We showed up early enough to see all three opening acts before catching the YellowCard show. Also - I don't know why the show was said to be outside at the Masquerade Music Park, we were indoors enjoying air conditioning the entire time.
First up were some Canadian rockers calling themselves Hedley. As Brendon pointed out before, Canadians are in fact welcome in Georgia. Hedley was a lot of fun to watch - the lead singer kept chasing his bandmates around the stage, doing evil things to them like slapping them on the back of the heads and using them as springboards so he could jump higher. Great sound and we will probably be hearing one of their tunes on the radio soon.
Next up came Rock Kills Kid. I think this was actually Kim's favorite band of the night. She thought the lead singer was hot and she was much more into their more melodious sound - especially when compared to the next act. Rock Kills Kid is coming to the Roxy in August and I think Kim and I might look into actually paying for whatever show that is.
Following Rock Kills Kid was Matchbook Romance. I'd never heard of them but they had a huge following among the teeny-bopper crowd. These guys took 30 minutes to set up all their equipment and then rocked really hard. You could barely understand what the lead singer was saying from where Kim and I were hanging out, but they jumped around a lot and gave it their all. They were fun to watch, but when YellowCard came out, everyone else was blown away
YellowCard's act was amazing! Super-high energy and amazing music pouring through the Masquerade. I loved what I saw of their show and only wish I could have heard more.
So what did I learn at this show? I learned that Kim and I are old! First of all, we were both yawning between acts b/c we were tired. Then we had to leave early so we could get up for work on time the next day. LAME!! I was impressed with two things: 1) how few of the kids there were smoking. I'm used to seeing a lot more of that in these types of shows. 2) How willing parents are to give their kids expensive automobiles to drive to the middle of downtown Atlanta. I'm not saying I was nervous to park or walk on North Avenue, but in the parking lot I saw more than one brand new BMW, an Audi TT convertible, and a Bentley. Come on - a Bentley!?!
Show was fun - had a great time. You should go if you get a chance.