Concert Review: The 15th Annual 89X Birthday Bash, featuring Yeah Yeah Yeahs, AFI, et. al. - Page 3

(Love Arcade saves the day)

A welcome change of pace, however, was Michigan's own Love Arcade, whose set directly followed Say Anything's on the Fox Theatre stage. Love Arcade is a collection of five very down-to-Earth, very funny guys who love music and attention. While one of the (non-subjective) problems of Say Anything's set was that all of the songs often blended together, Love Arcade, both in person and on their forthcoming CD, never treaded towards the monotonous. Love them or hate them, they're hard to forget.

One of the most interesting things about Love Arcade is the effect they have on their fans. Now that I've reached the wise old age of twenty-one, rarely do I see people actually acting excited about music. Indie shows involve a lot of drinking, a lot of smoking, a lot of thick glasses, and a lot of nonchalant arm-crossing. Only once in a while does the band earn furtive whispers, flirty mock threats, and screaming bleach-blonde/dyed-black haired fourteen year old girls. Even before Love Arcade took the stage, a fleet of girls behind me were eyeing the band, calling them by name, and pondering the all-important question, "Does Christian have his angel wings on?"

(Yes, Christian has his angel wings on)

And despite all of the built-up hype, Love Arcade surpassed all expectations. The bassist, Seth (who Laura and I only got to meet for a few fleeting moments), whirled around as if playing bass was less of an activity and more of an addiction. Lead singer Christian and guitarist Thomas leapt and jumped, forcing the photographers in the pit to scuttle and rush around like a pack of tigers fighting over two lone and wily gazelles. The band had a fierce intensity which stopped all of the self-pitying of Say Anything's set and led to a full-on dance party. The Fox Theatre security guards, who, while nice and accomodating to me as a photographer and a (young) member of the press, had built up a stonewall of "no"'s, glares, and basic intimidation movements for the mostly high school crowd, began to crack under the pressure of Love Arcade's live show. If anything would have convinced you of this band's future musical success, it would have been their 89X perfomance. They demonstrated their likeability and potential radio popularity with a quick, sweaty set that left their fans raving and even some of the beleaguered adult chaperones grinning.

Article Author: Modern Pea Pod

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