There's something about Jimmy Eat World that has always felt triumphant to me. Whether you're listening to anthems like "Big Casino" or "The Middle," songs that find the band's frontman/maestro Jim Adkins singing about acceptance, and always striving to become a better version of yourself, the band's rise in popularity with Bleed American and Futures, their ever-present attention to expanding their sound on the subsequent albums (most of which meet the high standards set by Bleed or Futures, even if they weren't as commercially successful), or the fact that it's been the same four members: Adkins, fellow guitarist Tom Linton, bassist Rick Burch, and drummer Zach Lind-- that have performed and written every single one of the band's releases, you can't talk about Jimmy Eat World's career without talking about how persistently great they have been. They are a band that has nothing left to prove, yet works as if they have everything to. You hear it readily in the band's 2022 single, "Something Loud." It's a song that sounds like it could have been on Bleed American, or even Chase This Light, which is a roundabout way of saying that it was instantly among the band's top-tier songs the moment it was released to the public. The artwork, sound, and even the music video that accompany the song indicate that the band was inspired by 80's hair-metal anthems when creating the tune, but a deeper dive into the lyrics show that they've still got their emo-leaning tendencies well intact. Coming out of the band's longest period of time off the road due to the pandemic (how nice is it going to be when I don't feel like I have to bring this up anymore?), the track was not only the perfect assertion from the band to the masses that they're not slowing down, but it was also a great indicator for what to expect from the band's set, which in turn made it the perfect name for the band's fall headlining tour, too.
The Something Loud Tour is a celebration of Jimmy Eat World, sure, but there needs to be some kind of build-up for the big headliner of the night. It's an unenviable position to be in, since most of the crowd is just waiting for the opening act to shove off so they can scream-sing the lyrics to "Sweetness," but Jimmy Eat World found themselves a gem of an opener in Charly Bliss. Powered by vocalist/guitarist Eva Hendricks's emotive, bouncy performance throughout the set, the band have a sound and style to their music that's hard not to bob your head to. The band took a few songs to warm up to the crowd, but once the reactions in between songs were getting bigger and bigger, the band really blossomed onstage, culminating with their crashing finale "Young Enough," which was the final push I needed to know that this is a band that should be on my radar (and yours) moving forward. While the band's sound was great, they also really seemed to enjoy playing with one another; Hendricks shared moments alongside guitarist Spencer Fox, bassist Dan Shure, and the band's drummer, her brother Sam. It's not something you see often enough when a band is performing, and there's probably a lot of reasons that we don't see it, so when you can tell a band genuinely enjoys performing with one another, it makes it that much better of an experience. It explains how Charly Bliss caught Jimmy Eat World's eye, too, since the night's headliner can be paid that same compliment. If you have tickets to any of the dates remaining on the Something Loud Tour, it's in your best interests to get there to catch the Charly Bliss set, too.
Before I dive into discussion about Jimmy Eat World's set, I should note that early on when the band began playing, it was noticeable that Jim Adkins wasn't singing the way he normally does on some songs. As the night wound down, he revealed to the crowd that a sinus issue he'd been dealing with since the tour started had made its way into his chest, and that was causing him to have to sing at a lower register and intensity than normal. This same issue has caused the band to postpone each of their tour stops after the Starland Ballroom date on 9/23. Here's to hoping he gets well soon, because even without Adkins at full strength, there's nothing quite like a Jimmy Eat World show.
As the band took to the stage and ripped into the title track and opening track from Futures, it was evident to me that "Something Loud" wasn't just the name of the song, the tour, or anything else: it was the band's current mindset. After such a long time away without playing to an audience, the band assembled one of their loudest setlists in years, going from "Futures" right into "Pain," and then finishing off their 1-2-3 knockout of an opening with the title track from Bleed American. While Adkins's health issues caused the band to whittle down a few songs from their set, the Starland crowd was still treated to all of the band's biggest hits, including fan favorites like "Work" and "Big Casino," which sent the crowd into a frenzy each time they got to sing "I'm a New Jersey success story."
Adkins not being at full strength paved the way for Linton to shine brightly last Friday night, as the guitarist ripped through "Blister," a Clarity track that added a real punch of energy to the crowd. Despite the band having to forgo the track from which the tour got its name and a brief acoustic break, he found it within himself to push through--with the help of the few thousand assembled at Starland--to give everyone a great performance of "Sweetness" and "The Middle" and send us all home happy. Despite his voice not always cooperating, Adkins and the rest of the band once again looked like they were having the time of their lives, with Linton and Burch constantly urging fans to clap along during pieces of many songs, and Zach Lind hopping down from his drum kit to acknowledge the crowd and get a picture, something he's done each night of the tour. It was a lousy hand that the band was dealt with Adkins falling ill, but as any great band would, Jimmy Eat World found a way to keep the show going at Starland Ballroom, and delivered a rollicking night of heartfelt anthems, performed by a band that clearly loves what they do, for fans that keep coming back to hear the songs they hold so dear. If you expected anything less from Jimmy Eat World at this point in their Hall of Fame-worth career, you just haven't been paying attention.
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