Hey Monday
November 27, 2010
Culture Room, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Review and Photos by Cali Sanford
On Saturday, November 27th, the Culture Room in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, opened its doors to the five bands The Ever After, We Are the In Crowd, The Ready Set, Cartel, and headliner, Hey Monday. The show was scheduled to start at seven PM, but by six, the line to get in was backed up for what seemed like a mile.
The Ever After, formally known as And Then There Was You, seemed to be a last-minute addition for the show, but still performed amazingly. I had seen them at Warped Tour 2010 and liked their set, so I was hoping that they would still impress. Their set was about five songs long and as they played I noticed the crowd was starting to mouth the words. A particular favorite of mine was “Sing for Me.” When they got off the stage they received a huge round of cheers.
Taylor Jardine - We Are the In Crowd
We Are the In Crowd took the stage after The Ever After. I had never heard of the band before, but definitely plan on attending their next show. Their lead singer is what interests me: she looks so young and has already come so far (the band released their EP earlier this year, titled “Guaranteed to Disagree”). The only complaint I have is that the vocals were too quiet for how loud the drums were; I felt as though that alone dragged down the set when it could have been mind-blowing.
Jordan Witzigreuter - The Ready Set
The Ready Set hit the stage third and was the only band I was unimpressed with. I expected a different vibe seeing them perform live than listening to their music on the radio, but that was not the case. Lead singer Jordan Witzigreuter’s baby face definitely attracted the mostly-female crowd but he didn’t seem to have much spunk or creativity, even as he sang his hit single, “Love Like Woe.”
"I still remember dancing to “Honestly” from their Chroma album when I was in middle school."
Cassadee Pope - Hey Monday
Even though Hey Monday was headlining, I was excited to see Cartel perform. I still remember dancing to “Honestly” from their Chroma album when I was in middle school. Since then, I feel as though they have matured. The group was well-organized on stage, they clearly practiced their routine thoroughly before playing shows. They promoted their latest album, Cycles, and played “Let’s Go” and “The Perfect Mistake” beautifully. To put it simply: they were awesome!
After a short wait, Hey Monday’s male members entered the stage with their backs to the crowd. A chant of “Cassadee, Cassadee!” began to circulate through the crowd and by the time the lead singer finally made her appearance, the crowd hit their climax for the night. They opened with “Mr. Pushover,” which Cassadee explained had been written about her former love interest. Throughout the relatively long set, they played some of their hits from Beneath it All and Hold on Tight including “I Don’t Wanna Dance,” “Homecoming,” “Jersey,” and “Wish You Were Here.” Cassadee Pope’s voice definitely did not disappoint as she reached crazy high notes. The audience went crazy for the alt-rock band and at the end of the night, the group expressed their thanks for making the last night of the long tour great.
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