Having never been to Northern Lights, I was surprised by its bar-like feel and the particularly small stage, which gets so much use on weekends. Its size made it difficult to believe that in a short while three opening bands and eve 6 would be standing on it.
Standing around and waiting for the concert to start is a common ritual but within 15 minutes a guy toting a leather jacket walked on stage. The audience continued talking with the assumption that he was just the “check, check 1, 2, 3” guy. Suddenly he had a guitar on and said, “This song is about being the opening act,” and started singing. Besides shocking the crowd with the simplicity of his band, which consisted of a guitar and himself, he also brought slightly witty songs that were good for a laugh or two. His name was John, and his last name was too long to remember. His performance didn’t seem too great at that very moment, but what was to come made it look amazing in retrospect.
After he finished his sets, he left the stage, and the assumption that most of us had was that the next band would be the one with the large banner hanging across the back of the stage which read “Cauterize.” Instead, three middle-aged men walked on stage followed by a twenty-something with long curly hair. They start playing a decent tune along the lines of classic rock until a screaming thirty-something girl ran out on stage. She was loud, vulgar, and enjoyed shimmying, which was very annoying. This was our introduction to the band Plum Crazy. Most of the songs were hard to hear as the guitarists and drummers played way over her voice, that was, until she screeched instead of holding out a note. Their big finale was “California Dreaming,” and it was such a shame that they had to ruin such a good song.
Cauterize entered the stage, and with all the hype, one expected they would be at least decent. So, four young guys came on the stage and stated that they were from Canada. Overall this band played a good set, if you like to have loud blasting music playing with no words. I believe their mouths were moving but I’m still unsure if there were words coming out. I believe they do have potential though if they learn how to play at better levels while on stage, and I’m sure the recording studio made them sound good on their records.
Then our ears were pleased, as the headline band was finally allowed on stage. Having been a fan of eve 6, it was a great to hear their songs in person. I’d heard from others who had seen them in the past that they were not so hot in person, but they did quite well last Friday. The crowd was more than excited when they started their first set and even started a mosh pit, which proved quite dangerous as someone was thrown on me. After a few songs the crowd settled in as Max Collins drew the crowd in with his jokes and fights on stage. The drummer and Max started a bet over who gets a shoe, which was both entertaining and confusing.
They sang many of our favorites like “Here’s to the Night,” “Inside Out,” and “Superhero Girl.” The only disappointing aspect of their performance was that it ended quite quickly with only one encore. It was surely worth the small price of $12 to see the show. So, if you catch a band you like heading to Northern Lights, try to attend because it’s surely a good price, even if the opening bands leave much to be desired.
