On September 25, 2021, State Champs, Real Friends, Four Year Strong, Bearings and Just Friends brought pop punk back and live music to Revolution Live. Bearings was the perfect way to kick off the night. Singer Doug Cousins commanded the stage with an energy that was hard not to like. His impassioned vocals complemented the drums, bass, and guitar well. The crowd screamed out the words to two of their songs, one of which was "Eyes Closed", off 2018's "Blue in the Dark". Just Friends was up next. They brought relaxing but fun energy with their blend of funk punk. Singer Brianda Goyos León brought the sultry, sweet voice and some sexy vibes by shaking her butt and gyrating. They had a well-done upbeat number with some serious drumming from Ben Donlon.
The band thrives on crowd participation with asking for hands in the air and turning on cell phone flashlights. The crowd responded to both of these by turning on their own cell phone flashlights and putting their hands up. Singer Sam Kless also dedicated a song to all the single people out there: "I Wanna Love You", off 2018's "Nothing But Love". They also did a new acoustic song where, unfortunately, Kless was flat at first but did harmonize well with Goyos León. The further they got into the song, though, it was clear that, on his own, he wasn't particularly attention getting. Four Year Strong followed Just Friends. They had a new song where the only requirement from the crowd was to "bang your fucking head". The crowd was into them, screaming when they played songs they knew and when the band asked if anyone had new album "Brain Pain". Overall, the set was pulse pounding with Jake Massucco's drums reverberating in chests across the room. Dan O'Connor's vocals featured both screams and passion. The band had technical difficulties during the set and handled it like seasoned professionals, using that time to talk to the crowd. They did "Get Out of My Head" off of 2020's "Brain Pain" and the guitars translated well to the stage with the heaviness making you want to bang your head. It made one person in the crowd want to crowd surf. Next up was Real Friends. This was the first tour for them without former lead singer Dan Lambton. As such, it's definitely weird hearing someone else sing "Mess", "Get Better" and "Me First", songs that are surely incredibly personal to Lambton as at least two of them deal with his struggle with bipolar disorder and substance abuse. New vocalist Cody Mauro did well though and he never missed a note. He even got the crowd into it by extending the mic for them to sing several times, which they did. The band also had some of their new songs in the mix with "Storyteller". "Storyteller" continues the soul-bearing tradition of Real Friends with mournful guitar and lyrics like "You're indifferent/I've been wearing thin/Starved of apology/This hunger's crippling/I can hardly speak/Lips are trembling/So far in disrepair/You put me here...". This writer loves it when music makes her feel things and Real Friends does that so well. Mauro also brought the energy that was contradictory to said lyrics. It's more than welcome, though, and makes for a great show. Next, the stage darkened and a "Family Feud" intro played over the speakers. Minutes passed. Then lights went up and lead singer of State Champs, Derek DiScanio, bounded onto the risers set up on the stage. Flanked by guitarist Tyler Szalkowski, bassist Ryan Scott Graham and drummer Evan Ambrosio, the band launched into songs ranging from new single "Outta My Head" to "Criminal" to "Secrets" to covers of "Stitches" and "Chicago Is So Two Years Ago". Sadly, the sound wasn't great. This writer heard the drums and backing vocals well but couldn't hear DiScanio's vocals clearly, if at all. The bits this writer did hear, though, were very well-done. Like in "Outta My Head", DiScanio brought some fun energy to the upbeat song. He also asked the crowd to jump and they obliged along with a lot of crowd surfing. They didn't make the crowd wait a long time for the encore either where they played "All You Are Is History" and "Dead and Gone". Hilariously, NSYNC's "Bye Bye Bye" played over the speakers after the show ended. This show ignited a feeling of being alive and fulfilled for the first time since the pandemic started. Like this writer was exactly where she needed to be both personally and professionally. Pictures from this show are coming soon! Check us out on Facebook or Instagram to see them! Written by Hali Neal
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