Panic! At The Disco, Augustana, Cartel, The Receiving End Of Sirens- Live (Sept. 23rd, 2005)

A few days ago, I was lucky enough to catch quite a fun show. The bands playing were Panic! At The Disco, Augustana, Cartel, The Receiving End Of Sirens, and Acceptance. I had to leave before Acceptance, so I only caught the first four bands.

Panic! At the Disco came out first. Don’t you just love it when the first opening band can energize an audience just as well as the headlining band? Panic! did just that. They started the show with a kick of pure excitement and fun. By the end of their set, they had the entire crowd moving to the beats. They played songs such as “It’s Time To Dance,” “Nails for Breakfast and Tacks for Snacks,” “Lying Is The Most Fun A Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off,” and “I Write Sins not Tragedies”. The show that this band put on was outstanding. Panic! At The Disco is full of talent in many dimensions. Vocally, musically, everything. And to top it off, they put on a great live show. They should be coming to your town soon on the Nintendo Fusion Tour.

Augustana. I, along with almost every other person in the audience, hadn’t heard anything from this band prior to the show. I hadn’t a clue as to how this band could be on such a cool tour without me knowing about them. Needless to say, I didn’t know what to expect from these guys. This tour features all different kinds of music, and Augustana were unlike any other band there. This band mixes smooth guitar chords with piano driven rock and loud, grasping vocals. At some points, Augustana had me thinking that they wrote the most beautiful songs in our scene. If you’re looking for smooth piano rock in the vein of Coldplayor Brand New(Deja Entendu), then look no further. You will find love in Augustana. The band put an awesome show on for the entire crowd. The only drawback in their show was the lack of communication with their audience. I don’t like it when bands take up half of their set with talking and jokes, but a little conversation would be nice.

Cartel was up third. I was anticipating this band over all the others. I am a huge fan of Cartel and had waited a long time to finally see them live. The waiting was well worth it, for Cartel is great live. Playing pop-punk at its best, this band grabbed the audience more than any band yet. This is the kind of band that keeps you gripped from the first song to the last one. They played all of their best songs, including “Luckie Street,” “The City Never Sleeps,” “Honestly,” “Runaway”, “Burn This City,” “Settle Down”, “If I Fail” and “The Minstrel’s Prayer.” The best part of their show was for the song “Minstrel’s Prayer”, where the bassist and guitarist dropped their instruments and each picked up a floor tom from the drum set to assist the drummer in the beat of the song. (Visit www.findthescene.com for the video of this song to completely understand). That song along with every other was performed perfectly and Cartel walked off the stage content with knowing that they had put on a captivating show.

The last band (that I would watch) was The Receiving End Of Sirens. This band contains 5 members – one bassist, one drummer, and three guitarists. They, along with every other band at this show, managed to put on a spectacular show. They were probably the loudest, most energetic band of the night. Flashing lights, huge guitars, crashing drums, screaming vocals – this band defined “energy”.  They played fan favorites such as “Planning A Prison Break,” “The Rival Cycle,” “The War Of All Against All,” “…Then I Defy You, Stars”, and “Broadcast Quality”. Their songs are long, so that was about all they could fit into their set. The good thing is, those songs alone were enough to make the set full of excitement and amusement. If you enjoy this band, than you will LOVE their live show. If you haven’t heard them, then go listen to their songs right away.

If this review was of any enjoyment to you, then find a way to see these bands on tour. There are many big tours this season and this should not be one to be passed by. You’ll get an array of music and 4 great bands to watch. Trust me.