I had been counting down for weeks until the Bamboozle Roadshow at the Molson Amphitheatre, and it was worth the wait. What a show. Performers included Drive-A, Third Eye Blind, LMFAO, Good Charlotte and some of my favourite bands - Boys Like Girls, All Time Low, and Forever the Sickest Kids. I brought along a friend who had never been to a concert before, and told her that these bands know how to put on a good show. She later told me that what I said was the understatement of the year.
Drive-A, to be honest, was probably the weakest of the performers. They tried to get the crowd going, but no one really played along with their show. I felt bad, but a combination of the bad acoustics (they were the opening band, after all), the smaller audience, and being relatively unknown got the best of them.
Next was Forever the Sickest Kids. Their music is always much more upbeat for an alternative band, which was positively received from the growing crowd. Teenage girls everywhere screamed and shrieked at the sight of the drummer, Kyle, who is actually rather attractive. But, the band was much better at getting the audience involved, and my friend much preferred their set to the first.
LMFAO came out shortly after Forever the Sickest Kids. They kept it high-energy, referring to the crowd as "party people" and 'my babies, babies". They literally did what they set out to do, turning the night into a party. Most of the audience was up, out of their seats, dancing and singing along with the band. They made everyone laugh when one of the members picked out an audience member and said "you remind me of my ex-girlfriend, because you look like a ho!" All in good-natured fun, the audience member wasn't offended and accepted the DJ's wink as a form of teasing.
Following them was Good Charlotte. To be honest, I didn't expect much out of this band. They've been around a while, and recently they made their sound much more "pop" than I would have liked. However, having gone to a concert where they played and skipping their act to meet John O'Callaghan from The Maine (which I do not regret), curiosity got the best of me and we stayed instead of going to buy our All Time Low t-shirts (I already have a Boys Like Girls one). They actually do put on a good show, and they seemed very kind and truly grateful for all of their fans. I, not particularly a GC fan, was impressed and felt somewhat of a connection to the show.
Third Eye Blind was next, and they were considered "the veterans" of the show. Having made quite the name for themselves over their many years of touring and making music, I had high expectations, which they met and exceeded. It was almost calming to watch them, and the rowdy crowd relaxed for their set and really took in the music. The audience was pleasantly surprised when Alex, the lead singer of All Time Low, came out and sang with the band. They were truly inspiring and talked about everyone on the show "coming together as one", and closing their set with a "thank you everyone for supporting us for all these years, we couldn't have done it without you. Goodnight and God bless."
After the now-large audience screamed "ALL TIME LOW" for a good 15 minutes, the band finally took to the stage. My throat seriously hurting from all the screaming, I found it in me to scream for a band that really picks me up when I'm down. Alex came out and, after singing "Damned if I Do Ya" admitted he was "beyond wasted", and it showed when he said things like "the only thing I'd rather be doing right now than playing this show is having sex with a burrito" and "do we have time for me to tie my shoe?" But, this added to the energy of the show, with him encouraging the audience to pelvic thrust and chant with him, as a way of opening "Dear Maria, Count Me In". Then he did something really pleased the crowd. Getting the okay from security, he invited everyone in the stands to come down to the floor and help him "make it a real rock show". People, myself included, were hoping over banisters just to join the party. They performed really well, and sounded almost identical to the CD.
Finally, the act I'd already seen twice but was anticipating the most came, and Boys Like Girls to the stage, starting their set with "Love Drunk". Having outsmarted security, who was telling everyone with a seat to return to it, my friend and I stood 10 feet from the stage, our seats forgotten. I have met the band, and a very large part of me hoped Martin would remember me, because he seemed to have taken a particular liking to me at the Meet and Greet I got lucky and snuck into last November (I seem to get really lucky when Boys Like Girls comes to town). From what I could tell, he did. Making eye contact with me a lot more than once and keeping his gaze on me, he winked at me and looked over at Paul. He sang most of "Two is Better Than One" looking at me, and I could've died. There's not words to describe how good Boys Like Girls is live, and they bring the audience with them on their journey through the emotions of each song.
Overall, I was so excited to have gone to such an amazing concert, and experienced an atmosphere that fun that really was all about the music. It was definitely worth the $50 I paid for my seat, and I recommend it to anyone who likes even one of these bands. It was definitely an experience I'll never forget.