost interest after a few songs. My attention ended up falling upon the television screen. So while they rocked away and entertained about half the crowd, I watched Drawn Together. Every song seemed to be the same droning vocals and guitar riff. To me they sound like a band that I would have guessed was local had I not seen or heard them before. Not to say they are bad musicians, but I found nothing unique or great about their music.

Finally, Straylight Run took the stage. For those who do not know who Straylight Run is, I’ll fill you in. The newly popular band, Taking Back Sunday, once had a guitarist and back-up vocalist named John Nolan, and a bassist named Shaun Cooper. Since then they have parted ways and formed their own band that is now known as Straylight Run. The other members of Straylight Run are John’s sister, Michelle Nolan, and Will Noon, the former drummer from Breaking Pangea. As they took the stage, I felt excitement grow within me. The foundation for this excitement was - fact one: I had seen them once before and they were fantastic. Fact two: Their full length album had recently been released, and it is amazing. So, needless to say, my high hopes for their performance did not let me down. Never have I witnessed a band that puts so much of themselves and their heart into their music. And believe me, it shows through in the performance. After witnessing and hearing them play nearly every song off the new album, except maybe one or two, I was swept off my feet into a sedated realm of awe. Yes, they were that good…and that is all you need to know.