The first band for the evening came on to the stage promptly at 6:40. They are known as The Swellers, a local (Flint, Michigan) pop-punk band that shares a record label with Paramore. Sounding very melodic-punk with a punch of metal thrown in, the band played very well adding punches of their influences from chunky 90’s alt-rock with melodic choruses. Singer/Guitarist Nick Diener understood how to add some edge to the music, but I still felt that they fell just slightly short of what they could be as a whole. The songs (mostly off their newest Fueled By Ramen release) were solid, well played, and hooky but without the catch. While most of the crowd was entertained, nothing was over-the-top special. Rating: B -
Second up was the always furious stylings of The Casualties. The band’s political sound of anger, fury and fist-pumping speaks volumes to the masses of disenchanted teenage punks in the world and have started to become a new staple on many a 16 yr. old’s rotation list. Not being known for their songwriting, The Casualties are better suited for stories regarding their live shows rather than their records – think more along the lines of a European Football match than US rock club – full of chanting and “oohs.” Much of this Casualties show was filled with previous catalog material of blistering favorites like the work song “World Belongs To Us,” Clockwork” and an electrifying cover of The Ramones‘ “Blitzkrieg Bop.” And as the energy rose, the bodies hit hard during three ‘walls of death’ and numerous circle pits which the venue seemed not quite ready for, but tried to deal with the best they could. Overall, after playing over 40 min and a set list in the double-digits, The Casualties called it a day but not before a sing-along (“War is Bitches”) and one fan-fueled fist fight over the lead vocalist’s scarf. Great energy and solid audience participation. Rating: A
After playing a highly sought after show in Detroit the previous night, Less Than Jake took to the cold streets of Chicago to pack in a crowd at the legendary Metro only mere hours before the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. With over 15 years under their belts, the band still share the same passion and dedication to their music as they are their fan base – they are renown for giving every bit of it back ten-fold.
As stage openers go, LTJ aren’t a band to try and impress anyone unless your idea of being wowed is watching a band with such history enter amongst the theme song to ‘Night Rider,’ thus announcing that on this night Nostalgia would rule the day. However once the band take their positions, raise their instruments and blares out the first note to “Automatic” all thoughts are focused on the boys with the brass.
While blazing through the first four songs in a long list of regulars and favorites, JR Wasilewski and Buddy Schaub went the extra mile to wildly weave in and out of the their fellow bandmates to ramp up the crowd’s energy. Hand-clapping helped to syncopate the ever-driving “Does the Lion City Still Roar”, while numbers like “National Anthem” and “Suburban Myth” helped to propel the audience to rush the stage in a dancing frenzy.
When not singing, you could often catch Chris Demakes and Roger Mangenelli performing their rich audience banter with such digs on boy-band phenoms The Jonas Brothers and pretty-boy “Hometown Hero” Pete Wentz; only to remind the audience that the current show was going to be “the most honest rock show you will ever see” – one can only look at the track record of this tenured band to see that the boys in LTJ have stuck to their guns and surpassed the test of time while never having any “Greatest Hits.”
With JR’s and Buddy’s horns lighting up “Liquor Store” and breaking down the walls on “All My Best Friends Are Metalheads,” “Never Going Back to New Jersey,” on “Ask the Magic 8 Ball,” Roger took to the mic for some much-needed lowering of temperature in his band mates and after a few Chicago shout-outs to such notables as The Lawrence Arms‘ front man Neil Hennessy: a smooth rendition of “The Science of Selling Yourself Short” was quickly dispensed.
Other songs like “Conviction Notice,” “Al’s War” and “History of a Boring Town” all found the band in top form and proved that no matter their long road status, the boys in this band are showing no sign of slowing down. And to show that they still have love for the retired-filled southern city from where they hailed almost two decades ago, LTJ showed service to their fans by showing they are in fact “Gainsville Rock City.”
To round out the evening “The Ghost of Me and You,” “Nervous In the Alley” and “Look What Happened” were blasted out to leave the evening on a high note.
As shows go, this one is to be remembered. A highly-intense connection to the audience, trips down memory lane with storytelling, and one headbanging contest later, Less Than Jake threw one kick-ass party for all in attendance. The band noted that their last date to play The Metro was in 1998 and much has changed in music since, but one thing has definitely stayed the same – Less Than Jake’s commitment to their fans and music. Hopefully with a little luck the boys in this band will still be making us smile for another 15. Rating: A+
Written by Matt Miles.
