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Plain White T's
The Matches
Waking Ashland
Roses Are Red
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Mo's Neighborhood Grill
Salt Lake City, UT
4/04/2005
By: Meagan Rockne
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There are bands that know how make an entrance. Some magically appear on stage via a cloud of smoke, some are flown over the stage on wires and some just walk on stage with an air of attitude. Rose Are Red's entrance was none of the above. They opted for something a little more elaborate and memorable. Their arrival was marked by the emergence of a tow truck hauling their van and trailer and the band members giving shouts of victory at their arrival.
After missing two shows because of their van needing a new transmission, the band was going to make it to Salt Lake City's Mo's Neighborhood Grill even if that meant convincing the tow truck driver to drive 50 miles to the venue. It was quite possibly the best entrance I have ever seen. They got the crowd's energy up before they even played one song.
To add more stress to the situation, Roses Are Red was the opening act for the April 4 show. The rest of the band unloaded equipment, while lead singer Vinnie Minervino took care of the van situation. Their set began as soon as Vinnie returned a half an hour later. It was the first time that he had ever walked directly to the stage upon entering the venue.
It must have been the high anxiety of the situation or perhaps it was a cathartic set - a way to release all the stress of the day - but all that I know is that it was amazing. I will admit that going in I was not a huge fan. I had heard a few of their songs and friends told me that I had to go and see them play, but I left with a great amount of respect for them and I would be happy to see them play again.
The band has an amazing amount of energy and it's obvious that they enjoy playing with each other. With as small and awkward a stage as Mo's, it would be understandable if the band made very little movement, but they didn't. Speakers were jumped from, guitars were licked, fans were unknowingly spit on. (It's okay Vinnie, we know that sometimes it happens and that's a risk we take by being on the front row and it's not like you meant to do it, right?) It was obvious that the crowd was unfamiliar with their music, but the band was able to get their bodies moving, a rare feat for any band here.
Honestly, I had my doubts as to how Roses Are Red would be received. With bands like Waking Ashland, Plain White T's and The Matches set to play, Roses Are Red didn't really seem to fit, like in that skit on Sesame Street "Which one of these things is not like the others." But I don't think that there could have been a better opening band and I hope they are able to finish out the Chain Me Away Tour.
Unfortunately, the momentum generated by Roses Are Red was lost when Waking Ashland took to the stage. But it's not their fault, their music carried a different energy, but the crowd knew the songs and sang along. All in all, Waking Ashland gave a good performance.
To mix it up headlining band The Matches played next. It was about this time that I moved to the side in anticipation of being jostled about by a mosh. Surprisingly, there wasn't a full-blown pit. There was some pushing and shoving, but not a mosh pit - which is something I expect from an all ages show in Salt Lake City.
This was my first time seeing The Matches and I thought they were good. I wasn't a fan of their music. (Maybe it's the lyrics or the fact that they sounded like another band whose name I couldn't remember at the time.) But they had high energy, were well-rehearsed and lead singer Shawn Harris sported drawn on cat whiskers.
By the Plain White T's set, most of the crowd had gone (or filtered outside), which was unfortunate as they put on an amazing show. You know that your band is good when you have members of other bands rocking out. (That's right, I saw you Matt, the guitarist for Roses Are Red. I saw you singing along to several Plain White T's songs.) The Plain White T's performance was a little bit different then their usual set up. This time front man Tom Higgenson was on the second guitar because Dave Tirio had injured his hand punching a wall. A Plain White T's set never disappoints. They always give an awesome show with lots of energy, although this time there was less dancing from Tom (which was disappointing), but overall, it was amazing.
As per tradition, Tom played an acoustic set after their performance - a great way to close out the night. All in all, the performances were stellar and each band had energy and kept the crowd involved. It didn't disappoint.
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