This past Tuesday at 7:30 pm, several hundred eager rock fans waited outside of Northern Lights to see the band Hoobastank, who made their first trip to the capitol district since they began playing in 1994. “The Nice and Nasty” tour is to further support their self-titled album. Also playing with Hoobastank were the bands Greenwheel and Blindside.
Shortly after 8 pm, the first of two opening bands, Greenwheel, took the stage. The young band, which formed four years ago in St. Charles, Mo., is supporting their debut album Soma Holiday. The album was released this past June on the same label as Hoobastank, Island Records. Greenwheel played for nearly 45 minutes but failed to capture the attention of the audience despite a good set. Other than lead singer Ryan Jordan, the band simply played their set, but did not perform for the crowd. Despite the energy-lacking performance, the band showed promise to appear on the charts within the next few years.
About a quarter after 9, the second opener, Blindside, picked up where Greenwheel left off. The Swedish Christian metal band out of Stockholm filled any disappointment left after Greenwheel’s set. The band’s tight metal riffs and crowd interaction resonated throughout Northern Lights for another 45 minutes. With three albums under their belt, Blindside showed the poise of an experienced band with a well-established fan base. Lead singer Christian Lindskog joined fans on the fence and even shared the vocals by briefly handing over his mic to one fan. Blindside will continue on the road with Hoobastank for the rest of the week before departing to headline their own tour.
One hour after Blindside took the stage, Hoobastank made their appearance to an already hot and sweaty crowd. From the point Hoobastank began playing, every element of a great rock concert appeared. The set was loud, melodic, and intense to say the least. After touring with Alien Ant Farm, Sum 41, 311, Live, Jay-Z, and their hometown friends Incubus, Hoobastank showed they could do it all on their own, with their own fan base.
Most of the set consisted of the rock anthems: “Crawling in the Dark,” “Ready for You,” and “Running Away,”—songs off of their self-titled release. The band also played several tracks from their 1998 self-produced album They Sure Don’t Make Basketball Shorts like They Used To. Vocalist Doug Robb joined guitarist Dan Estrin by playing rhythm guitar for a few of their older songs. Throughout the entire set, waves of crowd surfers poured out of mosh pits and over the fence.
By time the band got to their last song, “Remember Me,” condensation had begun raining down from the ceiling. Cheers from the audience forced the band to play the song twice, since unfortunately the first time through Markku Lappalainen’s bass cut out. A sweaty and exhausted Hoostasbank finished their set perfect and untouchable, and did not hesitate to thank their fans for the support.
Although they are still a young band, on their first headlining national tour, Hoobastank showed the maturity of a much more experienced group. They are constantly compared to Incubus. Estin and Robb of Hoobastank went to high school with members of Incubus. It was clear that Hoobastank did not need Incubus present to put on a good show. As proof of their independence, Hoobastank’s album went platinum last Wednesday, following their performance at Northern Lights the night before.
