The sign read “This show is 100% sold out”. And that it was. I know I’m getting older, but the crowds seem younger and younger each time I go to a show. These kids were not just the typical 16 year old high school crowd, they were the 11 and 12 year old junior high school kids. I wouldn’t doubt if some of these kids were younger. Wow. I really felt like I was out of place or too old to be there.

I crammed right up in the front to get the best possible view of the first and second acts. First was southern Florida Christian band Further Seems Forever. Honestly, I am happy Chris Carabba (of Dashboard Confessional) left this band to pursuer his other ventures. Jason, the new lead singer, is awesome. Don’t get me wrong, I love Dashboard, but Jason is so much better for the band. There was only one draw back to the performance and that was one of the guitarists: he only stood still on his corner of the stage. The band did try out some new songs, but played mostly songs from their full length “The Moon is Down”.

Next on the bill was Hot Rod Circuit. They were just slightly more exciting to watch than Further Seems Forever, but only because of full band energy levels. There were a couple of crazy fans jumping up and down in the front screaming along to every song. Because I don’t know a single name of any HRC songs, I managed to get the play-list straight off the monitor. Hope you can make something of it. The crowd was really into HRC so I’m positive they made some new fans out of those fresh new show goers. This performance was better than when I had seen them a few months ago. I think it had a lot to do with the crowd size. There were many more people this time around. The crowd’s energy reflected in the band’s performance.

3rd band was Rufio. I have never heard them until tonight. I wasn’t a huge fan so I kinda tuned out and talked to friends. Some one made a comment about how they were “like blink 182”. The only song name I caught was “Dip Shit”. I just sat around and waited for Thrice who was next.

What can I say? Thrice is in my top 10 bands of the moment. I am not too crazy about “The Illusion of Safety” but “Identity Crisis” is soooo good. They played songs from both CDs like “See you in the Shallows” and title track “Identiy Crisis.” This performance was where the crowd went a little crazy. I don’t blame them. It’s almost impossible to sit still through Thrice’s set. I saw bunches of kids marching around with their new Thrice shirts, so looks like Thrice is really starting to grab hold of a larger audience. Good for them. They deserve it.