Jimmy Eat World at the Riviera
October 7th, 2010
Review by: Curt Perfect
Photos By: David Strauss
Thursday October 7th, there was talk of what to be for Halloween, a give and take of ideas just prior to the Jimmy Eat World and We Were Promised Jetpacks concert at the Riviera theatre. The young gentleman next to me decided dressing as Richard Simmons, a foreshadowing of what was to come that night…. “sweatin to the oldies”, as Jimmy Eat World played in support of their 7th album “Invented”
It is not often I go to a show and get blown away by an opening band, but We Were Promised Jetpacks, did just that! The young lad’s from Scotland bring a unique sound to the stage, a hard driving and energy filled set. The single “It’s thunder and It’s Lightning” spun the crowd into frenzy. Lead singer Adam Thompson poured all of his energy into the lyrics “Your body was black and blue, it struck twice there’s nothing new” in a repetitive fashion, hands gripping the mic stand, belting it out with every drop of intensity he had. We Were Promised Jetpacks is a great band and their album “These Four Walls” is a must for any Indie rock catalog.
After a break, the house lights dimmed and Jimmy Eat World took the stage to a young enthusiastic audience. The crowd was a good mix of fans that have been with them from the beginning, sprinkled with new comers who had to be in grade school when J.E.W. first took the stage. They opened with “Bleed American” a rock anthem which defines the bands pop-rock style, with crisp sound and an all out performance by lead singer Jim Adkins. The bass was thumping through my chest, and lights blinding me as Adkins unleashed such amazing lyrics as “I’m not alone cause the TV’s on yeah, I’m not crazy cause I take the right pills everyday”. There is no doubt from the start as to why Jimmy Eat World has lasted so long on the music scene as others have faded away over the years. The set went from one pop hit to another, playing all their classic songs with a nice mix of the new.
Jimmy Eat World is a group that has stood the test of time, making music for decades while others have come and gone. A well polished band that turns their pop-rock sound into one hell of a live performance. When I go to concert whether it is a band I know and listen to or it’s the first time hearing them, I am first and foremost looking to be entertained. Thursday night I left the Riviera Theatre with a sense that both bands, Jimmy Eat World and We Were Promised Jetpacks had done just that and more!
Jimmy Eat World Biography
Invented, the sixth full-length album by Jimmy Eat World, contains the signature big hooks and sing-along melodies for which the band has become famous. Fans of the band’s older hits like “The Middle,” “Sweetness,” and “Pain” will find lots to grab onto…and those same fans will be happy to learn that Mark Trombino, who served as a producer on the band’s first three albums Static Prevails, Clarity and Bleed American, is again at the helm for Invented. While the music is “classic Jimmy Eat World,” the lyrics come from a completely different place than ever before.
Jim Adkins, the band’s primary lyricist, credits this new lyrical direction to an exercise he created for himself as the band was putting the finishing touches on their previous album, Chase This Light. At the time, Adkinshad recently discovered two books -- Cindy Sherman’s “Completely Untitled Film Still” series and Hannah Starkey’s “Photographs 1997-2007” and became taken with the creation of his own back stories for each photo. “I would take about ten minutes and blast through every aspect of the scene that came to me. Who was this particular character and who were the people in her life? How did she end up in this scene?” Adkins says, “It was intended to be a writing exercise -- much like an exercise lots of people employ every day called ‘object writing.’ The point wasn’t to get material for Jimmy Eat World songs, it was only to get my brain in a mindset for working. Eventually, though, ideas developed in those sessions did start creeping into songs. The album title ‘Invented’ refers to a song which I feel sums up the mood here,” Adkins adds, “but could also be taken more literally as this album is the deepest into character writing we have tried so far.”
The reconnection with producer Mark Trombino occurred in San Diego during the band's sold-out national tour commemorating the 10-year anniversary for the album Clarity. Adkins tells the rest of the story: “It had been a really long time since we had met. We talked for a while and it was good. We had already been working on material for Invented for a while, and we were thinking of hiring a producer to work with us, but we wanted someone with a specific skill set and willingness to work in a non-conventional setting.” The idea was the band would work out a song as much as they could on their own in their studio, Unit 2 in Tempe, Arizona and then send the multi-track recordings to Trombino in California. “Mark is a ninja with a computer,” Adkins adds, “After trying out a couple songs we knew he brought something really complimentary to the sessions. We would be recording the foundations of one song in Arizona as he was mixing another song in California.”
Jimmy Eat World got their start in 1994 and has gained a reputation for being a band of great perseverance and hard work. Since the 1999 release of their breakthrough debut album Clarity, they’ve sold millions of records, have had numerous top ten singles at Modern Rock Radio, appeared on Saturday Night Live and have toured with Foo Fighters, Green Day and Weezer. Jimmy Eat World will be on the road for the next year plus in support of Invented.
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