Well, I thought after a little push from my former English professor I would give this a try. And what a "fantastic show" to start things off the proceedings. Now, I know by having visited this website 1,000's of times that The Juliana Theory seems to be right up there with the top 10 most reviled bands here. Nonetheless, I had seen them three times before and they had always put on a good show and had some decent opening acts, though I am most partial to Piebald. However, after hearing their new album when it came out (and immediately using for frisbee golf practice and hearing the shit-ass production (i.e. an audience recording would have been ten times better) of their recent live album I had about thrown in the towel. Now, I know that I should been using the towel as toilet paper.

After seeing Thursday, Year of the Rabbit and Death by Stereo the week before I knew that this was not going to be topped, especially by TJT. In fact I wasn't even planning on going. Then my friend, who I unfortunately introduced to TJT, said he would buy my ticket, I said what the hell. Bad call. We got there with Celebrity having about four songs left in their set. I thought it was Copeland since they looked similar and had they same whiny, emoting style as Copeland. To be honest, I should have headed for either the door or the bar at that time. I did neither. So much for sobriety.

So much for giving up smoking as well. I needed some vice to make it through this ordeal. Thankfully, Celebrity ended and since TJT already had their drum kit, monitors, etc. set up in the back it was a fairly short first intermission. I held out hope for Copeland as I had weathered them earlier as they opened up for somebody else at that time. Not a horrible band, but unfortunately, they are just incredibly bland. Not really much of anything to set one song apart from the other. Though, I give the drummer credit as he seems to enjoy himself regardless of the less than responsive audience and his lead guitarist who I doubt ever had a shade of personality.

After about a half-hour Copeland called it quits and fifteen minutes later I was introduced to Hopesfall. Now, I had heard a few songs of theirs off a Trustkill sampler and it did not change my belief that outside of Poison the Well their wasn't much I had interest for on the label. Hopesfall's performance did nothing to change my mind. As the crowd began to dwindle (not a good sign when the crowd sizing is getting smaller instead of increasing as the main draw is getting closer), they put on a set of mediocre one-tempo hardcore that reminded me of PTW without the benefit of any tempo change or any variety in the screamed vocals. Yeah, I do feel bad that that had their stuff stolen twice in less than a month, but it doesn't change my feeling on the performance. Though, as Brett (lead singer of TJT) was standing behind me for half the set, I should have taken my opportunity to tell him exactly what I though of the new album.

Twenty minutes later, after I just got back from the Newport's glorious bathroom (wishing it had something to do with alcohol), TJT hit the stage. When they started off with their standard closer "If I Told You This Was Killing Me (Would You Stop)", I knew this couldn't be a good sign. It would be the anthem for the rest of the night as I would feel like asking the band the same question. Regardless, I like the song as well as their first two full-lengths. Another song was played after the first and then if I recall correctly, seven songs were played off the new album in the next hour, "Trance" being about the only one that I could stomach. Why wasn't I smoking more? Not sure. Anyway, they came back for an hour including "5,000 children" and did not play "Duane Joseph". A bit odd, when you have already alienated your fan base into the ground, that you don't play your best song which gets the most audience pop. By the end of the show their was less than 150 people remaining and needless to say I wished I wasn't one of them. I headed out the door, contemplating ending my friendship with the guy I was with for subjecting me to this, and tried to wash any memory of this experience from my brain. Obviously without success.