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Jimmy Eat World / The Promise Ring / Recover

live in Chicago
2002
live show

Review by: Scott
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JimmyEatWorld.com (link)

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Published on August 6th 2002

"Are you guys ready for the sickest fucking rock band in the fucking world?"

And with that statement by Recover's lead singer, Jimmy Eat World's two-night sold-out stint at the Riviera Theatre in Chicago began.

First up was the aforementioned Recover. This band has garnered a lot of buzz around them recently, and I couldn't exactly see why. They were alright [I kind of thought of them as a less whiny Thursday], but nothing mind boggling. I know they played "Bad Timing" [a song which I still think is not very good at all], and they closed with "Rodeo." The audience was surprisingly warm to them [I would've figured at a venue this size, the JEW radio fans would've been much more harsh]. They played a quick 25 minute set and a few broken strings later, they were off the stage.

Next up was the Promise Ring. After interviewing Dan earlier in the day [look for that up on the site soon], I was sufficiently psyched to see them again live [if you remember, I saw them in Iowa City last March]. Their sound on the very large stage was actually very clear, and the band sounded pretty damn good, if I do say so myself. Their set was about half and half new stuff/old stuff, with the Wood/Water representatives being "Size Of Your Life," "Stop Playing Guitar," "Suffer Never," "Become One Anything One Time," "My Life Is At Home," "Feed The Night," and set closer "Get On The Floor." The older songs were what you'd expect: "Happiness Is All The Rage," "Red And Blue Jeans," "Why Did We Ever Meet," and "A Picture Postcard" all made appearances and had a semi-decent portion of the crowd on the floor bobbing their heads and singing along like it was 1998 all over again. Davey was also on the ball, humorwise. There were two guys in the audience who were dressed up as hillbillies [that was my best guess]. He did his best of lovingly heckling them, and they took it in stride [Colonel Sweet Mesquite and Danvo(?), thanks for letting me talk to you before Jimmy]. The Promise Ring made good use of their approximately 45 minutes of set time, although it's sad to say that they got the most applause when they announced they were playing their last song. Damn kids.

Next was the band everyone was waiting for, Jimmy Eat World. The heat in the venue felt like it doubled as the teenage girls and frat boys shoved their way to the front for the band's emminent arrival. The band took the stage and began with an opening salvo of "A Praise Chorus" and "Bleed American," followed by Clarity tracks "Your New Asthetic" and "Blister." It went back and forth for the majority of the show, with the setlist being almost as "Clarity" heavy as it was new album heavy. "A Sunday," "Just Watch The Fireworks," "For Me This Is Heaven," and "Lucky Denver Mint" all were played. Hell, the band even brought out "Call It In The Air," an old Static Prevails classic. It was rocktacular.

Even though the rest of the set was taken from the new album, this was definitely a show for the more than recent fans. I and many other longtime fans felt rewarded for our patience [and high ticket prices]. We poured our souls into singing the knife sharp lyrics of "No Sensitivity" as others around us stood befuddled, wondering when the band would play "The Middle." Sure enough, it closed out the band's set, and as they left the stage, chants of "JIMMY, JIMMY!" and rhythmic handclaps rang out over the auditorium. The band came back on to perform "My Sundown" [now only leaving "Your House" as the only song off their last album I've never heard live], "Goodbye Sky Harbor," and then a rousing rendition of "Sweetness." The crowd went nuts as soon as Jim uttered the word "sweetness" to introduce the tune. It was the perfect way to close out the concert.

Sure, merchandise was expensive. Sure the tickets were overpriced. Sure, bottles of water were 2 or 3 bucks. But in the grand scheme of things, this was one hell of a rock and roll show. As we poured out onto the street in euphoric puddles, we felt raindrops fall upon our caked-with-sweat scalps. I just looked up, smiled, and raised my hands above my head in a mock victory sign. Just like last year, I left the concert feeling reborn. Keep up the good work, boys. [PS - Hi Maggie, Megan, Katie, and everyone else I hung out with!]

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Posted by A-Season-of-Shrubs on 2002-08-13 18:38:17
My Score:

Rachel, I'm 17, I don't live in Chicago, but my love for you has no boundries. I'll take you to a show, someday..

