EastScene

January 16th, 2010: 5 up and coming bands were on their way to Poughkeepsie, New York, to rock the stage on a short–but sweet–tour. The Who’s Driving? tour consisted of Ian Walsh, Sparks The Rescue, The Summer Set, The Audition, and headliners Every Avenue. Most of the bands have hardly gotten their name out there, suggesting a small crowd of loyal followers, who definitely made up a majority of the crowd, but it was still anything but small.

5:30 and doors open, the huge line of people gladly make their way into the venue and out of the cold New York winter. Upon entering it was clear that the venue would soon be packed, and the energy coming from everyone was remarkable. Ian Walsh and his band, the Sober Riots, were the first to grace the stage at The Chance. Ian Walsh, once a solo artist, and band member Wiley Esten, sang multiple songs from Ian’s two albums, Please Remember and Seeing Stars. The guys rocked the stage and definitely set the mood for the rest of the night.

Member of the Fearless Records family, Sparks The Rescue, came next. Anyone who loves All Time Low’s live shows would love Sparks’ as well. Lead singer Alex Roy sang songs, such as “Skeleton”, off of their album Eyes To The Sun. The energy of the crowd only heightened as Sparks’ played. The crowd and the band alike were extremely pleased with what went down. After leaving the stage, the very personable members worked their way through the crowd selling CD’s and chatting it up with anyone who’d share a word. Really rad dudes, for sure.

Completely out of their element of the scorching sun and sandy lawns, Arizona’s The Summer Set bared the cold for this show and rocked it out right after Sparks the Rescue. The Summer Se opened with “Punch-Drunk Love” off of their first full length album, Love Like This. Most the crowd knew all the words and the some what inappropriate and humorous antics of the band made for a great environment. The band continued to plays new songs and also a few off of their first ever EP, such as “She’s Got the Rhythm.” TSS’s set was some what short, but 100% pleasing.

The Audition graced the stage next. The crowd, which included All Time Low’s Vinny Vegas and Glamour Kill’s Marky, were thrilled in anticipation of the upcoming set. Vinny tweeted that he “love[s] the audition” and I’m sure any who saw their set would have to agree. Front-man, Danny Stevens, was clearly intoxicated, which only made the show better. Not only was the band hilarious, but they played their music fantastically. The dancing and stumbling to “Warm Me Up” not only got the crowd off their feet, but made them scream the lyrics as well. To conclude their set, a celebratory birthday shot was toasted to Vinny Vegas as the whole venue chanted.

Sparks the Rescue label mates and headliners Every Avenue were finally up. The band came on with great spirits and it only got better. Between playings songs off of their newest album, “Picture Perfect”, lead singer David Strauchman took the liberty of crowd surfing. Soon enough, other fans followed suit. Even though alcohol was clearly in the band’s system set went great. John Gorham, whom also graced the stage during The Audition’s set, made everything much more interesting. Donning green “Get Low” booty shorts and no shirt, he did his fair share of dancing and joke making.

By the end of concert, every band was joining Every Avenue on stage. It was clear that they all really enjoyed being on tour with one another. As always, the bands all hung around afterward, chatting it up with fans and taking plenty of pictures. The venue closed earlier than anyone would have liked, meaning the crowd made their outside and suffered the cold for some face time. A small celebration took place outside the venue to celebrate Ian Walsh and Jesse Devine’s upcoming birthdays, cake fight included. All in all, the concert was a great success. It’s highly recommended to see any of these bands on their upcoming tours.

Sparks The Rescue- The Revolution and Resolutions Tour, Warped Tour 2010

The Summer Set- The 2010 AP Tour, Warped Tour 2010

The Audition- The Revolution and Resolutions Tour

Every Avenue- The 2010 AP Tour