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Motion City Soundtrack at the Varsity, Minneapolis (25 June 2016)

Motion City Soundtrack Setlist Back to the Beat Cambridge Capital H Her Words Destroyed My Planet It Had to Be You Make Out Kids Time Turned Fragile L.G. FUAD Last Night My Favorite Accident This Is for Real Attractive Today When You're Around Broken Heart Boombox Don't Call It A Comeback Hold Me Down A Life Less Ordinary (Need A Little Help) Everything Is Alright -- Encore -- Anything At All Even If It Kills Me The Future Freaks Me Out Tour Dates 07/28/16 Madison, WI Barrymore Theatre 07/29/16 Columbus, OH Newport Music Hall 07/30/16 Grand Rapids, MI The Intersection 08/01/16 Buffalo, NY The Town Ballroom 08/02/16 Clifton Park, NY Upstate Concert Hall 08/04/16 Baltimore, MD Rams Head Live! 08/05/16 Stroudsburg, PA Sherman Theater 08/06/16 Sayreville, NJ Starland Ballroom 08/07/16 Richmond, VA The National 08/09/16 Nashville, TN Cannery Ballroom 08/10/16 Charlotte, NC Fillmore Charlotte 08/12/16 Fort Lauderdale, FL Culture Room 08/13/16 Lake Buena Vista, FL House Of Blues 08/14/16 The Wrecking Ball ATL 08/19/16 London, O2 Forum Kentish Town 09/08/16 Sydney, Australia The Metro Theatre 09/09/16 Melbourne, Australia The Prince 09/10/16 Brisbane, Australia Max Watt's Read More Motion City Soundtrack Motion City Soundtrack can still qualify as a local band, despite their nationwide popularity and proof that they still connect in Minneapolis, was seen at a crowded main stage for their late afternoon set. …

Longtime Minneapolis power punk band Motion City Soundtrack is breaking up as a band after nearly twenty years. They are letting fans get the chance to say goodbye to the band on their final “So Long, Farewell Tour.”

Originally they only listed June 24th at the Varsity for their final Minneapolis show, but due to overwhelming demands, they added another date (June 25th)... then another, then another, for a total of four final goodbye Varsity shows. All the dates immediately sold out, of course, making the local band’s shows one of the hottest tickets in town.

Light Years

Opening up the show was Cleveland’s Light Years, on their last appearance of the So Long, Farewell Tour. The four-piece (Pat Kennedy, Andrew Foerst, Tommy Englert, and Kent Sliney) played songs from their last album I'll See You When I See You, including ‘Let You Down’ done midset and ‘The Summer She Broke My Heart’ done near the end.

The show was historic in a few ways for Light Years, it was their very last show with their longtime friends Motion City Soundtrack and it was also their drummer Kent’s birthday.

‘My Whole Life’ ended their 30-min set with a “tight goodbye”. The song was the lead intro track on their EP Temporary (Animal Style Records).

Have Mercy

Baltimore’s Have Mercy (singer/guitarist Brian Swindle, bassist Nick Woolford, drummer Todd Wallace, and additional guitarist Andrew Johnson) came on stage 13 minutes after Light Years left the stage. This was one of the fastest band setup I’ve ever seen. Apparently after six years of touring (averages of 278 days on tour) really paid off in efficiency. We cover 360 shows a year, and believe me: the less setup time, the better.

Like Light Years, this was also Have Mercy’s last appearance with Motion City Soundtrack, which Swindle announced, “This is our last night, so let’s make it a good one!”

According to the band, they’ve sold out of all their merchandise, save for some T-Shirts, and asked fans to go support the other bands.

Most of their set featured songs from their last album A Place Of Our Own, including ‘Pete Rose and Babe Ruth’, ‘Hell’, and set closer ‘Two Years’.

Their very first written song ‘My Oldest Friend’ was played as a quiet solo number. This would normally sound quite moving and sad, but unfortunately the constant talking, noisy audience drowned out the song.

Motion City Soundtrack

Earlier in March 2016, Minneapolis’ Motion City Soundtrack announced that the band was breaking up, “We have no idea what the future holds, but for now we are done.” The quintet (singer/guitarist Justin Pierre, lead guitarist Joshua Cain, keyboardist Jesse Johnson, bassist Matthew Taylor, and original drummer Tony Thaxton who rejoined for the last tour) is saying thank you and goodbye as they head out on the road for the last time. In many ways, this is a good thing for the band, who deserved a much-needed break and will be ending their career on a high point.

