When I arrived at Axis for the Hawthorne Heights show on Friday evening, I was greeted by a Snapple rep carrying an appetizer tray full of little cups of Snapple White Tea. And then another. And then another. The tea was flowing like cocktail weenies ¾ and about as refreshing. But I’m not complaining, because three Snapple caps got you into the show for free. (And P.S., they’ll be doing it again next Wednesday when WFNX and Snapple sponsor a Yellowcard/Matchbook Romance show.)
A telling series of events on either the fans’ age or their musical priorities: during the pre-show music, there was a loud singalong to Fall Out Boy’s "Number One With a Bullet" as well as Taking Back Sunday’s "MakeDamnSure." Yet Weezer’s "Say It Ain’t So" (one of the best singalong songs of all time) was conspicuously unsungalong to.
Soon, amidst the Snapplers and their appetizer trays, the free towels and Snapple T-shirts, Hit the Lights took the stage. They played an energetic set, with a sound reminiscent of the Ataris or New Found Glory, which, at this point, is essentially a throwback to the olden days of emotional pop punk. Halifax followed, a California band with a touch of metal and a bit more balls than your standard nü-emo blend of Cute Is What We Aim For, Panic! at the Disco, and Fall Out Boy. Halifax’s lead singer summed up the crowd when he asked, "How many guys are getting toasted at the bar tonight?" and realized disappointedly after a pause, "One guy." Indeed, the crowd consisted mostly of teenage boys and girls, roughly fifty percent of each. Apparently teenage romantic angst is gender neutral.
It might have been because my girlfriend left me to brave the weather and the show alone, allowing me to stew in my angst, but Hawthorne Heights delivered. They were into it, the kids were into it, heck, even the parents were into it. Which still surprises me, what with the Heights’ metal stutter crunches and occasional throaty screams. The thing that surprised me the most, though, was how buoyant the band was between songs. The guitarist told of his "first poncho experience" because of the rain that day and lead singer JT Woodruff repeatedly thanked the audience. After the last song, "Ohio is For Lovers" (which has lyrics like, "So cut my wrists and black my eyes/So I can fall asleep tonight, or die"), Woodruff thanked the audience again and happily and earnestly told us to "Have a pleasant evening." And, unexpectedly, a pleasant evening it was.
