Ah yes. Hearing Motion City Soundtrack takes me back. When I first found them, I was just a 14-year-old kid who thought I was THE most misunderstood person in the modern world and found solace and understanding in their music. Albums like My Dinosaur Life and Even If It Kills Me were the soundtrack to my brooding. So imagine my surprise when I hear that, three years after the anniversary edition of Even If It Kills Me being released, that the band is going on a new (and I’ve specifically been told to NOT call it a comeback,) tour, titled Don’t Call It a Comeback, so get from that what you will (it’s totally a comeback). I definitely wasn’t the only excited one, this was one of the few concerts that I’ve been to that you can hear the crowd belting every single word. Sometimes the speakers drown out the audience and from your own proximity to them, you can really only hear the band playing their hearts out. Not this time, however, as they managed to reach a volume level on par with the band, singing in sync with front man Justin Pierre’s every word. Opening with classics like “Attractive Today” and “Everything is Alright” and closed the night with one their most iconic songs to date, “The Future Freaks Me Out”.
The Minneapolis band lit up the night in another way, sticking to a classic set-up, with a large backdrop repeating their name over and over. However, they set themselves apart was with standalone lights on the stage with them. Strips of blue and red, spirals, and bursts of light to add to the ones above them. All of this made for one of the brightest concerts I’ve ever been to and a great appreciation for whoever their light technician is. Something I NEED to get off my chest about the band is their stage presence. Jesse Johnson, the band’s keyboardist, has the most INSANE moves I’ve ever seen. The man moves on the stage with so much raw emotion and power, you can really see he’s feeling every beat and making it known to the crowd, almost mirroring their energy on another level.
They all provided such a genuine presence to their performance that you could really feel the connection they have with their fanbase, even after a three year hiatus. It really shows the pure power music to connect people, but the pure power that their music has to connect people. Common struggle, experiences, and environment connecting all of these strangers for one night is something truly incredible.
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By: CJ Hueso | Exclusively for @Music, Why Not!
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