Pac Tour packs it up

By Kathryn Bergin
Collegian Staff
February 20, 2008

The Pac Tour, a month long trek sponsored by clothing store Pac Sun, has been making its way around the country with The Audition headlining, and Envy on the Coast, Danger Radio and Another Day Late tagging along. One of the last stops was the First Unitarian Church Feb. 15. Arriving almost 45 minutes early, I was surprised to see that there was already a long line waiting for the doors to open. Stepping into the large, spacious basement, I noticed that a majority of the crowd was younger than me. I was not all that surprised though, because original, yet poppy, rock/alternative music is this decade’s version of the boy bands of the ’90s.

Kathryn Bergin - Envy on the Coast guitaristco-vocalist Brian Byrne sings to the crowd.

Another Day Late from southern California kicked off the show. Their music was energetic, but I found vocalist Kohl Hegmann to be mediocre. Although his stage presence was excellent, and he was often in motion, Another Day Late could easily improve its sound with a change of vocals.

The tunes were solid, though. The third song moved away from the general poppy guitars and into a groovier beat. Despite the band’s energy, only a small amount of the audience seemed to be truly into the performance, while the rest observed and nodded their heads along.

Next up was Danger Radio from Washington. Before the show, I snuck a listen on their MySpace, and felt as if I was going to hurl my lovely Blue and Gold dinner all over my laptop, because of the pop-overload. However, their live performance won me over.

Heavily influenced by ’80s pop, with keyboard dictating the melodies, Danger Radio’s performance was very upbeat and danceable. Vocalist Andrew de Torres was all over the stage, often standing on the speakers, keeping the crowd energized.

“Kiss n’ Tell,” one of Danger Radio’s newer songs, was used to slow the set down a bit so Torres could have a rest (claiming he is ridiculously out of shape), but “Kiss n’ Tell” with its upbeat keyboard intro was fast and kept the audience moving. A majority of the crowd reacted positively to the music, and while I can’t say I enjoy the tunes they make, just watching Danger Radio perform was fun.

After Danger Radio’s set was Envy on the Coast. From Long Island, N.Y., Envy on the Coast was the main reason I came to this show. Being an avid fan of the group for the past few months after the release of its new CD Lucy Gray, I only heard good things about the band’s live performance, and was definitely not disappointed with their set that night.

Barefoot and energetic, Envy opened up with a song from its EP, “Suckerpunch.” With a unique sound of clean cut-yet-heavy guitar riffs, intricate solos, clean drumming, piano backing and vocals to match it perfectly, Envy on the Coast jumped into its second song in the set, “Tell Them She’s Not Scared.” Envy jumped into the first track off Lucy Gray next, “Sugar Skulls.” My favorite track on the album, it was great to see it performed live, with vocalist Ryan Hunter putting just as much energy into the song live as he does on the album.

Hunter also had a chance to display his fantastic vocal talent when the band did a short cover of Talib Kweli’s song “Get By.” From there, the band performed “Vultures.” With a heavy bass-driven intro, “Vultures” caused people to fight their way to the front. The whole band has great stage presence, never staying still for more than a second. The act closed out its set with “The Gift of Paralysis.” A little sweeter melodically and vocally than some of the band’s other songs, “The Gift” was a great closing song because it gave the audience plenty of opportunities to sing out over Hunter.

Last but not least was headlining band The Audition, from Chicago, Ill. Coming onto the stage to Flo Rida’s song, “Low,” the band showed that it knew just how to make an entrance. Not even introducing themselves, they jumped into their first song, “Shady Business.” I had never listened to The Audition before its performance that night, but with my 30-minute exposure to them, I was wildly impressed.

The group’s pop/alternative/rock sound kept the young girls in the audience in frenzy. Singer Danny Stevens was all over the stage, and highly encouraged moshing. I don’t feel that their songs were the type that call for moshing, but apparently other people did, and started a pit.

Closing the set with “Don’t Be So Hard,” the audience went wild one more time. Refusing to do an encore, the band promised it would be staying around for awhile for anyone who wanted to meet the group.

The Pac Tour’s appearance at the First Unitarian was enjoyable. All of the bands were upbeat and energetic, a great show to attend if you like to dance (or mosh) your heart out.

bergink1@lasalle.edu