Arizona got a special show last night, a combination of the yearly Fall Frenzy event and The Honda Civic Tour. Jimmy Eat World took My Chemical Romance's spot and locals Halocene shared the stage with Matt & Kim and blink-182 for an evening of fun and nostalgia.
Halocene is a local pop punk band comprised of a spunky, petite female singer and a backing male band. The band reminded me a lot of Paramore, both in sound and style. Frontwoman Addie Nicole encouraged the mostly seated crowd to cheer and clap, a dubious task for a local opener, but she pulled it off thanks to her charismatic stage presence. The band was thankful, both for winning the opening Fall Frenzy slot, and for the opportunity to share the stage with blink-182.
"I think all of us started playing music thanks to blink-182. Thank you, this has been the best day of our lives," said Addie Nicole.
Check out our interview with Halocene here.
I wholeheartedly believe everyone should see Matt & Kim at least once. There are so many ways for the in-a-band-with-my-significant-other dynamic to backfire, but the duo pulls it off with perma-smiles and good attitudes.
Last night's set had a similar structure to the band's performance at Marquee Theatre a couple months ago. Matt & Kim combined their best material with a handful of pop songs and lots of gimmicks.
The audience was given balloons for "It's a Fact (Printed Stained)", waved shirts in the air for "Cinders," and supported Kim as she waded in the crowd for closing song, "Daylight."
Matt said Kim would take her shirt off as an incentive for the crowd to sing along to "Lessons Learned," and she corrected him and said she would show them a tattoo that's "a little lower than usual" instead. After playing the song and dancing to Alice Deejay's "Better off Alone," Kim said she would reveal "just the tip," pulled down her pants to show off a lower belly tattoo.
"This song is about leaving good for great, like leaving arm tattoos for vagina tattoos," Matt replied, introducing "Good for Great."
Matt expressed his appreciation for Kiltlifter and said the band got drunk after their Marquee show and climbed "that mountain over there," referring to A mountain.
Matt & Kim once again played a fantastic set that was a lot of fun.
Jimmy Eat World replaced My Chemical Romance, who is boycotting Arizona due to the Sound Strike. Personally, I am fine with it. I grew up with Jimmy Eat World and never really got into MCR, but I'm sure plenty of fans will disagree.
The reaction was variable. Some fans sang their hearts out and danced, while others were stagnant, and lots sat on the ground.
The band played quite a few Invented songs and a few Bleed American tunes in honor of the album's ten year anniversary. Jim Adkins pointed out that they haven't played with blink-182 in "a good nine or ten years."
Jimmy Eat World's set waxed nostalgic with "Bleed American" and "A Praise Chorus" played back to back. Courtney Marie Andrews provided back up vocals and keyboards for a beautiful "Hear You Me."
I thought long and hard about the last time I saw blink-182 and I'm pretty sure it's been ten years. I remember the band rescheduling dates after 9/11, and at that show I heard "Rock Show" live for the first time. Before then, I had seen the band countless times, mostly at Veteran's Memorial Coliseum with an array of bands that had a huge impact on my future tastes by introducing me to bands like Bad Religion. Blink-182 returned to Arizona for the first time since 2009's Fall Frenzy, this time around armed with Neighborhoods, their first album in eight years.
Most of the band looked like no time had passed. Mark Hoppus took the stage with spiky hair and baggy shorts while a shirtless Travis Barker wailed on the drums. Guitarist Tom DeLonge wore all back and a weird hat.
The band was not as potty-mouthed as past shows, but Mark and Tom did not hesitate to talk about dogs dry humping amidst countless "your mom" jokes.
Both Mark and Travis looked genuinely happy to be there. Travis played a couple extended drum solos and Mark made full use of the stage. Tom, on the other hand, appeared more reserved, pacing slowly when moving at all. The band's set favored Tom's songs, which were sang out of key fairly often. He almost made up for it by randomly peppering in references to genitalia, masturbation, and sex.
The band gave shout outs to all the surrounding areas of Phoenix. Tom said, "I thought Tempe was a vegan protein." Mark responded, "Everyone in Tempe is a vegan! Bad joke..." Then Tom introduced "a song about the vagina"--"Rock Show," which was a crowd favorite.
Mark referenced the band's hiatus and took a jab at Angels and Airwaves. After "All The Small Things," Mark said, "Yeah, Travis hit that shit again. I don't mean to be a dick, but my drummer kicks your drummer's ass." Tom didn't have much to say aside from a "your mom" joke.
The band had a good song selection that included a few new songs and old favorites, even if the crowd seemed unfamiliar with "Josie" and "Carousel." Sorry to inform you, but Enema of the State was not blink-182's first album.
The "encore" was comprised of "Family Reunion" and Mark holding a long, distorted bass note White Stripes-style after Tom left the stage.
blink-182 Setlist 1. Feeling This 2. Up All Night 3. Rock Show 4. What's My Age Again 5. Down 6. I Miss You 7. Stay Together For The Kids 8. Dumpweed 9. Always 10. Violence 11. After Midnight 12. First Date 13. Fuck a Dog 14. Hearts All Gone 15. Man Overboard 16. Ghost 17. All The Small Things 18. Josie 19. Carousel 20. Dammit 21. Family Reunion
Jimmy Eat World Setlist 1. My Best Theory 2. Bleed American 3. A Praise Chorus 4. Coffee & Cigarettes 5. Futures 6. Let it Happen 7. Here You Me 8. Evidence 9. Work 10. 23 11. Big Casino 12. Pain 13. Action Needs an Audience 14. Goodbye Sky Harbor 15. Lucky Denver Mint 16. Authority Song 17. The Middle 18. Sweetness May have missed a song between Work and 23.
Matt & Kim Setlist 1. Final Countdown 2. Block After Block 3. 45 King 4. I wanna 5. Good Ol Fashion Nightmare 6. Lessons Learned 7. Better off Alone 8. Good for great 9. It's a Fact 10. Just a Friend 11. Yea Yeah 12. Turn This Boat Around 13. Cinders 14. Cameras 15. Pon de Floor 16. Grand 17. Daylight
Critic's Notebook
Last Night: Blink-182, Jimmy Eat World, Matt & Kim, and Halocene at Fall Frenzy
Personal Bias: I was excited to see Blink for the first time in ten years.
The Crowd: Young and diverse. I spotted a few crust punks and hippies, a girl in a banana suit, and a girl with a Snooki poof.
Overheard in the Crowd: "I could go my whole life without ever having to hear that song again," in reference to "All the Small Things."
Random Notebook Dump: Where's Satan?
