THE TRAVELIN' SHOW - LIVE REVIEW
After a huge gain of loyal fans through the three well known tours Bamboozle, AP Tour, and Warped Tour, The Summer Set took opening bands The Downtown Fiction, ModSun, and Stereo Skyline out on a headlining endeavor that they called “The Travelin’ Show”. The tour began on October 18th and ended recently after over a month of stupendous shows. With the goal of creating an intimate show that fans will create a stronger connection between band members of fans in mind, The Summer Set took on a very successful headlining tour. Although the tour is now over, it was an incredible event and I encourage you to see each act that was a part of it. Austin Gibbs was unfortunately ill during the date of the tour I attended, however I have heard nothing but excellent reviews about his performance as well.
Making a grand entrance to the all time favorite "Pump It" by the Black Eyed Peas, The Downtown Fiction showed a crowd of unfamiliar faces that they were there to put on an awesome show from the very start. Singing most songs off their latest EP "Best I Never Had", The Downtown Fiction had crowd members
all around the gymnasium warmed up with their hands in the air during their entire set. With lead singer Cameron Leahy providing an insane stage presence filled with countless eye locks and hand holds to ensure that each fan in the audience was having an awesome time, it was nearly impossible to be less than ecstatic to watch this talented rock/pop band put on an outstanding performance. Effortlessly taking control of a crowd containing very few people who had heard of them previously, The Downtown Fiction did an excellent job of making sure to put on a flawless performance in order to suck in as many new fans as possible. Even with a few technical difficulties towards the end of their set, bassist David Pavluk was unphased as he nonchellantly communicated with those invoved in the difficulties to ensure that the problem would be fixed when it was time to proceed into the next song. After an outstanding set filled with nonstop dancing and fan girl shrieking, The Downtown Fiction ended with a song that everyone in the crowd seemed to know. This track is "I Just Wanna Run" and it was made very clear that it was the favorite from the crowd by the way they sang to every word as an instant reaction. Dancing around harder than before, because they clearly knew the song very well, left and right the crowd was going absolutely insane for this band that they had once been fooled to believe they had ever heard before. The Downtown Fiction put on a powerful performance that proved they are a force to be reckoned with when it comes to their genre in the music scene.
ModSun, along with his two man back-up band, took the stage next accompanied by two large lights resembling blunts as a prop behind them. With an enormous amount of energy and a party hard attitude from the get go, ModSun and crew brought out a while new light of energy into the crowd. Upon approaching the
stage, members of the tightly packed crowd were a little wary to see what was to come with the performance they were about to witness. However, this judgment was soon changed the moment the lights shut off, fog machines turned on, and the bass began bumping. Using hidden messages spreading love and peace with lyrics that come off as focused primarily on partying hard, the crowd instantly became attracted to the unique performer that is ModSun. A few songs deep into his set, when the crowd began to really get into him as their feet began to lift off the floor, ModSun took it to the next level by throwing himself into the crowd to continue his performance. Singing with a crowd all around him, ModSun won each individual over with his immeasurable amount of energy in perfect combination with his thirst to get everyone moving. As soon as this event occurred, there was not one teenager in the audience that was not enjoying the opportunity to watch such a unique performance. Making eye connections and high fives as he traveled back and forth around the stage, ModSun truly put on a performance that forced one to become a fan instantly. He takes his energy and converts it into happiness as it spills into the ears of each person watching his performance. When his set was coming to an end, ModSun called up Pat Brown, the singer of the recently broken up band Sing It Loud, as well as Rob Michelson, drummer for the next performing band Stereo Skyline, to create backup vocals along with sweet drum beats to end the performance on a very high note. Bringing them up instantly made the crowd go absolutely insane, and this continued until the moment that ModSun exited the stage. This was a performance that truly changed the way many think of music.
