With temperatures considerably lower than the previous week, kids ran through piles of snow in T-shirts trying to get into The Rave last Saturday night. The San Diego quartet, (+44), had arrived in Milwaukee after a cancelled performance due to drummer, Travis Barker, injuring his right arm. The audience was going to have plenty of time for anticipation as the band was not scheduled to take the stage until 11 p.m. (+44) has burst on the scene with their Nov. 14 release, When Your Heart Stops Beating, which debuted in the Top 10 on the Billboard charts. In an interview, Rock 102.1 radio personality Stamos thought that “many kids probably aren’t even sure who (+44) even is.”
That statement couldn’t have been more wrong. The crowd was standing room only by 9:30 p.m. when The Living End prepared to hit the stage. The Australian trio kept up the momentum before asking if the audience was ready to hear (+44), which was met with a thunderous sound. The crowd was getting restless as audience members began pushing their way to the front well before (+44) was scheduled to appear.
The band took the stage approximately 10 minutes early to the delight of everyone in the room, many of whom had been looking forward to this concert for over two years since the last time bassist, Mark Hoppus, and Barker performed with Blink-182 in Milwaukee at Summerfest in June 2004.
As soon as (+44) hit the stage, they kicked right into the first song on their CD, “Lycanthrope,” an upbeat song that started an enormous mosh pit, crowd surfing and utter pandemonium. Mark Hoppus, bassist/lead vocals, grinned at the crowd while Barker pounded as hard as he could on his drum kit with his left arm, holding his right hand high in the air. A recent injury to his arm not only postponed part of the tour, but left Barker to play only with one arm.
The group then kicked into “Baby, Come On,” a slower song with a rock edge that slowed the crowd down just enough before the chorus, when people began to literally roll on top of the crowd. When the group played current radio single and title track, “When Your Heart Stops Beating,” audience members were flying over three or four heads at a time until reaching the very front, only to be pulled to safety by security which ushered them to the back. The slower jam “Little Death” and upbeat “155″ allowed the crowd a chance to recompose itself.
Many of the songs on When Your Heart Stops Beating, including “Cliffdiving,” “Weatherman” and the love song “Make You Smile,” aren’t the upbeat songs fans are used to. The audience didn’t seem to mind, however; this allowed for some sort of control during the show. Hoppus even looked to the side at one point to mouth, “That was rad!”
The song most fans were anticipating was “No, It Isn’t,” a song that directly acknowledges the split of Blink-182. Shouts of “[Expletive deleted] Tom!” could be heard during the entire introduction, which was welcomed by Barker lighting a cigarette with his right hand, playing drums with the left and acknowledging what the whole crowd was thinking: (+44) had arrived.
The band ended the evening with “Chapter 13,” satisfied with their performance and the response from the crowd. Their music was finally getting out there after a year and a half of hard work. I doubt many were disappointed after their performance.
Following the show, I caught up with Barker, guitarist Craig Fairbaugh and Hoppus before they got into their van to head to their hotel. All three were excited to be touring again.
“It’s great to connect with the people, and Milwaukee fans are great,” said Hoppus. “It’s rad to know something you have created makes that kind of an impact. Everyone was rocking out, and I love that. It makes me want to rock out that much harder.”
“I just want to thank the fans for continuing to support our music,” said Barker. “This is something we love to do, and we plan to continue for a long time. We have some of the best fans, not only here, but everywhere. I’m definitely looking forward to returning to Milwaukee. Except this snow is something that I could do without.”
“I love performing with this band,” said Fairbaugh. “Mark and Travis have been great producers and really work as a great team with everyone. Shane and I are just having a great time making music. ” As the band prepares for its next stop on tour, Hoppus wants to remind Milwaukee fans of one thing: “We’ll be back here in early 2007. So come back out!”
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