Tonight's performance kicked off with New Years Day from Anaheim, CA. Although this was my least favorite act of the night, they started things off right. The crowd was very accepting of the bands notable energy, but they were not very responsive to the songs themselves. I thought they were an appropriate fit for an opening act. The vocals were always on key, and they had a very dynamic stage presence. They rounded out the set with a danceable little number called "Temecula Sunrise" which was my personal favorite.

Following was Amber Pacific from Seattle, WA. Overlooking the Frat-boyesque appearance and out of touch intro, this band brought me to my feet. They were well equipped with every element a pop-punk act should have. They were amusing and energetic, and the songs were catchy as hell. This was one of the better acts of the night and their barefaced fondness of the Boston Red Sox made them a crowd favorite.

This evening's most surprising and satisfying act was none other than Hawthorne Heights. I've actually had the chance to see this band before, and let's just say, they weren't up to par that time. That wasn't the case this time. They exploded right into things. The band's lead vocalist, JT Woodruff sounded much better than the previous show that I had caught. The band's onstage chemistry and professionalism was so consistent. You can tell this band has been in the game for a good amount of time. These guys really turned the crowd on, and after revealing some brand new material, the crowd was untiring. After thirty-five minutes of radio hits, JT's mustache jokes, fancy guitar work, and some thrown undergarments, the band sealed the set with a high-powered track off of their upcoming album.

At last and surely not least was the night's headliner, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. A gold album, a top one-hundred hit from here to New Zealand, and 700,000+ records sold in the US alone, this band let me down a little. I'll admit though, Ronnie Winters' vocals were the best of the night, and despite my overall take of their performance, the crowd was absolutely infatuated with these guys. It was their guitarist Elias Reidy that got the crowd into a jumping bean frenzy before the first song. He hit them with the "who can cheer the loudest" game. They were full of energy, but I really started to tune in when they calmed things down. RJA's highlight of the set had to be Ronnie's solo performance of "Guardian Angel." Again, his vocals are what carries this band. These guys were so thankful though, that you couldn't help but feel appreciated with the natural gratefulness of them.

After a couple of in-crowd altercations and the bands last song notification, I called it a night. Overall the show was quite enjoyable. It was my first experience of Lupo's and I absolutely love this venue. The seats are great and very secluded, which is a plus at an all ages show, and their bathrooms are so damn clean!

| 11.10.2007 | Review by Matt Phillips |