-jeremy

Posted by Anonymous on Monday, August 12, 2002 at 12:59 PM (EDT)
My Score:

hahaha...i'm somewhere between flattered and embarassed?

and if any of you kids are in chicago and want to take me to a punk-rock show some day.... ;)

-rachel

Posted by Anonymous on Monday, August 12, 2002 at 3:42 AM (EDT)
My Score:

Jimmy Eat World is a gayer than shit pretty pop band. fuck them.

Posted by sockk on 2002-08-12 00:01:41
My Score:

i'd just like to say that i HATE it when people shove in front of the people who've been standing since the show started.

Posted by A-Season-of-Shrubs on 2002-08-10 02:58:47
My Score:

I'm seriously in love with Rachel. My name is jeremy, and again, I love you.

Posted by Anonymous on Friday, August 9, 2002 at 11:15 PM (EDT)
My Score:

uh, ass, check the front page of this site...that's not true...

Posted by Anonymous on Friday, August 9, 2002 at 12:57 PM (EDT)
My Score:

I wonder if the guys in JEW know about warner bros owning 51% of epitaph. Someone should tell them, I'm sure they'd have an opinion on it. Knowledge is contagious (yea, just like those knuckleheads from truth.com)

Posted by evildeadalive on 2002-08-08 15:32:49
My Score:

Uhhh, yeah, you definately rule Rachel. Any girl talking about how hot another girl was, and how she wanted to go up to and talk to her, is marriage material in my book.

Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, August 8, 2002 at 2:03 PM (EDT)
My Score:

I saw this show in Indianapolis and was appaled by the crowd....even when jew played, the only time people got moving was for "the middle"

It was sick....but at least I left feeling very pleasently surprised as they played more Clarity tracks then Bleed American Tracks..."Goodnight Sky Harbor" was played as one of the two encores and blew me away....

definitly worth the money to see...

oh, and I was kind of dissapointed to hear only one track from "Very Emergency" but the new tracks by the promise ring sounded amazing live and got me into the record even more....yup

Jimi

Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, August 8, 2002 at 3:50 AM (EDT)
My Score:

Hey uh Rachel... my name is jeremy and i think I'm in love with you.

Picking chicks up on punk rock websites IS sooooo punk rock.

Posted by waste_elite on 2002-08-08 00:51:38
My Score:

having religious experiences at shows is sooooooo not punk.

on a related note, i am viewer #666 of this review.

Posted by sloppyblake on 2002-08-07 05:15:15
My Score:

conor oberst has no talent.

Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, August 7, 2002 at 4:30 AM (EDT)
My Score:

i was at the milwauke show, and this abercrombie guyinfront of me at the bar was wearing may more calone than anyone should at a concert, let alone ever.

Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, August 7, 2002 at 1:08 AM (EDT)
My Score:

Recover is most definitely not over rated. They put on a great show, and Rodeo and Picasso is a terrific album.

I also don't think they sound much like Thursday either.

-Scotty

Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, August 6, 2002 at 7:17 PM (EDT)
My Score:

first off i'd love to give scott his necesary props for directing me to this site. slightly turned off by the word "punk", i'm quite pleased with all of the material i've been able to feast my eyes upon at this little corner of the internet.

i plead guilty first off to being one of those so-called "abercrombie" girls or what have you. not that i've even owned any abercrombie, but J.E.W. has never really found a constant place in my CD player. that being said, i shall take on the position of the defender of the lame kids :/ i will admit, the main reason i was even at the show was because of the constant pleading of my boyband loving little sister(although i'm a pretty big promise ring fan) and i figure it this way(maybe you should too?)-it sucks alot having people at the show who are "singles only" fans. but something inside me tells me it sucks alot more having these kids support britey, backstreet boys, or the like. it's a progession. even if it's only a single, it's a step the right way. and hell, who knows, maybe it's all a kid needs to fall into his or her own and find some quality music.

i'm a lover of art. more breath-taking than the goliath-boy behind me who found my back to be a good punching bag was the the stage and the way in which is was lighted and situated. the backdrop with the holes in it to allow light to pinprick through made me think of nothing less than watching a concert in the stars. the hanging lights were jupiters, the spotlights the sun, and the strobe-like swirling lights provided the appearance that perched upon their cloud in the sky, the band was swirling around and moving through the crowd. the stage decor definately provided the galactic atmosphere to make everyone in the audience feel like they were witnessing a comet that wouldn't come back for another 100,000 years.