Although they didn’t announce why they were breaking up, you do get the feeling that it has much to do with vocalist Justin Pierre being a first time father to his now-14-month baby boy. This was evident as after ‘Capital H’ Pierre had to leave the stage to find out if his wife and child was going to leave (and if they were, he had to say goodbye). If you think about it, Motion City Soundtrack spend most of their lives touring with the Warped Tour or doing their own headlining tour and that leave very little time for family obligations. You can understand why Pierre would need to take time to be with his child at this crucial time.

Pierre would later reflect back to his own father and how his song ‘Last Night’ was basically a song from his dad’s point of view.

Setlist

As expected with the last tour, they basically played a “Greatest Hits” tour, playing all the favorites like ‘This Is For Real’ and ‘L.G. FUAD’ (Let’s Get F**ked Up And Die)... many of these songs had the entire audience singing along to every word.

For the encore, they dedicated ‘Anything At All’ (the first song on the band’s new album Panic Stations via Epitaph Records) to Ed Ackerson (BNLX and Polara), followed by ‘Even If It Kills Me’ and fitting song to end their finale, ‘The Future Freaks Me Out’.

The band handed out water, drum sticks, guitar picks, and various things to fans... looking incredibly grateful for having such a massive local fanbase.

The So Long, Farewell Tour continues next month (07/28) at Barrymore Theatre in Madison, Wisconsin. Go see them before it’s too late.

Motion City Soundtrack at Varsity Theater, Minneapolis (25 Jun 2016)

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Modern Baseball at Mill City Nights, Minneapolis (14 June 2016)

Modern Baseball Setlist Holy Ghost Wedding Singer Note To Self Rock Bottom Broken Cash Machine Tears Over Beers The Weekend Alpha Kappa Fall Of Troy The Movie Part Deux Hours Outside in the Snow Apple Cider, I Don't Mind Cooke Everyday Hiding Re-Done Charlie Black Two Good Things The Thrash Particle Mass Just Another Face -- Encore -- Your Graduation Tour Dates 06/17/16 Cincinnati, OH Bogart's 06/18/16 Cleveland, OH Agora Theatre 06/19/16 Toronto, ON Opera House 06/21/16 Pontiac, MI The Crofoot 06/22/16 Pittsburgh, PA The Altar Bar 06/23/16 Boston, MA House Of Blues Boston 06/24/16 New York, NY Irving Plaza 06/25/16 New York, NY Irving Plaza 06/26/16 Philadelphia, PA Fillmore 06/28/16 Baltimore, MD Baltimore Soundstage 06/29/16 Richmond, VA Broadberry 06/30/16 Carrboro, NC Cat's Cradle 07/01/16 Orlando, FL The Beacham 07/02/16 Fort Lauderdale, FL Revolution Live 07/03/16 Tampa, FL The Orpheum 07/29/16 Lollapalooza Aftershows 07/29/16 Lollapalooza 08/26/16 Leeds Festival 08/28/16 Reading Festival 09/29/16 San Francisco, CA Warfield Theatre 10/01/16 Hollywood, CA Hollywood Palladium Read More Modern Baseball Looking at how young the band Modern Baseball was on stage, I could have sworn they were only 18 years old, but in fact, over 21 (noting the non-"X" on underagers ....

Modern Baseball’s “The Holy Ghost Tour” made a stop at Mill City Nights in Minneapolis on Tuesday night.

Thin Lips

The show started with Thin Lips. These guys are a female fronted, four-piece group from Pennsylvania. Chrissy Tashjian had a very raw sounding voice that seemed to be smoothed over by the instrumentation of the rest of the group making it sound more poppy than it actually was. The whole band was great and you could feel the integrity coming off the stage. It was a bit Mixtapes mixed with a bit old school Tsunami Bomb and all wrapped up with a bow made out of the current pop-punk scene.

