By snoadmin
The five bands on the 2007 Take Action! Tour rocked the House of Blues Sunset Strip Sunday night while raising money for a good cause.
Hopeless Records and its charitable arm Sub City Records organized the annual Take Action! Tour, which benefits the Youth America Hotline, an organization that brings attention to the issue of depression and suicide in young people. Take Action’s motto is that it aims to create a better world, one voice and one action at a time. The sixth annual tour kicked off on Feb. 1 in Washington, D.C., where the first Take Action! concert was performed.
The show started around 7 p.m., and the first band to take the stage was Kaddisfly, a progressive rock band from Portland, Ore. The band, currently signed to Hopeless, played many songs from its unreleased album “Set Sail the Prairie,” which is scheduled to hit stores on March 6. The band members’ energy set the mood for the whole show and got the audience excited for the rest of the bands to come.
The next band to perform was the California-based hardcore/screamo group A Static Lullaby. Its unique sound consists of intense screaming vocals by lead singer Joe Brown and soft melodic singing by vocalist/guitarist Dan Arnold. Although A Static Lullaby’s set mostly included songs from its newest self-titled album, the crowd seemed most into the music when the band played its most popular hits, including “Hang ‘Em High” and “The Shooting Star That Destroyed Us,” a track from its debut album.
The third act to hit the HOB stage was the Arizona-based Scary Kids Scaring Kids. The band had a lot of stage presence and a very energetic set, oftentimes throwing around its guitars and keyboards and dancing on the drum set. Lead singer Tyson Stevens apologized for being sick and how his voice sounded, but the band’s large fan base in the audience did not seem to mind.
The final opening act to play was Emery, which took the stage around 9:30 p.m. Throughout its set, the South Carolina-based rock band talked a lot about the purpose of the Take Action! Tour, telling the audience that if they ever feel alone, they should know that all the bands that are part of Take Action! care about them.
Front man Toby Morrell also thanked the audience for being with them instead of at the Oscars, and then the band proceeded to play a new song called “And the Oscar Goes to Mr. Brad Pitt.” After playing about four songs, Emery was told that its set had to be cut short, but before exiting the stage the band played its popular hit “Studying Politics.”
The headlining band, Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, took the stage around 10:15 p.m. after being presented with a certificate of appreciation from the president of Hopeless Records for its participation in the Take Action! Tour. The band kicked off its set with “Waiting,” the second track on its debut album “Don’t You Fake It.”
Lead singer Ronnie Winter was very interactive with the audience, frequently talking about the band’s songs before he sang them. “In Fate’s Hands” is the story of the band, “Damn Regret” is about living life to the fullest and “Atrophy” was dedicated to all the brothers and sisters fighting for our country in Iraq. The band also recently shot a video for “False Pretense,” a song about getting screwed over by someone you really care about.
The audience was engaged by the Florida-based band throughout its entire set and became very excited when it played its two most popular songs, “Your Guardian Angel” and “Face Down.” Before the encore, Winter came out on the stage and talked to the audience about the Take Action! Tour, asking how many people had been affected by suicide. His last comment before the encore song was that if you feel as though you are all alone and it is the last minute of your life, know that you can always “just look up.”
The 2007 Take Action! Tour was an amazing and vibrant show of five bands supporting a good cause. The audience was left exhilarated by the show, and felt good about helping “create a better world, one voice and one action at a time.
