Something Corporate, Yellowcard & Steriogram

This year, instead of shaved eyebrows and Exlax-filled baked goods, the Associated Students decided to treat the denizens of Chico, CA, to a healthy dose of hearing damage for April Fools’ Day. That’s right; they put on a massive pop-punk concert - one of the best this town has seen in the past few years - featuring the likes of Yellowcard and Something Corporate. Word around the campfire has it that their gigantic prank sold out, though when I showed up, it looked to me like they could have crammed a hundred more people in there to make it a true blue, shoulder-to-shoulder-with-a-couple-of-random-shirtless-hairy-guys punk rock show.
Opening up the evening (which started surprisingly early at 6 PM) was Steriogram. Given the tendency of opening acts to suck, I must say that I was very impressed with the group. It didn’t take long for them to get the crowd moving with their solid punk foundation and unusually quick vocal delivery that almost brought up mental comparisons to Ludacris (though it seemed clear that the band wasn’t trying to mix styles). By the end of their all-too-short set, the crowd was ready, waiting and basically frothing at the mouth in anticipation of the first headlining act of the night, Yellowcard.
Nowhere else in the world can you see a group of college kids get so excited over a violin solo and in very few places will you see a more energetic and entertaining live performance. The guitars were aggressive, the beats were fast, the sing-a-long choruses were plentiful and somehow in the middle of it all, Yellowcard managed to throw in a back-flipping violinist that rounded out their music effortlessly. Highlights of the set included, “Way Away,” “Back Home” and “Ocean Avenue,” during which the band’s talented frontman, Ryan Key, forgot some of the lyrics. As their show came to a close, a good feeling was left in the air while the moshers staggered out to the lobby and everyone else stood around trying to poke the ringing out of their ears.
After such an incredible performance by Yellowcard, I found myself wondering if Something Corporate’s slightly mellower, piano-infused approach to modern alternative rock was going have the same impact. That question was answered shortly as the band launched into their first song and the crowd broke into a massive combination of bouncing, flailing and moshing. Picking individual highlights of their amazing performance is difficult, but “Space,” “iF yoU C Jordan” and a cover of Outkast’s “Hey Ya” had the entire crowd singing along, and were among the night’s very best. Many thanks to the Associated Students for the best April Fools’ prank I’ve ever been a part of.
- Dana Hocking
- Photo by Alyssa Starkey

Bookmark:

Comments down for maintenance.