I originally posted this as a note on my personal facebook (no I will not link you to it), but I wanted you all to read it, so here it is. This is a little less orthodox of a review than I typically post (it’s not exactly a review, more of a reflection I suppose). I hope you enjoy reading it. And please, do yourself a favor and check out all of these bands if you haven’t already.

So here is my (somewhat mushy) reflection on a truly amazing concert, copied and pasted from my facebook:

Last night (9/24/11), I went to Euro Gyro in Kent [Ohio] for a concert. It didn’t look all that special from the outside, and to be honest even when I went inside, it didn’t seem all that great. After all, it was basically a pizza/gyro place with a stage and PA. There were no fancy lights or smoke machines, and the tables used to sell merch were the same ones that people would sit at to eat pizza on other nights. 

And yet, it was a really fun show. The bands- Hit the Ground Running (local), Aristo (Cincinatti), Exit Cleveland (local), A Hero’s Fate (Florida), and Call it Fiction (local)- were all amazing. They’re hard-working, talented bands that know what they’re doing and know how to put on a show. It’s not where you are that’s important, it’s who you’re with, and the music you’re playing, and this was definitely proof of that.

I interviewed A Hero’s Fate before the show, and it’s always awesome when bands seem just as excited to be interviewed as I am to interview them. While I am a journalist I don’t see myself as separate from or above the bands/musicians in any way. I see music as a community in which bands, fans, and “industry kids” (for lack of a better word, the kids like myself hoping to make it on the industry side of music) all work (and party) together to keep this scene alive… and have fun (because in the end, isn’t that what we all want?).

It was my fourth time seeing Hit the Ground Running; they’re young but I enjoyed their set and their humor. It was a fun way to start off the show. Aristo played next and I loved their pop-rock sound; it was smooth and glossy yet definitely had a rough edge, and they’re definitely not stuck in the past: it was the type of music that seemed totally and 100% like it belongs in 2011. It’s very contemporary, which is awesome. I didn’t get to watch Exit Cleveland, since I was interviewing Aristo outside, but I did hear their set, and it sounded pretty good! A Hero’s Fate played next and while I expected a good pop-punk set, they really blew me away: their set was totally solid and absolutely amazing. Call it Fiction closed the show; it was my fifth time seeing them and I’d see them five more times. They put on an absolutely insane show that didn’t need the bells and whistles that you might see at a bigger show (not that those don’t help, but in the end, it’s the people on stage- not the things, however flashy, shiny, or showy they may be- that make it what it is). They definitely have some elements of classic pop-punk, but their sound is new and exciting in its own right. 

The night finished off with a blink-182 cover set. This was a lot of fun because it was totally interactive: their was no line between band and fan, because everyone was their together. I lost count of how many people (including me) piled on the microphone to sing along (perhaps somewhat off-key, but does that even matter?) to “Dammit”, “All the Small Things”, “What’s My Age Again?”, “The Rock Show”, “First Date”, and “Stay Together for the Kids”. I think I was the only girl that actually got up on stage for this, but if anything that felt more awesome. It was sweaty, gross, and loud. It was somewhat dangerous, too: I got hit by flying bodies a few times and feared for the life of my camera. 

It was so much fun because it felt like how music should be and what concerts should be like. There was nothing artificial about it; it was 100% real. And it was such a community too: the bands were singing along and moshing to each other’s songs, and the fans were rocking out even to the bands that they hadn’t seen before.

To all of the bands that played: You were amazing. I love all of you. Keep doing what you’re doing. I have faith that you will all be successful, and if there is ever anything you need help with, please don’t hesitate to ask. I know everyone always says that Cleveland is “all metal” (and okay… we weren’t in Cleveland… but still…), but last night to me was proof that there is a damn good pop-punk scene here. Thank you. Thank you for keeping this music alive.

To all of the fans at the show: We are the reason that shows like this happen… a room full of rather sweaty people screaming their lungs out to these songs that we all love. Thank you for being there and singing along. I always love to stand in front and sing along (sometimes I have to be careful of my expensive camera when the moshing gets crazy, but I’m not a killjoy that just stands there) and it’s a bummer when nobody else seems to get into it the way I do. So last night was awesome becauseeveryone seemed to have a blast.