“Carina, I hit a little traffic, I’ll be there in a minute” *bloop*

“Dude, you’re so lying right now, we’re not even on Storrow” My friend Sean calls my lie out for what it is. I dart through the traffic on Storrow in classic Massachusetts fashion, executing vague lane discipline while speeding. Parking found, we rush to the venue, delayed further by 3 girls insisting they’re “on the list” despite 3 checks of the clipboard that proves to the contrary.

“Oh, and you have a pass”

Gold

The sweet strains of K-OS fill my ears as I blast through the merch and coat-check crowd to the main room of the Avalon. I’m so excited I can’t stand still. I make it in time to hear most of the songs (sadly without “Man I used to be”), which execute the trademark smooth rhythm and flow of K-OS. If you haven’t had a chance to check him out yet, I suggest you do so, as K-OS is classic beat-driven hip-hop at its best. I really wish I had made the intro, as the only thing that would have made the show better was more K-OS. As an added bonus, it’s like a turbocharged version of his album, hitting all the right notes and rocking the early crowd at this early show with his fine execution. Finishing out with the familiar “Crucial”, the man and his dreads exit the stage to much applause, impressive for the 1st of 4 bands. It’s all just started and it’s already worth it. A quick wait between sets, then the lights go down and some guy is suddenly yelling.

POS enters the stage with a roar, a wrecking ball of energy and emotion, intent on causing a commotion. The bass drops hard and POS starts spitting as hard as he can, catching the crowd completely unaware. I look over to Sean, take a sip of beer, and soak it all in. No one knows what to think of this guy suddenly all up in our face. Then the song breaks and crests, exhorting us then taking a rest. This is the rhythm of the rest of his set, as his cracked metal beats flow underneath the emotional outbursts of his rhymes. Everything is unexpected yet welcome, a disjointed course of destruction and fun. One minute he’s a metalhead screaming “YEAH RIGHT!”, the next a friendly guy challenging people to thumbwrestle him for merchandise and music (still unbeaten). He gets the crowd rocking on their feet, ready for the next in this marathon of fantastic live acts. Then with a scream and a shout, he was out.

Breathe, stop, wait, listen, we’re halfway through and we all just witnessed a madman. A beer from Sean later and we’re into RX Bandits and their mean brass section. Hard jam rock with a ska trombone twist is the only way I have to describe this unstoppable collective. From start to finish of the set, they didn’t stop rocking, full of energy and determined to take the crowd in with their enveloping sound. As I watched the battle of the fashionable hoodies and striped shirts play out in front of me, they blew their horn and wailed on their guitar. I liked them a lot, but they were hindered by a hip-hop tuned sound system that was turned up a little loud for them, making for a mildly muddy sound. Besides that, they really got it going onstage, moving the crowd and building on the energy K-OS and POS had thrown into the crowd. However, it was now time for the main show.

Now, I admit, I was skeptical about Gym Class Heroes, thinking they may be a fad band beloved by their MySpace hordes. Especially with the love/hate nature of the new album, I had a lot of doubts about their showmanship. I was wrong, so very, very wrong. Throwing down from the second they stepped onstage, it was a fantastic live experience. Travis brought it together with his crowd discussions, bringing everyone up and appreciating his fans as only a real artist can. It was a nice change from some other shows where the crowd response is expected and unappreciated. They all seemed genuinely happy to be there, and it shone through in their music. From the smooth rhymes and slick beats to the railing guitar, it all blew me away. While I may not have been the most impressed with the album, the live show was amazing, and worth it for even a sometime fan to enjoy. I’d wax more poetic, but really it must be experienced to explain the energy and soul that went into the Gym Class set, not to mention all the other acts.

In summation, go see this fucking tour. It just started, so you really don’t have an excuse. Every single artist gave it all for the fans, and did their best to make you dance and rock with them. That’s about all you can hope for in a show, so I hope you all take my advice.