Jumping on stage with a perfect balance of energy and crowd interaction, Stereo Skyline, consisting of what appeared to be blonde quintuplets, proved to be a crowd favorite from the moment they hit the stage. Instantly gaining full attention from each individual inside of the gymnasium, Stereo Skyline performed many
of their hit songs off their latest album “Stuck on Repeat”, which indeed seemed to be the perfect album name by the amount of fans they had singing at the top of their lungs. With surprisingly more energy radiating off each audience member than previously, Stereo Skyline had the crowd wrapped around their fingers thanks to their enormous charm and heavily addicting music. It is nearly impossible to not get sucked into the performance that they put on, especially with guitarist Clayton Johnson and bassist Brian Maddox switching sides of the stage as if they have been touring for decades. Putting on a performance with the incredible stage presence that they have made it clearly obvious that they are a very dedicated and hard working band, not to mention one to look forward to in the very near future. With a perfect balance between fast and slow paced songs, lead singer Kevin Bard proved his talent while multitasking through singing, guitar playing, and creating an instant connection between a vast majority of individuals in the crowd. Rather than maintaining usual spots and sticking to playing music, each member of Stereo Skyline went over the top by using characteristics to keep fans on their toes. For example, Clayton moved from stage left to stage right making eye contact with fans and flashing them his signature smile that had everyone going crazy. With a stage presence that is not common with a band as little known as Stereo Skyline, they proved that themselves as a band that is one to look for in the future in terms of making it big in the music industry, bigger at least.
In a jaw dropping performance that nobody in the crowd will ever forget, The Summer Set made sure that the crowd left with a smile on their face after the feelings of intimacy and pure happiness that their set gave off. Coming onto stage performing "This Is How We Live", The Summer Set started with a feel good song that one
can't help but dance along to. An immediate chorus was heard as the crowd sang along to every word of every song, creating an amazing vibe that gave us all a sense of family as we watched the incredible peformance being put on before our eyes. The set continued as they played hit songs "Punch Drunk Love" and "Some Girls Freak Me Out" off their latest album "Love Like This", which are always crowd favorites. Dancing and singing along continued, it appeared as though everybody in the gymnasium was having the time of their lives. Slowing this down just a little bit, lead singer Brian Logandales began singing "Young" which is one of the strongest songs on the album. A guest appearance from The Cab's singer Alex DeLeon was made as he sang the most passionate lyrics of the song. Girls and boys left and right went crazy as he walked on stage and continued on as the song finished. It was a deluctant surprise that everyone enjoyed very much; it is impossible not to with the soothing voice he possesses. As the set continued, The Summer Set announced that they would be playing a song that they had never played live on a tour prior to this one. That song is called "Love Like This" and it does an outstanding job at depicting what their
latest album as a whole is all about. Keeping the surprises up for a few more songs, Brian let the crowd know that the following song is one that they would not be playing live ever again. During this song "She's Got The Rhythm", the crowd got crazier than it had been the entire night due to the simple fact that they knew it would be the last time ever hearing it life. An impressive amount of feedback was given to this song, and it is one that I know nobody will ever forget. With two songs left in their set, an immensely intimate performance was given next. All member of The Summer Set instructed the audience to form a large circle in the middle, much like a mosh pit, for the five piece band to play the next song in. The audience got down on the floor, sitting down so that each and every person would be able to feel exactly what they needed to. "Passanger Seat", the slowest but most powerful track on the album, was played during this time. With guitarist John Gomez giving an exquisite performance on a violin, microphones were not needed as Brian sang as loud as possible with the crowd providing the chorus behind him. It was truly the most amazing connection I have ever felt with a band in my life. As the song went on I witnessed a few things. Everybody was sitting down, legs crossed, eyes closed, just singing along to the beautiful melody that was being played so intimately
in front of them. Alex DeLeon blended in just perfectly with the rest of the crowd, in fact I mistook him for any ordinary person at first. This is because of the insanely powerful connection that existed in between each person that was inside the gymnasium. It was no longer a room full of bands and fans, we became united as one to sing together in this way that is not felt at any other concert. Words cannot describe the immense rush of emotions that pulsed through the veins of each individual; feelings that will be cherished for a life time. Once the intimate and emotional song took its course, we resumed our natural positions as The Summer Set played "Chelsea" to end an already incredible night. The way the crowd moved was much stronger than it had been previously in the night because each individual felt such a strong connection still. Putting on the absolute best performance possible, The Summer Set concluded The Travelin' Show making it a concert that will be cherished in the hearts of fans and bands alike. It was a blessing to witness a performance so powerful.