Hey Mercedes / Armor For Sleep / Panic In Detroit

So last night (3/2/02), I decided to brave an unseasonably cold night, and the notoriously unpredictable Chicago traffic, and drive in to The Metro to see Hey Mercedes. The Opening bands for the show were The Silent Treatment, Panic In Detroit, and Armor for Sleep.

I was the 5th dork in line, so that meant that I got a primo spot up front for the show. First band up was The Silent Treatment, a piano driven pop rock band hailing from Chicago. This being their hometown, they had a few friends in attendance, and had a few people singing along to the lyrics. I enjoyed their set alot actually, and i'll look for them in the future, good band.

Next up was Panic in Detroit, a straight up rock band from Texas. Despite having a guitar player that resembled an emo Rick Moranis, they ended up being my favorite of the opening bands. They had, like I said, a more straight up rock feel than the other bands on the bill. If I had to compare them to anybody, i'd say they reminded me of The Stereo, but with alot more edge. They had great stage energy, and their guitars sounded outstanding. I got home and downloaded a couple songs, but they fell a bit short to thier live show, probably due to low budget recording, but in the future, look out for these guys, they have alot of potential.

Next up was Armor For Sleep. I was a bit disappointed in their set, i'd heard so many good things coming in about them. It may have been due to the singer being sick, and throwing up all day, but they just seemed a bit empty to me. I don't remember one thing from their set, it was a blur. I'll have to catch them again on a better night, then maybe i can get a better judgement.

Now, onto the band that the 400 or so people gathered at The Metro were there for, Hey Mercedes. This being my 4th time seeing them, I basically knew what to expect, but I still went in with high expectations. Say what you want about them being boring live, but the fact is that every time that i've seen them, they've gotten better and better, both musically, and stage presence wise. They played the songs that have been staples in their sets for a long time now, songs like "Eleven to Your Seven", "A-List Actress", and "Every Turn", but the guys also featured 5 or so new songs, all of which sounded outstanding. They seem to be a bit faster in tempo, with a bit more interplay with background vocals with Todd and Mike. All in all, great show, great way to spend a Sunday Evening. A fun time was had by all that attended.

Hey Mercedes setlist, not including the 5 new songs:

Eleven to Your Seven (opener)
Every Turn
A-List Actress
Haven't Been This Happy
Que Shiraz
Bells
Quit
Our Weekend Starts on Wednesday

Encore:
Stay Six
Lets Go Blue