I was a little skeptical about this show as a hole, it seemed a little too emo for my taste, but it turned out to be a blast. The Get Up Kids are not another generic, emo-pop band. They have been around the block, and are original in every sense. They�re just a great band, simple as that. The Zambonis and Superchunk brought a quirky twist to the night; The Zambonis with their indie-pop songs about hockey and Superchunk brought the lo-fi pop to the table. One great time all around, even though the club was packed, it wasn�t too hot, which was something I feared. Good times all around, and another nice night to hang out with old friends.
I had never heard of the local band, The Zambonis before tonight. I was glad I decided to arrive early and got to see them. I had been sitting down in the lobby, but liked what I heard so I went in to check them out, and saw a quintet of men in hockey jerseys and helmets. I was instantly hooked on this band; they were catchy, funny and had rock songs about hockey. Their love song was even about hockey, the aptly titled, �The Referee�s Daughter�. I didn�t even know what a Zamboni? was until I asked a friend I was standing with. They were a breath of fresh air to a night I thought would be way too emo for me, so I was pleased. Their love for the Whalers is also unparalleled. The chant by the end of the set was �Let�s Go Whalers!� Go check this band out if you haven�t already.
Hot Rod Circuit were up next. They�re almost a Connecticut band, the relocated to New Haven from Alabama. I missed them at the last show they played�traffic. They definitely put on an impressive show as well. Again, they are a different kind of band, they aren�t the straightforward emo formula, they�re a little quirkier than that. The crowd was definitely ready for them too; they�re a popular attraction in Connecticut. They�re label mates with The Get Up Kids, on the popular label, Vagrant Records.
Superchunk played a long set of their lo-fi indie rock. Superchunk are a well-established underground band with a long history and discography! I noticed the crowd was the least enthusiastic about the band, but they put on a killer show. The Get Up Kids agree, when they were told they sounded like Superchunk when they first started out, they were thrilled, I don�t really see the similarities, but if you�re told you�re as good as Superchunk, it�s a great honor.
The Get Up Kids were obviously the most anticipated act of the night. A really bad fight with a friend the night before prompted my eagerness to see the band, I needed to wallow in some self-pity, and this was perfect. Many of the new songs do not fit the old mold; they are more rock and less whiny, but very good nonetheless. The old favorites were what I wanted however, and I got them. They played crowd pleasers like �Mass Pike�, �Valentine� and �Holiday�. The best for me was yet to come however, the last song that I stayed for, �Don�t Hate Me�, a track off of the Doghouse release, �Four Minute Mile�. Andy from Hot Rod Circuit joined in for the vocals, which I normally would have enjoyed, but I wanted to hear the song properly, seeing as I really needed to hear that song on this particular night. This band is very humble, introducing themselves, as if they had to. They also spent the 4th of July in the state and were very good to the Connecticut crowd. They did some recording for �On A Wire� in town too, working with the Zambonis. They even changed the new song �Campfire Kansas� to �Campfire Connecticut� for the night. I left before the encore, I had been satisfied foe the night, I wanted to leave on a good note, and it was good.
