As it is at any concert featuring a band that has recently been on Total Request Live, the average age of those attending the Simple Plan show couldn't have been over 16, and that's including the small upstairs 21-and-over bar area. And let's not forget the parents -- due to the over-abundance of under-agers, the walls were lined with parents frantically watching to make sure their kids were behaving. Yet, as soon as the lights went down, the groping began as the Electric Factory became an orgy of bodies jumping up and down, flailing with the beat.
The show opened with the local South Jersey band Don't Look Down. Having secured their spot for this year's upcoming Vans Warped Tour, the band's rising popularity was evident from the hoards of teens singing along with every word of its set -- despite the fact that its songs have yet to hit the airwaves.
The last band of the opening act, MXPX, is a band that has been playing together since their high school days. As soon as the three band members ran on stage, the crowd went nuts, and the band got right to it with their fast, hard and in-your-face version of punk. A major high-light of their set was definitely their cover of Bryan Adams's "Summer of '69," which the band made all their own.
After an agonizing 30-minute wait, Simple Plan hit the stage in full force.The band flew through one song after another, with the occasional break for a little audience interaction. The set included hits like "Addicted," "Grow Up" and "I'd Do Anything," but again, covers rocked the stage as Simple Plan gave the audience its take on songs like Pink's "Get This Party Started." Having walked off stage, the crowd unrelentingly roared, "One more song!" The guys finally returned to play the angst ridden ballad "Perfect," during which teary-eyed teens sang along, holding up lighters and lit-up cell phones as they swayed side to side. It was the perfect ending to an amazing show and everyone was still able to make it home by curfew.
--Alyssa Turkewitz
