Jimmy Eat World with David Bazan
Tuesday, February 8 at The National
My bucket list of “bands to see before I die” seems to be thinning out. There was a time in college when I felt that I would never see some of my favorite artists. Stupid reasons like having no one to go with, or missing class. Or the band breaking up. There are always those bands you don’t expect to see for the reasons listed above, but by some stroke of fate, luck or what-have-you, an unexpected second chance falls in your lap. Now, within three months time, I have been able to scratch two off. Nothing short of a dream come true.
Jimmy Eat World with David Bazan
Tuesday, February 8 at The National
My bucket list of “bands to see before I die” seems to be thinning out. There was a time in college when I felt that I would never see some of my favorite artists. Stupid reasons like having no one to go with, or missing class. Or the band breaking up. There are always those bands you don’t expect to see for the reasons listed above, but by some stroke of fate, luck or what-have-you, an unexpected second chance falls in your lap. Now, within three months time, I have been able to scratch two off. Nothing short of a dream come true.
On Tuesday, February 8th, I was able to knock another off my list. For a decade, I’d wanted to see Jimmy Eat World, and it seemed like something always happened to prevent me from getting to their show. Then I found out they were going to be playing in Virginia. In the city I live in. Just over a mile away. Holy shit! I’d heard from friends in the past how good their live show is. Read articles about them as a band and how they as people, not just musicians, are humble and tend to be the guys that could be living right across the street. This normalizes the whole “star” aspect, for underneath it all they really are just somebody’s neighbors. Guys just playing because they like to play and they love music, which shows during a live performance. Hearing they are an excellent live act tended to only spark a bit a jealousy on my part. Selfish me, right?
The show at the National totally lived up to the hype. What I first noticed was the eclectic group of people attending their show. Youngest: 9 or 10, Oldest: 50. People from all different walks of life coming to experience what may be their only common denominator: Jimmy Eat World. Jim Atkins (singer) showed an honest side between songs. He spoke to the crowd about walking around that day and coming upon Strange Matter, which once upon a time was known as Twisters, the name he recognized from playing years before. Atkins remembered spending his 22nd birthday playing there to a great audience. I find this to be just another plus about the band. Something as simple as sharing a birthday story about a familiar bar in the city I live in and love.
Regarding their set, I would have enjoyed hearing more of the old songs. Honestly, I’m not a big fan of the new disc. Take me back to the times of “Lucky Denver Mint” and “If You Don’t, Don’t” and I’ll be as happy as a pig in shit. Atkins and company did that, don’t get me wrong, but on a much smaller scale than I wanted them to. That being said, the best song of the evening was “Hear You Me.” A crowd favorite, “Hear You Me” is a song every person can relate to on some level. I was a senior in college when my grandmother died, and upon hearing she was gone I played this song and cried. I cried at how spot-on Atkins’ lyrics were, how forgiving his voice was, and how he was able to verbalize exactly what I was feeling. I’m indebted to him for that.
Roaming around The National, I noticed there were more people in attendance than I had anticipated. It seemed Jimmy Eat World was evoking the same feelings for others as it did for me. Then I thought about all of the people who were standing in the same venue as myself, getting the same natural high from seeing live music. How endearing it is to know that one band, a handful of musicians, actually play for the simple fact that they love playing music. People all around were bobbing their heads and wearing the same smile as me. I thought about that and laughed. Laughed at how I never thought I would be seeing this band live. And yet, here I am now. A decade of waiting, well worth it. Cheers Jimmy Eat World, see you next time.
Words by Stephanie Childress
Images by Brian Sterowski
NOTE: This review is posted so many weeks after the fact because the members of the RVA staff who were originally scheduled to attend this show didn’t have the opportunity to do so due to a mixup. This unsolicited review was submitted a couple of weeks after the fact, though, and we decided to go ahead and run it. Thanks to Stephanie and Brian for their contributions, and my apologies to the writer and photographer who didn’t end up getting to go to this show.–Andrew
