The Souls bounce the Riot Room
Hilary Saskin and Casey Osburn
Issue date: 11/9/09 Section: Culture
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Seeing them live only confirmed our feelings.
For their 20th anniversary tour, the Bouncing Souls took the stage at the Riot Room.
Broadway Calls and Bayside opened the show and we were thoroughly impressed with both.
Broadway Calls is an upbeat punk band with a lot of energy. For an opening band, they definitely made an impression on the crowd.
Bayside was just as energetic.
If we didn't like the Bouncing Souls so much, we might say Bayside was our favorite of the night. The band members kept the crowd involved and the entire room entertained.
Both bands provided a great pre-show for the Bouncing Souls.
It was surprising, however, to see the headliner in such a small venue.
The Riot Room was wall-to-wall packed. With no barricades blocking the fans from the band, people were shoved almost completely onto the stage.
The set consisted of a variety of upbeat singles that got the crowd pumped and on their feet.
For a band that has been around 20 years, it is expected they would have many songs. Since they obviously could not play them all, they did a good job choosing those to perform.
The only downside to their set was the lack of enthusiasm from lead singer Greg Attonito.
His voice sounded great but his demeanor gave the impression he wasn't giving his all. He looked like he was enjoying himself, but seemed very reserved and calm considering it was a hard-core punk rock show.
Bassist Bryan Kienlen, on the other hand, made up for Attonito's dull disposition. He talked directly to the fans and got everyone involved, even those standing in the back completely out of sight.
Kienlen even shouted out a dedication for one of their songs to a friend of his who attended the show.
The show was definitely one of a kind.
The Bouncing Souls have a unique fan base, including many with Bouncing Souls tattoos.
With such dedicated fans, the concert was bound to get intense.
Numerous people jumped on the stage and crowd-surfed around the venue. Those who were anywhere near the front half of the room likely got stepped on, kicked or knocked out of the way by excited fans.
After ending their set, the audience chanted "Here we go," the saying that hung as the backdrop on the stage.
The Bouncing Souls then came out and performed the song "Here We Go" as an encore.
Overall, the concert was a hit. We enjoyed the sets of all three bands, which is rare at any concert.
Even though the Bouncing Souls have been on the scene for two decades, they still know how to please a crowd. It's almost as though they are the same age as when they started performing.
We have to grade this concert on not only the Bouncing Souls, but also the openers because they were all so good.
B+
hsaskin@unews.com
cosburn@unews.com
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