Jimmy Eat World
Dave Londres

My journey towards a refreshing and rewarding concert experience after a very long, stressful week started at approximately 2:57 p.m. in the afternoon when I sat down to wait in line for Jimmy Eat World and Paramore, the College Activities Board’s major spring concert. In the three hours it took for the doors to open, I witnessed the assassination of a bug named Herbert, the delivery of a total of four pizzas, a long detailed conversation on how RIT’s Gordon Field House bathrooms rock, and the entrepreneurial skills required in re-selling the previously- ordered pizza. I could tell from that very moment, as I attempted to solve this week’s Sudoku (which I never did finish), that more than 60 percent of the audience was, in fact, female (a reverse RIT situation indeed) and that they were mostly high school-ers and middle school-ers.

A few minutes after 6 p.m., I found myself inside the field house and second row center. I would like to tell you that I remained there with the fantastic view for the rest of the night; however, I would be lying. Ten minutes later, a good friend called and my friend and I give up our premium spot to sit with him. I bought two t-shirts to ease my pain.

Dear and the Headlights
At around 7 p.m., the opening band, Dear and the Headlights, took the stage, cranking out tunes from their debut album, “Small Steps, Heavy Hooves.” For those of you who have never heard of them, they are an indie rock band from Phoenix, Arizona.

Comprised of five active members, the band features Ian Metzger on vocals and guitar, Robert Cissell on guitar and keys, PJ Waxman on guitar, Chuckie Duff on bass and Mark Kulvinskas on drums. They have played a number of shows and have accumulated a small following while touring with Plain White Ts, Mae, and Circa Survive. Currently, they are signed under the indie label Equal Vision Records, whose clients include Coheed and Cambria and Saves the Day.

Their music had an ambient quality to it and their lead vocalist’s style resembled that of The Killers’ Brandon Flowers except with a rougher, shakier quality. As they played through their set, I can honestly say that I have never witnessed anyone attempt to rock with an acoustic-electric guitar the way Metzger did.

The most memorable portion of their performance was when suddenly, in the middle of their song “Paper Bag,” Hayley Williams, frontwoman of Paramore, emerged from backstage in her black hoodie, with her hands stuffed in her pockets. The crowd erupted in cheers and shouts as she sang along.

Paramore
Dave Londres

Paramore
A few minutes before 8 p.m., while they were setting up the stage, people started abandoning their seats to join the ever-growing pit of people. Some of my friends and I followed suit. We attempted to inconspicuously weave through the crowd for a better spot. When Paramore finally took the stage with “Let The Flames Begin,” the crowd surged forward.

At that moment, a random six foot tall dude who was kind enough to let me stand in front of him, told me to follow as he and three of his friends parted the sea of people and cleared the way to a closer position. I reached back and grabbed my friend’s hand so that she could follow, only to be pulled away by the undertow of bodies crashing into each other. I never saw her again that night.

We were packed like sardines and there were moments when it felt like I could no longer breathe; but that was the price to be paid for being in the center of a rip-tide five rows from the stage. That, however, did not take away from the overall concert experience. In fact, the adrenaline that came with it was quite euphoric.

The Tennessee natives radiated much energy. You could see the enthusiasm as bassist Jeremy Davis rocked to drummer Zac Farro’s steady yet powerful beats, and as lead guitarist Josh Farro nailed his simple-yet-melodic solos. Front woman Williams had traversed almost every single inch of the stage within the first few minutes, head-banging, clapping, and dancing.

Their set list was comprised of newer and popular titles such as “Pressure,” “Emergency,” and “Crushcrushcrush,” and older favorites such as “My Heart” and “Whoa!” the latter of which Williams dedicated to “all the people too cool to say ‘Whoa!’” during their earlier shows. As it was one of their last songs, Williams attempted to get everyone in the bleachers to rise and take part, reasoning that she didn’t “want to have to dedicate another song to [them] one day.” Paramore ended their performance with “Misery Business.” Many (myself included) took this last chance to crowd-surf.

Dave Londres

Jimmy Eat World
At this point, I decided to return to my friends in the bleachers and watch the concert from another perspective. Looking around, I realized that I had never seen the field house so packed. The standing crowd alone filled 70 percent of the available floor space. At approximately 9:15 p.m., the lights went out, the background image of Jimmy Eat World’s logo was revealed, and they played their first chord.

Each band member grooved to their music in his own way and the crowd reciprocated by dancing, singing, and waving their arms in the air. People crowd-surfed starting from the very back and ending at the very front, resembling tiny ants carrying food on their backs. Even the people seated felt the energy of the music, showing it in their own ways. Some tapped their feet to the beat while others bobbed their heads to the rhythm. Even a father accompanying his 13-year-old daughter seemed to be enjoying himself.

Jimmy Eat World’s set list varied from their early, more popular songs to their latest releases. When familiar songs such as “Sweetness,” “Work,” “Bleed American” and especially “The Middle” were played, the crowd sang along so powerfully that at times, you could hear it over the loud music. To add to the effect, the backdrop and lighting were carefully planned so that each song had a unique environment. They changed so frequently that it would have made a whole show of its own.

Even though I woke up with cuts and bruises in strange places and a stiff neck caused by nearly hitting the ground while crowd-surfing, that night was still more entertaining than if I had stayed home and fiddled with my computer all night long.