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Review Fri May 06 2011
Review: Face to Face @ Bottom Lounge, 5/5
It can't be easy for a band to celebrate 20 years on the road. Everyone in every city only wants to hear old songs and new material essentially needs permission to be played. But this isn't Face to Face's first rodeo. (Remember, this is a band who had a "farewell" tour in 2004.) They know they owe their successes to the fans, so they're prepared to give the fans what they want. And, oh my, was Thursday's show at the Bottom Lounge ever for fans of old songs. Other than three new tunes that were almost begrudgingly accepted and one from 2002's How to Ruin Everything, the set list could've been lifted from a show in 1996. Ten seconds into opener "You Lied", the crowd was singing, pogoing and moshing (or, at least, something resembling it) along to the punk power riffs and angsty lyrics that've defined Face to Face.
Aside from singer Trever Keith being a little ill and his voice lagging a bit, Face to Face sounded top-notch with tight guitaring as the highlight. (Longtime bassist Scott Shiflett, guitarist Chad Yaro and a drummer I didn't recognize filled out the band.) Some of the songs from last night have been kicking around for 20 years and most of them live mirror the recorded versions everyone's heard hundreds (thousands?) of times, but they still pack just the right punch. Rarely did they stray. From "Struggle" to "Pastel" to "Complicated", the crowd was engaged and energized; singing along to every word, hurling fists in the air, picking up strangers who couldn't keep balance and blocking out moshers so that someone could find a dropped Blackberry. Even though they do have a new album coming out in a couple weeks (Laugh Now, Laugh Later), last night felt more like a greatest hits show with a band probably past their prime but far from over. And if they continue in that vein, no one'll be complaining.