Tashjian was the only musician of the night to bring up the Orlando tragedy. She asked how many queers were in the room and then asked everyone else to be extra supportive of those people. The crowd didn't really need the reminder as this is the land of “Minnesota Nice” and shows up here turn into huge family reunions, but it was still nice to hear her mention in such a head-on way.

Joyce Manor

As soon as Thin Lips got off stage, the crowd started to push towards the front in anticipation for Joyce Manor. These guys are in no way, shape or form new to the scene, they've actually been around since 2008 but, due to the pop-punk revival that is going on in the music world right now, they seem to finally be getting the recognition that they deserve. It was unbelievable to see how much of the crowd was singing along to every single word of every single song these guys played. The band seemed to be feeding off the energy of the crowd as they played through a good mix of new and old songs. Joyce Manor's most recent release is Never Hungover Again out on Epitaph Records.

After Joyce Manor I ran downstairs to scope out the merch and use the bathroom. On the bathroom door was a sign that suggested that you use the bathroom that best matches what sex you identify with. Nobody said anything, nobody was snickering as they read the signs, it seemed like nobody had an issue with it (as it should be). More people were taking pictures of the sign or telling their friends how cool that is or didn't even acknowledge the signs. It was a truly beautiful sight to see. It seemed to just be for last night's show but this is now the second show I've been to where I've seen signs like this on the bathroom doors. I truly hope I keep on seeing things like this.

Modern Baseball was the headliner of the night. Their music sounds like it's straight off of their recordings but with a sense of energy that you just cannot get from listening to a CD. The other times I have seen these guys, they were the opening band. It was nice to see them get the headlining slot that they deserve.

Some of their music is great for a headlining act but some of their more emo, slow songs had me wondering if these guys were ready to be this huge headliner. It was a bit hard to pay attention through some of the songs towards the middle of their set. It's not that they were bad, they sounded great. It's just that the songs themselves are so mellow and I'm just not a mellow person. I would much rather hear a set full of their upbeat songs but I realize there's just not enough of that to fill a whole set. When it came down to it, these guys did a really good job of mixing it up between slow and fast songs and then their new and old songs.

They ended their set with my favorite song, ‘Your Graduation’. It's a song that I interpret to be about the one who got away but because you let them go. It's full of angst and emotion. It's raw and angry at times and then completely beautiful at others. It's honest and makes you feel something. It was a perfect ending to my night.

Check out Modern Baseball's new release Holy Ghost out now on Run For Cover Records.

Modern Baseball at Mill City Nights, Minneapolis (14 June 2016)

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Parkway Drive at Cabooze, Minneapolis (08 November 2015)

Parkway Drive Setlist Destroyer Dying to Believe Carrion Dark Days Karma Vice Grip Idols and Anchors Deliver Me Wild Eyes Bottom Feeder Swing -- Encore -- Crushed Home Is for the Heartless Miss May I Setlist I.H.E. Relentless Chaos Bastards Left Behind Our Kings Deathless Masses of a Dying Breed Turn Back the Time Hey Mister Thy Art Is Murder Setlist Absolute Genocide Coffin Dragger The Purest Strain of Hate Reign of Darkness Light Bearer Holy War In Heart Wake Setlist Earthwalker Survival (The Chariot) Badlands Healer Afterglow Breakaway Divine Read More Parkway Drive Parkway Drive is not a street, but a metalcore band from Byron Bay, Australia. I wanted to mention these guys before February, because they are in the middle of a US tour ...

The Aussies took over The Cabooze in Minneapolis on Sunday night for the all-ages Noise Presents: Ire Tour, featuring Parkway Drive, Miss May I, Thy Art is Murder and In Hearts Wake.

There was nothing quiet and calming about the show. From the second that opening act In Heart Wake (an Australian metalcore band) took the stage, the crowd erupted along with the energy of the band. For an opening band, these guys really knew how to get the crowd going and how to keep the energy up. Singer Jake Taylor was all over the stage and getting in the crowd's faces which is exactly what you want at a heavy show like this.

They impressed the crowd with their professional sound and pure talent. These guys have toured the US with acts such as The Ghost Inside and Every Time I Die but had yet to hit up the Twin Cities. After the response they got from the crowd, they promised they would be back next year and for good reason. Keep your eyes on these guys. They are going to hit the scene and blow it up.

