Tsunami Bomb @ The Metro, Chicago, IL
Live Reviews | Aug 1st, 2004
Opening Bands: The Lawrence Arms, It Kills, Scattered Fall
Date: Sunday, August 1st, 2004
Venue: The Metro, Chicago
First to play at Sunday’s show was a band that sounded remarkably like early AFI. Scattered Fall, as they were called, even fronted a singer complete with the dark makeup like AFI’s vocalist, Davey Havok, wears.
Second to play was It Kills, whose music was remarkably similar to their predecessors. Something that set It Kills apart from most other bands is their obvious need to advertise themselves all over their bodies. There was not one band member who did not have “It Kills” written across their shirt or pants; their name was everywhere. It Kills seemed to make sure that no one in the audience would be asking, “what is this band called again?” by putting their label anywhere there was space.
Chicago would probably be the most supportive venue for The Lawrence Arms during this US tour, seeing as it is their hometown and here, the fans absolutely love them. They were amazing as usual, although it seemed like maybe the sound system at the Metro did not do them justice like it fails to do to so many awesome bands who play there. Brendan, the bassist, joked around with the kids, teasing them with the concept of playing Slapstick songs. While they did not play any Slapstick, The Lawrence Arms did play songs like “Porno and Snuff Films”, “The First Eviction Notice”, and the LA oldie “An Evening of Extraordinary Circumstance”.
Headliners Tsunami Bomb neglected to play Lemonade AGAIN in Chicago, a major let down for the fans here who really want to hear that song live. The did play “No One’s Looking” as well as other songs, all of which were played way faster live than they are on the recordings. The singer, who is the only girl in the band, even proved that she could dance. She was by far the star of the show, leading many to predict that Tsunami Bomb will end up suffering “Gwenification”, or the situation where the female who fronts the band ends up glorified in the limelight while the rest of the band members are left in the dark. Example: See No Doubt.
