CONCERT REVIEW
More than 2300 students and music fans turned up on Sept. 30 to watch Jimmy Eat World rock University of Redlands’ Fall Fest. Held at the outdoor Greek Theater, the event featured a half dozen opening acts throughout the afternoon.
Midnight to Twelve, an average NuMetal group from Alabama that has toured with Joan Jett and Buckcherry, recalled Papa Roach and Evanescence at times. “King of Spain” had a Rage Against the Machine-styled sonic attack. They even segued one song into a snatch of Rage’s “Bulls on Parade.”
The Higher performed to an indifferent crowd. The Las Vegas pop/punk combo turned in an upbeat, thoroughly enjoyable set featuring several songs heard on its latest Epitaph Records release “On Fire.” Among the highlights were a dramatic “Our Movie Rules,” with Cure keyboard atmospherics, the brief “Histrionics,” danceable “Weapons Wired” and “Dark Pop” (a Justin Timberlake cover was appended to the latter tune).
Dropping Daylight went down well with the crowd. Hailing from Minneapolis, the band’s emocore songs (“Lucy,” “Brace Yourself”) were merely standard issue. “Apologies” did have a good melodic sense though.
As dusk approached, Jimmy Eat World got right down to business by opening the 65-minute, 16-song performance with current propulsive hit “Big Casino.” It was the first in a handful of tracks from upcoming CD “Chase the Light” that were previewed.
The dreamy, midtempo “Carry You” had frontman Jim Adkins on acoustic guitar and taped keyboards. Here, he sang the choked up lyrics, “I could never be the one that you want/Don’t ask.” Another new one, “Firefight,” was driven by the trademark frantic Jimmy Eat World sound.
Except for a couple comments (right before the concert’s end, Adkins looked at all the trees and exclaimed, “It’s great to be outside. In Arizona, you can’t go outside.”), the band basically let the music do the talking.
Their melodic alt-rock music packed quite a wallop. 2001’s self-titled platinum CD was well represented: “Get it Faster” (where Adkins and guitarist Tom Linton engaged in a great duel), an intense “Salt Sweat Sugar,” wailing “A Praise Chorus,” and the hits “Sweetness” and “The Middle.”
Plenty of selections from “Futures” made the set as well, notably the majestic “23,” insistent “Pain” and lurching title track. Fans danced around wildly and some young guys started a small mosh pit – sure signs that Jimmy Eat World is popular as ever.