Thy Art Is Murder

Next up was Thy Art Is Murder, a deathcore band also from Australia. I saw these guys last October at The Skyway Theater supporting Born Of Osiris. Unfortunately, they did not catch my or get me going. They changed that this time. They absolutely killed it last night. Their set was heavy. It was hard to distinguish any words sung, maybe yelled is a better word, by singer/screamer/growler Chris "CJ" McMahon but that's part of their charm.

Miss May I was the only American band on the bill last night. They are a melodic hardcore band from Ohio that has toured with bands such as Killswitch Engage, Trivium and Bullet For My Valentine. I saw these guys this past February at Mill City Nights with August Burns Red. They did so much better last night because of the intimacy of the venue. There were kids trying to crowd surf but due to the size of the club, there were no barricades to the kids would just end up on the stage. This would annoy many bands but all of the bands last night (including Miss May I) took this as an opportunity to get closer with the fans by giving them high fives and hugs as they barreled onto the stage.

Parkway Drive

The night concluded with legends Parkway Drive from Australia. These guys have been around forever but haven't been to the Twin Cities for a headlining show in 5+ years. They brought down the house with their heavy hitting metalcore anthems. The thing that separates these guys from other metalcore bands is the fact that there are no clean vocals. Every word put through the microphone was shouted and the crowd and the crowd had no problem shouting right back.

There was an endless stream of crowd surfers that seemed to get stranded up on the stage for a few moments until either another member of the crowd threw them back onto the sweaty pile of people that had gathered at the front of the stage of a tech guy did the same. There was nothing but respect felt for this band. They were pioneers and legends and the kids in the crowd treated them as such. No on tried to grab the microphones away, they simply banged their heads and pumped their fists until they were swallowed up by the sweaty pit.

This tour was in support of Parkway Drive's newest release Ire which came out September on Epitaph Records, but they played songs that dated all the way back to their debut album Killing With a Smile.

Remaining tour dates:

Nov. 11 Detroit, IL – The Fillmore
Nov. 12 Toronto, Canada – Danforth Music Hall
Nov. 13 Montreal, Canada – Metropolis
Nov. 14 New York, NY – Irving Plaza
Nov. 15 Boston, MA – House of Blues
Nov. 16 Huntington, NY – The Paramount
Nov. 17 Philadelphia, PA – The Fillmore
Nov. 18 Pittsburgh, PA – Altar
Nov. 19 Cleveland, OH – House of Blues
Nov. 20 Cincinnati, OH – Bogart’s
Nov. 21 Silver Spring, MD – The Fillmore
Nov. 22 Charlotte, NC – The Fillmore
Nov. 23 Lake Buena Vista, FL – House of Blues
Nov. 24 Atlanta, GA – Tabernacle
Nov. 25 New Orleans, LA – House of Blues
Nov. 27 Houston, TX – House of Blues
Nov. 28 San Antonio, TX – Aztec Theatre
Nov. 29 Dallas, TX – House of Blues
Nov. 30 Tulsa, OK – Cain’s Ballroom
Dec. 01 Denver, CO – The Fillmore
Dec. 02 Salt Lake City, UT – Murray Theatre
Dec. 03 Mesa, AZ – Nile Theatre
Dec. 05 Los Angeles, CA – The Wiltern
Dec. 06 Las Vegas, NV – House of Blues

Parkway Drive at Cabooze, Minneapolis (08 November 2015)

langen ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Four Year Strong at Triple Rock, Minneapolis (04 Sep 2015)

