School House Rock
The Starting Line / Motion City Soundtrack
LaSalle University
04.17.04
The price of stardom can be a profound and heavy one.
Bands are easily caught in the fast coming success of
today’s industry. It is displeasing when a band
loses sense of what got them where they are; and for
as many bands that take this problematic and troubled
path, there are those few who stay on course. They give
back to the fans and proudly rock out at the places
they call home.
Pennsylvania based The
Starting Line are one of those bands who
have not forgotten their pedigree. Through their success
they have managed to keep themselves grounded. On Saturday,
April 17th, The Starting Line took a trip from Asbury
Park, New Jersey, where they were playing the annual
Skate and Surf Festival, to a small, cozy Christian
Brothers university in Philadelphia. Along for the ride
were good friends Motion
City Soundtrack.
This concert was unique as it was a private show for
only 400 LaSalle University students (although it seemed
to only reach 200 students). Tickets were free and were
on a first come first serve basis. Set up in a small
auditorium with a low-rise stage, the show was remarkably
warm and intimate. With the rising popularity of The
Starting Line, their local Philadelphia shows have become
regular sold out events, and the students of LaSalle
were fortunate to view The Starting Line in such an
informal milieu.
The show opened with Motion City Soundtrack taking the
stage and ripping into an energized set list with songs
primarily from their Epitaph album, I Am the Movie.
The Moog-infused power rock of their songs made for
an ideal opening act to jump-start the evening. The
eccentric time changes and quirky lyrics delighted the
small crowd. A muted aspect however, was a sound guy
that spent more time checking his cell phone than saving
the crowds ears. He had absolutely no clue that having
the drum volume cranked so loud could cause permanent
ear damage. He even managed to block out the entire
drum monitor at one point so drummer Tony Thaxton couldn’t
hear a damn thing. To Tony’s credit, he didn’t
miss a beat. Despite our quality sound man, the band
managed to work around him, and made a fantastic start
to the night. After Motion City Soundtrack delighted
the crowd, it was time for the hometown boys to charm
LaSalle.
After about fifteen minutes, The Starting Line took
the stage and opened with the sore-to-the-touch “Cheek
to Cheek,” a track the band has rarely played
live during their past Philly shows. From there, The
Starting Line played a host of songs from their full
length Say It Like You Mean It with little
down time in between. One thing you can never knock
The Starting Line for is lack of energy and emotion
of their live set and this show was no different. Bassist
and lead singer Kenny Vasoli led the bedlam on stage
with his high-energy expressionism. As they continued
to play, the crowd seemed to get more animated and enthusiastic.
The Starting Line also played a few new songs, which
added a nice change of pace. One of my only moans is
that they have been milking Say It Like You Mean
It since its release. They have so much material
that was never released that I wish they would incorporate
into their live shows a little more. It was definitely
a delight to hear a few new songs. The Starting Line
performed their songs with heightened competence and
sounded really tight-knit while the set flowed together
extremely well. They are without a doubt, progressing
musically as a band. I also noticed the particular enhancement
in the drumming of Tom Gryskiewicz. I used to think
he was a step behind at times, but he has really improved
and advanced his timing and sounded exceptionally proficient
behind the kit.
When bands like The Starting Line play small, private
shows like this, to me, it is something special. It
shows that some bands are still willing to do the little
things to make their fans feel distinctive and unique.
I can honestly look at them and know deep down, it doesn’t
matter if they play in front of ten people or 10,000.
In a music industry where more and more labels and bands
have their noses in the air, it is nice to know there
are still some good guys around; especially that quartet
from Pennsylvania known as The Starting Line.
Reviewed by
David Walter
April 30th, 2004
[Special thanks to Michelle Miller and LaSalle University
for welcoming us]
Photo Scrapbook:
  
All photos © Copyright 2004 Sound the Sirens
Magazine.
Use of photos without the consent of Sound the Sirens
Magazine and David Walter is prohibited.
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