Last Monday, Cat’s Cradle hosted punk rock heroes Saves The Day along with opening acts Into It. Over It. and Hostage Calm. With its dynamic performances, all three acts were engaging to watch and filled the room with sweet beats.
Openers Hostage Calm started promptly at 7 p.m. to a crowd of no more than forty people. Despite the small audience, the band’s high-energy performance served to hype everyone who was listening. Though not especially innovative, their sound — a great balance between hardcore and catchy — made for an extremely entertaining set.
The second act, Into It. Over It., kept up with the show’s punk theme and was equally crowd-pleasing. With a more mellow sound, vocalist Evan Weiss and his visibly chummy touring band gave a charming and intimate performance that brought warmth into the drafty concert hall.
Once it was time for Saves The Day’s set, the now packed venue exploded into hoots and hollers. Veteran lead singer Chris Conley received numerous “We love you’s” as he took the stage. The crowd was as impassioned as it gets and as soon as the headliners started, so did the pushing and shoving. The band even commented on the ferocity of the elbow action going on in the audience.
The tour was intended to promote its recently released self-titled album, but they only played few new songs as part of their thirty song set. Its heavier older hits inspired even more rough behavior, but the seasoned performers didn’t bat an eye at the few crazies that were attempting to crowd dive.
Although it was my first time seeing Saves The Day, I think it’s safe to make the assumption that Conley hasn’t lost his touch over his twenty year career. The band’s classic melodies and addicting hooks were just as effective live. Their gracious performance, best described as good-old, had the crowd captivated until the very end.
— Natalie Carney
To get the day's news and headlines in your inbox each morning, sign up for our email newsletters.