i can't remember the last time i was that squished at a concert. everyone there, be it new-found fan or long-time lover was pressing to be as close as possible to some near-tangible atmosphere which alighted on the stage. getting the first-necessary "crowd pleaser" out of the way early allowed for an expasion into the emotion and depth of songs that haven't hit the radio(and 100000X over at that). throughout the duration of most of the show, the most beautiful girl stood next to me. i wanted to talk her, but i didn't dare disrupt her. her eyes constantly glued to a stage, i've neven seen someone smile so long and genuinely at something. i think her constant smile sums up the atmosphere and love in the audience. we were all hot. we were all sweaty(most of the sweat belonging to someone else). but everyone was happy. out comes another "hit". off goes the band. my little sister turns around to me and has the biggest smile. she tells me it was way better than the o-town show she went to a few months, and that she doesn't even really like o-town anymore. the lights change and she turns around-ready to feast her ears and eyes again.

the show ended on a happy and powerful note: everyone was dancing and ready to rock some more. walking out of the show into the soft rain was perfect. if there is a god, i know he made it rain on pupose, to capture the moment, and cool us all off. a great show. major props to promise ring who never disappoint. i'd love to do it again.

-rachel

Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, August 6, 2002 at 12:42 PM (EDT)
My Score:

oh stop, a lot of people liking a band doesn't stop them from being a rock band. You calling other people ignorant is well, just think about it...

Posted by cawknocker on 2002-08-06 12:41:13
My Score:

sounds pretty rad, and i too think recover is one of the most overrated bands right now. they are cool, but not that great.myfriend burned their disc for me cuz he's been shitting over it, i just don't see whats so great, and i do like that type of music alot (thrice,thursday, etc.). j.e.w is solid live, but a little boring, not much energy.sounds like a good set,w/ a balance of rockin songs and emotional slow ones. but more static prevails would be cool. like claire.did they only play one or 2 songs off it?
promise ring is a good compliment to that band, but i bet j.e.w felt weird having them open for them, i'm pretty sure they were a big influence on the band.

Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, August 6, 2002 at 12:09 PM (EDT)
My Score:

All of you suck. Recover is the only good band on this tour. Saying JEW and The Promise Ring are rock and roll is a very ignorant comment. What's rock and roll about them? They play whiney songs for 14 year olds and both suck horribly live. And for the guy dissin on Desaparacidos, man, you don't know music. Conor Oberst is a great songwriter, and definitely more trustworthy than davey or jim ever will be.

Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, August 6, 2002 at 7:32 AM (EDT)
My Score:

sorry for the double comment post.

Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, August 6, 2002 at 7:31 AM (EDT)
My Score:

I saw JEW and TPR little over a week ago at the Electric Factory in Philadelphia. JEW keep improving their live show, they were soooo tight. I really loved the lights they used and all those stars that lit up during some songs.

The Promise Ring were awesome too. Davey was so into it, I loved seeing that. Lots of people liked it, but also here the most applause when they announced their last song. I hated that.

Desperacidos (or however you write that) opened here and they sucked. Way too much keyboard and just boring songs. Their sound sucked too so maybe that had something to do with them sucking, I don't know.

This tour is definitely worth the money (though I got in for free, hehe). JEW played a long ass set too.

Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, August 6, 2002 at 7:31 AM (EDT)
My Score:

Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, August 6, 2002 at 2:44 AM (EDT)
My Score:

my sundown and goodbye sky harbor? I love those songs. I'd pay 5 bucks to watch them play my sundown and table for glasses and nothing else.

They need to come into town on a club tour, no more of this arena nonsense.

Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, August 6, 2002 at 2:31 AM (EDT)
My Score:

Oh yeah, I forgot, The Stereo is coming to Detroit on the 15th and they rock as much as Jimmy Eat World, maybe even more. If you don't know who they are, check out some of their stuff.

- Captain Crunch

Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, August 6, 2002 at 2:29 AM (EDT)
My Score:

I'm from Detroit and they didn't play here this time around, since they played here in mid-april. I did get down to Columbus to see them a few weeks ago and it was unbelievable. Jimmy Eat World made peoples' heads explode. I tried to go see them again in Hamilton, Cleveland or Indianapolis but my friends don't have jobs and can't even afford a 20 dollar ticket, so I had nobody to go with.

It was funny for the Abercrombie kids to stand around for half the night waiting for Bleed American tracks. The little girls were looking at me like i was an alien because I knew the words to the Clarity and Static prevails tracks.

I wish I could go see them play a 3 hour set one day, but if that happened, I'd probably go into uphoric shock and shake uncontrolably.

- Captain Crunch