By Wayne Baggs
Jimmy Eat World were celebrating the 25th anniversary of Bleed American, with PUP and Ratboys on the bill.
Jimmy Eat World brought their 25th anniversary Bleed American tour to Toronto on August 23, and with PUP and Ratboys on the bill, this was one of those nights where the lineup was almost as good as the headliner.
Ratboys got things rolling early with a solid, laid-back set that had plenty of guitar and just enough edge to wake up the crowd.
Then PUP came out and basically kicked the door in. Being a hometown band, they had the crowd from the first few songs, and the energy just kept building. “DVP,” “Kids,” “Morbid Stuff” and “Reservoir” had the place moving, and by the end of their set it was pretty obvious nobody was going anywhere.
Then came Jimmy Eat World.
The band played Bleed American as the centrepiece of the night, and 25 years later the album still sounds damn good live. “A Praise Chorus,” “The Middle,” “Sweetness,” “Hear You Me” and “The Authority Song” had just about everybody singing along. They also mixed in some favourites from other records, including “Pain,” “Work,” “Big Casino” and “23,” which made for a pretty strong trip through their catalogue. ([Setlist.fm][1])
What I liked most was that the show never felt like a band simply going through the motions for an anniversary tour. Jimmy Eat World sounded tight, energetic and genuinely happy to be there.
A very good night at the RBC Amphitheatre, and a pretty damn good way to spend a Sunday night.
BKonthescene 