My First Honda Civic Tour
Yes! Just like the title suggests. Last Night was my very first Honda Civic Tour and let me tell you, I absolutely loved it! The music was great, the performance was fantastic and the energy was amazing.
First up was Phantom Planet. From the moment they hit the stage, they brought on a blast of energy and really rocked it out. Their set had me bouncing up and down and bobbing my head the entire time. Most of the songs they played were off their new album Raise the Dead including their new singles “Do the Panic” and “Dropped,” which were awesome. They even went out there and pulled a “summoning” move for all the World of Warcraft fans at the concert (my sister and I met some of the guys and she is really into WoW. She told them that she was a level 30 mage…they thought that was awesome :D). They ended their set with, of course, “California” (which got the ENTIRE crowd singing along).
The Hush Sound then took to the stage busting out with one of their songs from their new album, Goodbye Blues. As they belted out an energetic rendition of “Medicine Man” everyone sang along. I had never seen them live before so just seeing them there and SO CLOSE was just amazing. As I listened to them perform, I was amazed to realize they sound like they do on their CDs. (I know it’s weird, but I think it’s rare to actually see it or hear it happen.) Their set had a little bit for everyone. They performed soulful slow songs like “Hurricane” and more energetic and spirited songs like “We Intertwined” and “Honey”. They ended their set with an enthusiastic roar from the crowd.
Motion City Soundtrack was up next and the closer we got to the headliners, the louder the rumbles throughout the venue became. They came on and I have to say that they are seriously entertaining. They cracked jokes in between songs – I thought that was really cool. They performed songs from their recent release Even if It Kills Me (2007) and their older albums as well. I am a fairly new fan of Motion City Soundtrack and am still learning more about them. They got the crowd singing along when they sang “The Future freaks me out”, “Let’s Get Fucked Up and Die”, and of course their most popular, “Everything is Alright”. They got the crowd pumped up and ready to rock by the time they ended their set. Motion City Soundtrack then turned up on the third floor to take pictures and sign autographs like The Hush Sound did, but the line went all the way down to the second floor and I wasn’t about to lose my spot in the pit. I wanted so badly to see them and do that stuff, but positive thinking and saying to myself “there’s always next time” convinced me to stay put.
Finally, it was the moment we had all been waiting for…Panic at the Disco was about to take the stage. The band hadn’t even come out yet and the crowd was already going crazy! I have to admit, I was part of the crowd cheering and chanting “Panic” thinking that would get them on stage fasterJ . When they finally approached the stage, the entire venue was screaming and just…it was pandemonium. They greeted the crowd and began singing “We’re So Starving” followed by “Nine in the Afternoon”, everyone singing along the entire time. I sang even louder when they began playing my absolute favorite song—the moment the beat for “Lying is the most fun a girl can have…” began to flood the speakers, I completely let loose and started going crazy. Why would one admit this you ask? I don’t quite know…the simple answer is to show you how into the music I was. At one point though, I did feel like it was dragging a bit. I guess it was just the lack of explosive bass and pounding rhythm. The final song was fittingly, “Northern Downpour” which I thought was nicely performed. They then got off the stage. I didn’t stick around for the encore so I can’t tell you about that.
All in all, I enjoyed the sets, the music and the general mood of it all. The best part was that I was helping the environment (eco-friendly centered concert). Although there were certain parts that were a little dragging, if you like any of these bands I suggest you go. You’ll have a blast.
*all photos taken from respective artists’ myspace pages
