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- Friday September 17, 2010 - Virtually anytime Phone Calls From Home (@pcfhband) announces a show on Long Island, you know I'll be there. Seeing that Score 24 (@Score_24), Corey Balsamo (@coreybalsamo), & For The Foxes were also on the line up for this show pretty much guaranteed my attendance. After I got to the venue (& had some Taco Bell, courtesy of @pcfhzack), I was able to catch the last song of For The Foxes' set. Like Corey had told me beforehand, they seemed really good. The crowd seemed to think so, too. I wish I could have seen more than just one song, but that's life. Next up was Phone Calls From Home. As I've said in the past, PCFH is a band that always puts on a great show, regardless of the venue. They played a couple of shows here on Long Island this summer, and the crowds coming to their shows have gradually grown bigger and more enthusiastic. Getting to literally watch their fan base expand and gain energy has been an amazing experience, and I hope to see that continue. Corey Balsamo hit the stage next. The vocals were somewhat hard to hear at times, but all things considered it was still a great set. This was my third time seeing him live, and as usual, he did not disappoint. Score 24 played last. Playing shows in your hometown certainly has its perks - most of the crowd knew every word. The 'Long Island music scene' consists of such a passionate group of people, and it's always amazing to see that support and dedication at shows like this one. After everything was said & done, I called night one a success and began looking forward to the next day's event.
- Saturday September 18, 2010 - This was a day that I, and many others had been looking forward to for a long time - Patent Pending's CD/DVD release show. The show was at a new venue called Karma in Patchogue, NY. When you drive into the parking lot, you can't really see the place at first, but there's a big "620" on the side of the building that let's you know you're at the right place. It had plenty of room in front of the stage so that you don't have to worry about getting thrown into a mosh pit or something if you don't want to. There was also even more space on each side of the stage where merchandise was sold. Overall, I liked the place. Again, I ended up arriving late, but I got there just in time to see For Those Who Know play. A mutual friend had told me about this band a while back, so I was glad to finally see what I'd been missing out on. Their set was solid, & I really enjoyed it. Giants At Large (@giantsatlarge) played next. This was the band I was most excited to see, especially considering the fact that this was their first show together. Brian (bass/vocals) has been keeping me updated with the band's progress since they've been together, so I've been looking forward to seeing them perform for a while. I'm proud to say that they genuinely blew me away. Their set was even better than I had expected, and the crowd went crazy. People everywhere were crowd surfing, moshing, and even managing to sing along. The energy in the room, and the performance itself were just amazing. If you don't know Giants At Large yet, I'd suggest looking them up. They're almost done recording their EP, and plan on posting a song "within a week or two", which gives everyone something to look forward to. Last but certainly not least, Patent Pending hit the stage to close out the show. This was my fourth time seeing this band live, and they always put on an incredible show. For Patent Pending, a show is more than the band playing songs on a stage in front of an audience. Each show is like
a family reunion with those crazy relatives you wish you saw more often. The atmosphere at each and every show this band plays gives me chills- It's one of the most amazing things I've ever been a part of. During their set, Joe (vocals) told us that there was a recently engaged couple at this show. The best part about that story was the fact that the couple had met at a Patent Pending concert a while back. That's just one example of what I'm talking about here. Each song, each performance, each statement- Everything just strengthens that bond between band and fan, or in this case, between friends. After they played their hearts out in the venue, the band, a bunch of fans, and I headed over to a nearby Burger King parking lot for an acoustic set (pictured above). Joe & Josh played a good number of songs, including requests. It was a great experience for all of us. Before calling it a night, Joe's brother, Robert, played a song by his band Mania In Urbania. This was the second time a band had really impressed me that night. Robert admitted that their demo doesn't sound as good as he would have liked it to, but nothing compares to seeing it live... even if it was only one acoustic song this time. Next time you see Mania In Urbania is playing a show near you, do yourself a favor & check it out. It goes without saying that the Ragostas are a very musically inclined family that never ceases to impress. All in all, this was an incredible show for so many reasons.
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