Choreographed dancing, snacks being thrown into the crowd and humor all combined for Suburban Legends’ “Day Job” CD release party, held Friday at Chain Reaction in Anaheim.
Once walking into the venue, one could immediately feel the vivacious energy from the relatively large crowd that had already formed for the opening bands, Hooray for Our Side, The Long Holidays and The Originalities. Fans were able to take pictures with a Suburban Legends themed backdrop that decorated the back area of the venue. The energy from everyone in the room truly made the atmosphere feel like an album release party, despite it being held at a relatively small venue.
The night seemed promising, as the 250 standing-room capacity venue had become increasingly smaller in space as more ska fans packed in. The opening bands helped set the mood of the night, constantly hyping the crowd for Suburban Legends’ set.
As Suburban Legends began setting up for their performance, the crowd began singing Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” which was later followed with Rebecca Black’s “Friday.”
Suburban Legends started off the night with “Day Job’s” opening track, “Emergency.” It instantly made everyone sing along with its upbeat and catchy chorus. After their first track, the lack of air circulating the venue was made evident as fans were already drenched in sweat.
“Thank you so much for coming to our party!” said Vincent Walker (vocals), a Cal State Long Beach 2006 marketing alum, during the break of “Whoa.”
The band played their track, “Arigato,” which resulted in a majority of the crowd singing along, despite parts of the track being sung in Japanese. The energy was in a constant high as the band and audience fed off one another.
Fans who had previously seen the band perform knew that midway through “Come Back Home,” members of the band would perform a choreographed dance routine. However, to the surprise of many, the music suddenly stopped. There was a bit of confusion as a few of the band members walked offstage into a side door.
“Stop the entire set for snacks!” Walker announced as band members returned with cinnamon rolls and other treats that were being thrown into the crowd. A sea of hands had emerged as fans attempted to catch goodies, as well as the cardboard packaging. At this point, it was clear that the band was sticking to their “Day Job” theme.
At one point, Aaron Bertram (trumpet) attempted to score by throwing snacks into a fan’s star-trooper mask that was being used as a goal.
After everyone had finished their short snack break, Walker said, “This is the only part of the night where we say a bad word.” The band then began to play “Just Be Happy,” their catchy diddy that frowns upon being a “hater” and encourages listeners to not “be a mother-ker.”
Before their set, the band promoted the karaoke contest they would hold during their performance. Names were collected from volunteers who, if chosen, would be called up and asked to randomly perform any song off of the band’s catalog.
“Hit every word and melody dead on or you’re a loser,” Bertram joked. Fortunately for the participants, who were all males, they successfully performed each song and received goofy awards: jumbo braid extensions that varied in color, a toy swor, and a foam rocket launcher.
“Your Girlfriend’s Pretty” was one of the most memorable performances of the night with Brian Klemm (guitar) on lead vocals. “Maybe you’ve seen me outside your bushes…” Klemm began, immediately gaining audience approval as his banter fit perfectly for his track. Throughout the track, he featured his booty-shaking dance skills, which only added to the humor of the song. The crowd went wild at Klemm’s exaggerated dance skills.
“It’s only eight o’clock; we have 10 more songs to go!” Walker said, as the crowd cheered with excitement, despite knowing the show would soon come to an end because it was really 11 p.m. It was then that their epic rock anthem, “Dude Alert” would be performed.
“Pretend the lights work [because] we spent a lot of money on that,” Walker announced, resulting with the crowd mimicking a siren-like sound.
Despite the tiny stage that Chain Reaction had to offer, Suburban Legends did not let that hinder their performance. They used every space possible to dance onstage and interact with the crowd. Their banter was hilarious, and there was always time for Klemm’s spontaneous guitar solos that made the audience go crazy.
The band ended their set list and later returned for an encore that fans had demanded. They finished the night strong with fan-favorites like “Gummi Bears,” “Under the Sea,” and “High Fives.”
For more information about Suburban Legends and to purchase “Day Job,” visit suburbanlegends.com.
