HOBOKEN, NJ-June 27, 2008: A day to remember! Not only was it my greatest friend Nicole’s 24th birthday, but it was also the day one of the greatest bands, ever, Weston, decided to take the stage and record a live album at Maxwell’s, right around the corner from us in Hoboken, NJ. My friends and I couldn’t have asked for a better way to celebrate with our dear Nicole (Happy birthday again, by the way)!
For those of you out there who’ve never attended a show at Maxwell’s, it’s great. The restaurant is packed with plenty of tables to enjoy a quick bite before hand, and a full-service bar on the far left side when you walk in, perfect for enjoying some quiet cocktails with friends before you go into a show. For us, my friends and I, this night was everything we’d hoped for. Great people, plenty of drinks and awesome, awesome music! While we were all gallivanting around the Maxwell’s bar in the restaurant, we suddenly noticed that the band was hanging out alongside of us as well. Of course, like a bunch of star-struck teenagers we swarmed them, saying hello, seeing if they’d remember us from the last show we were at: I know its lame, we must have looked like the biggest groupies in the world, but who cares? The Weston troupe may not be on the cover of every magazine like your average pop star these days, but to my friends and I, they’re it! They are the band to see. We grew up listening to them. In high school, in college, and still to this day, their music gets into our hearts and feeds our souls, it’s just so much fun to listen to, to dance to, to sing along to, to blast in the car on the way to work, to listen to at the gym, to, well, do anything to. The great thing about this band, in the midst of a time when a new pop-punk act is emerging out of the abyss every other fucking day with no good songs, singing about bullshit and just complaining about how their life sucks because their girlfriend just dumped them for some other dude, is that they have staying power. Weston is a band that kicked ass when I was a crazy teenager trying to figure out life, and they still kick ass today, now that I’m a crazy adult trying to figure out life. If you like them, really like them, you’ll be a fan forever.
So, as I said earlier, my friends and I? We were totally psyched to see them play and record a live record! And what a record it’s going to be! The band must have played the entire Got Beat Up album from years past, along with a slew of new songs that are equally amazing and still posses that signature sound. They’ve changed and progressed, but they haven’t lost or thrown away that thing that makes them who they are-they’ve still got that same old vibe and when you see them on stage, they’re just as good as ever!
I have to say, though, that I was a bit unprepared for the intensity of the night. The fans, packed like a can of sardines in the tiny back room of Maxwell’s, went crazy! I showed up in my little black dress and sandals which, in retrospect, was a bad idea. I never left the mosh pit once, I spilled beer all over myself, and everyone else for that matter (sorry), my toes were stepped on, I got hit in the face by a crowd surfer-it was madness! It seemed as though everyone was there for the same reason, to see their favorite band and to show their support as they recorded the show live! It’s almost a week later and I still have terrible bruises on my knees, cuts on my feet and am sore all over but it was so worth it!
In addition to playing a great show, nice as they are the band obliged and sang “Happy Birthday” to my friend Nicole-the whole crowd joined in as we all serenaded her at the top of our lungs, which made the night all the more special for her and for all of us, so thanks Weston! And, since I hung around like a groupie after the show, I was able to get myself a nice poster (which, by the way, are still available in limited quantity so check out the band’s MySpace page for details on how to snag one) and have it signed by all of the members, something I’ll cherish forever!
Maxwell’s was just one stop amongst many for the band, but it was by far the best, because New Jersey had the pleasure of being a part of the music they played that night forever, and I’m sure everyone that was there can’t wait to get their hands on a copy of the album when it comes out!
Weston will be playing various dates along the east coast throughout the summer. You can catch them on Aug. 23 at The Khyber in Philadelphia, PA. For more info visit myspace.com/westonrockspa
No comments:
Post a Comment