Carting my cousin - a concert virgin - through the intimate setting of the Element Nightclub, located on the street corner that is downtown Kitchener, I softly sang any All Time Low song that popped into my head, despite the opening band's musical pleas to grab my attention. Brighter, the opening act, is headed by MuchMusic VJ Jesse Giddings. They left me satisfied, yet anxious to see the headliners. I don't really have much else to say about them. They did not stand out to me, but they weren't horrific. The only word that comes to mind when describing them is acceptable.
Next was We Are the In Crowd who, yet again, left me to describe them as average. The female vocalist, whose name I later learned is Amanda Hibbs, has a truly amazing voice, but it is strikingly similar to the voice of Demi Lovato. They spoke to the audience candidly, a quality I truly admire in bands, and pushed their CD just the right amount. Others around me seemed to be pretty impressed with their set. Admittedly, I had never heard of the band before that night, so I can't really comment on much.
Mayday Parade was the third of four bands to take the stage, and I was rather impressed with their set. The music was good, the band was personable, the crowd was pleased. Realistically, at a small venue of a few hundred people crammed together in a desperate attempt to get as close to the stage as possible, that's all an artist or band can hope for. Although I had a few songs of theirs on my iPod, I went home, slept, woke up and added to my song list.
Finally, All Time Low, as usual, sent the mostly feminine crowd into a fit of hysteria when taking the stage. They entertained with jokes and proved that they, unlike many other artists of late, are not auto-tuned in the slightest. Though I already knew that from the many Toronto shows I've seen them play, the many Kitchener attendees in my personal space breathed a sigh of relief. Despite being obviously under the influence of alcohol, the band delivered a solid performance, striking the intricate balance of playing enough songs from every record. Alex, the lead singer, accepted a love note from a fan between songs, guitarist Jack told stories of his Call of Duty skills and walked around demonstrating them, and the crowd appreciated the impromptu comedy and the music itself. All bias aside, they do put on a good show. Despite being kicked in the face and later landed on by crowd surfers, my cousin, who likes the band but not to the extent that I do, my cousin still tells stories of the night we spent watching All Time Low in Kitchener. We still quote the band and sing their songs, and both of us saved our concert tickets.
The only downside I can truly articulate was the fact that I did have to drive out to Kitchener to see them. The tour, entitled Gimme Summer Ya Love, crossed Canada, but didn't stop in Toronto, citing that the band has played several shows in Toronto already and would be at MuchMusic in Toronto on August 8th. Though this may be true based on the fact that this show marked the third time I've been to a concert in which All Time Low played, I hold the belief that Torontonians should not be punished for living in a densely populated city. The Gimme Summer Ya Love lineup has never appeared in Toronto, and I think that more people should've been given the opportunity to see what I did. Not everyone has the opportunity to take the trip to Kitchener, London, Ottawa or Montreal like I did. And MuchMusic's New Music Live, which hosted the band on August 8th, doesn't provide a concert setting as much as it does an interview setting.
Nonetheless, an All Time Low concert is truly a unique experience, one I'm happy I had the opportunity to attend, and one my cousin was happy she didn't miss.