Jimmy Eat World
The Fillmore
Aug. 13, 2013
Missing the openers, a group called the Royal Bangs, and what was presumably a very long line given the packed state of the Fillmore, I take a spot in the back of venue and wait for the headliners. Not 10 minutes past my arrival and the lights start to dim. A solid black backdrop with Jimmy Eat World in bolded print lines the back of the stage, and the shift to blue lights quiets the crowd with anticipation.
Around me there are people catching up. People reminiscing on how long it's been since they've seen "music like this". And people wondering whether or not the band makes new music. Proving that they do, Jimmy Eat World begins with its latest single "I Will Steal You Back."
It's an appropriate introduction, given that the group seems to have dropped off the radar in the past few years. But a few seconds in, and Jimmy Eat World shows that their sound has endured, and that the new material is right on par with the old.
Unlike many of my favorite bands circa early 2000, Jimmy Eat World hasn't changed its sound to keep up with an ever-evolving music scene. By avoiding the electronic influences that seem to have worked their way into the mainstream, Jimmy Eat World maintains its position as a heavy weight in the pop-punk arena.
Alternating between new material and favorites from Futures, Clarity, and Bleed American, Jimmy Eat World put on a performance that was both engaging and heavy with bittersweet nostalgia.
Playing for nearly two hours, the show reached a peak with "Pain," and closed with intensity as an excited crowd sung along to the final three tracks, "A Praise Chorus," "Sweetness" and "Bleed American."
Then the stage empties and, personally, I'm pretty bummed that the show's over. But before long the crowds cheering and we're all shouting for an encore and Jimmy Eat World gives us what we want.
A three song encore ending with "The Middle," that leaves me wildly satisfied in my decision to get up off the couch, and stop Instagramming my cat.
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