poster Tour Dates 09/09/15 Salt Lake City, UT Kilby Court 09/11/15 Seattle, WA The Crocodile 09/12/15 Portland, OR Hawthorne Theatre 09/14/15 Orangevale, CA The Boardwalk 09/15/15 San Diego, CA SOMA San Diego 09/16/15 Anaheim, CA Chain Reaction 09/17/15 Anaheim, CA Chain Reaction 09/18/15 Mesa, AZ Club Red Theaters 09/19/15 Albuquerque, NM Launchpad 09/21/15 Dallas, TX Gas Monkey Bar 09/22/15 Austin, TX Sidewinder 09/23/15 Houston, TX Warehouse Live 09/25/15 Orlando, FL The Social 09/26/15 Margate, FL O'Malleys Sports Bar 09/27/15 Saint Petersburg, FL Local 662 09/28/15 Atlanta, GA Hell At The Masquerade 09/29/15 Nashville, TN Exit / In 09/30/15 Louisville, KY Headliners Music Hall 10/01/15 Pittsburgh, PA The Altar Bar 10/02/15 Washington, DC Rock And Roll Hotel 10/03/15 Virginia Beach, VA Shaka's 10/04/15 Philadelphia, PA Union Transfer 10/06/15 New York, NY The Gramercy Theatre 10/07/15 Poughkeepsie, NY Chance Entertainment 10/08/15 Montreal, QC La Tulipe 10/09/15 Toronto, ON Opera House Concert 10/10/15 Buffalo, NY Waiting Room 10/11/15 Cambridge, MA Middle East Nightclub Read More Four Year Strong Absolutely amazing return from these guys after In Some Way Shape or Form! Everything you loved about these guys from the first two albums makes a return. I seriously haven't been able to stop listening to this cd since it came out. …

The best shows are the ones where there is no difference between the stage and the floor. This doesn't mean that there is no stage and the band is just playing on the ground. This means that the band invites people to come up on stage and do what they want. Sounds like a trainwreck, I know. Usually it is a trainwreck but it is the best trainwreck you could ever watch, the best trainwreck you could ever be a part of.

Last Friday night was the Four Year Strong show at the Triple Rock Social Club in Minneapolis. I have seen these guys a couple of times before and they bring the energy every time. Most recently, I saw them at The Varsity Theater back in May. That show was great. Last Friday was better.

The stage at the Triple Rock is only about three feet off the ground. It is a fairly small venue but that never seems to affect the crowd. Last Friday was the rowdiest crowd I have ever seen there.

Speak Low If You Speak Love started the show with their calm indie, acoustic-y, pop-punk sound. They sounded great but the crowd wasn't moving. I think it was a bit expected by the band and it was nice that they didn't let it affect them. They even called themselves out for being the odd ones out on this tour with two hardcore bands and Four Year Strong. Regardless, they legitimately seemed appreciative that they were on this tour. They got up, played their songs, the crowd clapped and that was it. It was the calm before the storm.

The second Expire took the stage, the crowd went off. Before the first note was even played, the guys in the crowd had started stomping back and forth from side to side of the venue. That's a sign that you either need to get out of the way, or get your arms up because, pardon my French, sh** is about to go down. And down it went. The pit erupted. There were arms flailing, legs kicking, people flying. I quickly assumed the position on the outside of the pit with my arm up in front of me so I wouldn't get smacked by the flying limbs.

By the time Defeater took the stage, I needed a break from fearing for my life so I stood in back and just watched. A pit like this is something you cannot put into words. I've said it before and I will say it again, a pit at a show like this is intense, it's terrifying, and it's the best place to be. Watching from the outside of a pit doesn't do it justice. It honestly just looks like a giant brawl. But when you're in it, it's you enjoying music with your family. Nobody is trying to hurt anyone (intentionally) and everybody is looking out for everyone else.

After my breather during Defeater, it was time for Four Year Strong and time for me to assume the position in the middle of the crowd, my home away from home.

There was an endless stream of people being carried (there were not enough people to legitimately crowd surf) to the stage where they would proceed to jump into the crowd. Even though there were not many people there to catch the people jumping, people were sure to catch them or at least do their best to make sure they didn't land on their heads or get seriously injured. I found myself in the thick of it. I became a jumping off point for some people. They would jump on my shoulders and crawl onto the stage from on top of me. I tried my best to catch legs and arms that were flying at me. I was taking care of my family just like everyone else in there.

Four Year Strong encouraged people to come up on stage and jump. It didn't matter that the power cord has been unplugged already by a jumper. They didn't care. They just wanted everyone to have a good time and get involved.

The last song they played, they invited everyone to grab the microphone and sing. There was no sight of the band on stage at that point. You could hear them playing but you couldn't see them. The stage became our stage, the show became our show, and the band members became our family.

I woke up this morning feeling like I got hit by a bus. It is the most fulfilling feeling in the world.

Four Year Strong at Triple Rock Social Club, Minneapolis (04 Sep 2015)

langen ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic ♥ itunes.apple.com