johanna
11/17/03, 01:29 PM
After the 3 hour drive down south, waiting in line in the freezing cold, standing amongst the dense crowd of fellow fans, we waited. The band before, Hot Rod Circuit, had played well, and may potentially become one of my new favorite bands. But the excitement of hearing them play was nothing compared to what I, and hundreds of others, was feeling right now. I had an elbow in my side, someones hand brushing my ass, and the huge, sweaty back of the 6'2" dude in front of me. The crowd continued to push against itself as the crew set up the equipment, as I stood there, on my toes, stretching to see any sign of what I had come here for. But none of the effort or agony I was enduring mattered; it was all worth for what I had come to see. The lights dimmed, the fog rose, and the crowd became even more turbulent. It was coming....Brand New.
One of the best shows I have ever seen. You couldnt imagine how the calm acoustic guitar lines of their new CD, DeJa Entendu, could sound so amazing live. But it did. From their new songs, including The Quiet things that No one Ever knows, The Boy who Blocked his Own Shot, Guernica, to the nostalgia of their first album (Jude Law, Seventy times Seven) every song was accompanied by the screaming fans, who knew the songs religiously by heart. The side tackles and near head kicks by others were a small price to pay.
Perhaps the most memorable moment was when Jesse appeared back on stage after the chanting of "one more song" and began the acoustic lines of Soco Amaretto Lime. This song, the last track of their first album, seemed to foreshadow the somber sound of their more recent work. Yet during this show, Brand New took it to a new level. After the first verse of the song, Vinnie, Brian and Garrett joined Jesse back on stage, and whipped out an passionatly electric version of the song. Vinnie screamed the backround vocals, as Brian pounded the drums, with Garret, as always, following with profound bass hits. Yet regardless of this new energetic sound, the lyrics still held the same sobering message, one that hit me even harder today.
Then with Sic Transit Gloria, the show ended. The crowd dispersed, with the few devotees waiting at the stage for an after glimpse of the members, and a possible generous donation of a used guitar pick. I was among them, but soon it was time to leave.
Thank you Jesse, Vinnie, Brian and Garret, for an amazing show.
One of the best shows I have ever seen. You couldnt imagine how the calm acoustic guitar lines of their new CD, DeJa Entendu, could sound so amazing live. But it did. From their new songs, including The Quiet things that No one Ever knows, The Boy who Blocked his Own Shot, Guernica, to the nostalgia of their first album (Jude Law, Seventy times Seven) every song was accompanied by the screaming fans, who knew the songs religiously by heart. The side tackles and near head kicks by others were a small price to pay.
Perhaps the most memorable moment was when Jesse appeared back on stage after the chanting of "one more song" and began the acoustic lines of Soco Amaretto Lime. This song, the last track of their first album, seemed to foreshadow the somber sound of their more recent work. Yet during this show, Brand New took it to a new level. After the first verse of the song, Vinnie, Brian and Garrett joined Jesse back on stage, and whipped out an passionatly electric version of the song. Vinnie screamed the backround vocals, as Brian pounded the drums, with Garret, as always, following with profound bass hits. Yet regardless of this new energetic sound, the lyrics still held the same sobering message, one that hit me even harder today.
Then with Sic Transit Gloria, the show ended. The crowd dispersed, with the few devotees waiting at the stage for an after glimpse of the members, and a possible generous donation of a used guitar pick. I was among them, but soon it was time to leave.
Thank you Jesse, Vinnie, Brian and Garret, for an amazing show.