Jimmy Eat World rocks Glendale Arena
By CHRIS HANSEN ORF
Get Out
Dec. 10, 2004

After rain cut short its annual Edgefest concert this fall, radio statio KEDJ (103.9 FM) gave the Valley an early Christmas gift Thursday night at the Glendale Arena with a five-band show featuring a performance by Arizona's own Jimmy Eat World.

Returning home from an extended tour to promote their latest disc “Futures,” Jimmy Eat World headlined their first arena show in the Valley. Relying on great songs instead of trendy performance gimmicks like crowd surfing and leaping off their Marshall amplifiers, the band played to an enthusiastic crowd that filled up about half of the cavernous arena.

”Their music just makes me happy,” said Erica Crandell, 17, of Mesa, who was seeing Jimmy Eat World for the third time. “They are my all-time favorite band.”

Kicking their set off with ”A Praise Chorus,” Jimmy Eat World delivered song after song of tight power-chord pop that featured the impeccable vocal harmonies of frontmen Jim Adkins and Tom Linton and the duo's complex dual guitar work.

Playing a mixture of older material like the terrific “Lucky Denver Mint” from their second disc “Clarity” and new material such as their latest single “Pain” from “Futures,” Jimmy Eat World had the crowd in their palm of their hand throughout their 90-minute set, but the most frenetic response from the mostly Generation Y audience was saved for the band's most recognizable hits “Sweetness“ and “The Middle” from their eponymous multi-platinum 2001 CD.

“I love Jimmy Eat World,” said Mesa's Aimee Vondrak, 18. “I went to the same high school that they did. They write about things that I can really relate to.”

St. Louis scream-o rockers Story Of The Year played a set that resembled a rock concert mixed with a bizarre track and field event that featured the band members' vast array of leaps, backflips and stage dives that left lead singer Dan Marsala with a sprained ankle, two barked shins and bloody from a crowd surfing mishap.

Mesa's Authority Zero played an energetic set of their patented hardcore-punk-and-reggae hybrid that had the crowd moshing in a frenzy near the front of the stage.

The Hives nearly stole the show from the local boys with a too-brief set of terrific bar-chord garage rock. The well-dressed band from Sweden, fronted by Mick Jagger-esque lead singer Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist, made quite an impression on the crowd that got to the arena early enough to catch their show.

“They were badass!” exclaimed Brandon Shope, 18, of Mesa. ”They brought back the performance aspect to rock music that has been missing.”

Local band Mink Rebellion kicked off the proceedings with a short set that included a guest vocal appearance by Gin Blossoms singer Robin Wilson.