Bouncing Souls / Avail / The Unseen - live in Chicago (Cover Artwork)

Bouncing Souls / Avail / The Unseen

live in Chicago (2004)

live show


Since most of you just want a set list of what the headlining band played, here you go.

The Bouncing Souls played:
Cracked
Argyle
No Security
Freaks, Nerds and Romantics
Hopeless Romantic
Private Radio
That Song
Anchors Aweigh
Gone
True Believers
Kids and Heroes
Apartment 5F (opener)
East Coast! Fuck You!
Born Free
Kate is Great
Ballad of Johnny X
(and probably another song I forgot)

Let It Burn picked up their equipment at 5:45 and proceeded to rock the fuck out. The kids got into it, but not moshing, but attentively listening. Okay, by kids, I mean teenagers punked out, tight polyester pants, 7 inch mohawks (no exaggeration), and combat boots. As per usual, smoke hung in the air like fog in England, and just as pervasive. Regardless, Let it Burn held down a tight but all too short set, with a high energy content that any jaded scenester could appreciate, and a world weary adult could get into.

The Unseen came up next, mohawks and all. I'm not an Unseen fan, or a fan of streetpunk in general, but if you like streetpunk, go check these guys. The crowd got into them, but I didn't. The lead singer sounded like a dying bear with emephezema, but that must give him more street cred. Oddly enough, there wasn't the three, four hundred odd "oi!"s I was expecting during their set. The lead singer's screams weren't totally incomprehensible, which is a point in their favor, but the music was throwaway at best.

Avail was up next. I'm going to prefix this with the statement that I've never heard Avail before this, but what I heard was fun. It was mostly punk rock mixed with classic rock, with a small dusting of hardcore. Whatever it is, its catchy, engaging and fun.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that they've got a semi-mascot on stage with them, a guy called Beau (according toavailavail.com) who occasionally added background vocals, but otherwise just walked around onstage with lots of foam hands, masks, and such for the auidence's entertainment. Instead of being a cheap ploy for smiles and attention, he was actually fun and put a smile on kids faces, when they weren't pushing each other in the pit.

New Jersey's (yes, I know they live in New York now, but they're still from Jersey) the Bouncing Souls in all the times that I've seen them have never been so on. Sure, it was a little sloppy, but it was fast, frantic, energetic and a fucking great time. Greg seemed less nervous than usual, moved around some onstage, Pete and Bryan were the most energetic I've ever seen them live, and Mike has yet to get worse at the drums.

If you've never seen the Bouncing Souls live, go see them on this tour, they're playing with some siiiiiiiiick bands, and if you've seen them 13 times before, see them again on this tour. They're at their apex, cheerful, funloving and hardy. Warped Tour can't come quickly enough now.