We the Kings, Forever the Sickest Kids and The Cab, April 11, The Pageant, Saint Louis

We the Kings


Forever the Sickest Kids
The Cab

Forever the Sickest Kids on April 11th at The Pageant, Saint Louis

Plastic guns blazing, Forever the Sickest Kids took the stage.  They opened their set with an "old western" skit, behind them a cartoon  illustration of all members of FTSK riding horses in a 'shoot-em-up' scene.  It was a playful start to a powerful set.

Overall, FTSK sounded much cleaner than the last time I saw them at Pop's a few months ago.  Whether this was due to the actual sound in the venue or just playing tighter I am not sure.  The volume level was great, as it wasn't the kind of my-ears-are-bleeding-loud that has probably attributed to the partial loss of my hearing!

Lead vocalist Jonathan Cook's preferred thrashing movements on stage don't always agree with his corded microphone, luckily he had a roadie whose sole purpose was to un-tangle the mic.  They played fan favorites from both their first EP "Television Off, Party On" and their debut album "Underdog Alma Mater."  These included "Hey Brittany", "My Worst Nightmare", "The way she moves", "Breakdown", "Becky Starz", "Believe me I'm lying", "Whoa oh!", "She's a Lady" and "I don't know about you but I came to dance."  It was a decent length set, but I found myself saying "ahh already, they just started!" when they left the stage.  

FTSK drummer Kyle Burns, with his bleach blonde hair and Hannah Montana tee, was amusing to watch.  Because he plays by most standards, a smaller set, he is very visible on stage.  He drives the six piece group well though, intense and creative.  Do you remember Jim Henson's Muppets from Sesame Street? Burns reminds me of "Animal" the crazy monster drummer in the Muppets band, mostly in the way he moves and plays wildly.  But of course I mean this as a complement, after all, "Animal" was inspired by Keith Moon (famed drummer of The Who).

I am really looking forward to seeing the six guys again on Tuesday, May 19 at The Blue Note in Columbia, MO.  They will be playing with The White Tie Affair, The Audition, A Rocket to the Moon and Friday Night Boys.

In the two photos, lead vocalist Jonathan Cook is mobbed by young fans with requests to put his John Hancock on anything from Vans slip on shoes to ticket stubs from the show.  

The Cab on April 11th at The Pageant, Saint Louis

I had a minor panic attack on the way to The Pageant on Saturday, a few things stood in the way of getting inside in time to see the openers:  a traffic jam and a friend without a ticket to a sold-out show.  The traffic, finally allowed us to dodge enough 13 year old girls to park and the friend ended up paying $50 to a scalper for a ticket.  But, I would argue that the show was worth every penny spent.

We got inside just in time for The Cab to hit the stage.    Alex Deleon (lead vocals) oozed vocal confidence, fully utilizing his wide range.  His voice brings to mind Justin Timberlake's off his album "FutureSexLoveSound."  He sounded fresh, despite the Cab's recent tour heavy schedule. Right now they are on the Wonka Candy Bamboozle tour.  Their set was filled with most of the fan favorites off their only album to date (Whisper War) including "That 70's Song", "Bounce" and several others.  They somewhat surprized me when they played "Disturbia", the recent song made famous by Rhianna that they recorded for the new Pop Goes Punk album.  "It's time to get a little bit creepy,"  said Deleon before tackling the song.  It was fun, and the song still held its dark pop feel.  Without guitarists' skillful Ian Crawford's additions however, the song wouldn't have felt like The Cab's own interpretation. Crawford's soloing glistened as a high point in the set as he seemed to channel a Hendrix/Clapton/Mayer-esce energy when he stepped forward onto the higher end of the stage.  The Cab got the crowd in the right mood for the rest of the bands, Deleon urging them on the whole way "Are you ready to dance, this song, its called That 70's Song!" 

This picture of Ian Crawford and me (thanks Louis!) was taken after the show.  I was amazed at how he seems much larger on stage with a guitar - but he has a huge personality and was a really nice guy.  He was taking time to talk to everyone and even asked me what my blog address was cause he said he wanted to take a look...too bad I was so starstruck I almost blanked on what my web URL was!

More posts (and photos!) to come about the Forever the Sickest Kids and We the Kings performances!