Hoobastank @ The Metro,Sydney, 21/8/04

Mon 23rd Aug, 2004 in Gig Reviews

Hoobastank - The Reason I Stand Corrected…Well, I probably shouldn’t lead with this but seeing Hoobastank for a second time cleared up a few things from the first time I saw them, primarily Hoobastank are not, in fact story of the year. This means that they haven’t sold out to Friends like I thought with the song The Reason, because this song fits in exactly with the rest of their songs.

Once this had been cleared up half way through their set, after realising that I had confused the two very different bands when they both opened for Linkin Park earlier this year, I was able to really appreciate the band for who they are.

Hoobastank were supported by Tapered Edges and Sender. I managed to puzzle through the first two bands, wandering blindly through the sea of metro-sexual men and ‘murder on the dancefloor-esque’ girls wondering if I was actually going to see 2Day FM banners. The first band, Tapered Edges, were rock prancers at their best, posing and not much else. There is nothing really to add to that.

Sender were next and there was more posturing, they weren’t too bad but they weren’t fabulous either. Unfortunately they had an audience filled with pockets of hecklers and when your only answer to hecklers is to say that you had a McDonald’s cheeseburger meal and the price of it, your best bet is to sing your songs and cut your losses. To their credit they did warm up toward the end and even turned the crowd around a little. I would like to see this band in a year and see whether they are more seasoned or whether they are still just chasing the McCheese combo!

Finally, Hoobastank burst onto the stage and created from my vantage point what looked to be one of the most enthusiastic mosh pits I have seen in a really long time. The crowd sang and cheered and jumped and the floor shook. Hats off to Hoobastank as they really pull an audience into their performance. They were engaging, note-perfect and credible. They could most aptly be described to someone who has not heard them as a rocked up Incubus right down the the “impromptu” shirt removal revealing a three hour a day chest. There were songs that were obvious crowd favourites, Up And Gone, The Reason but the rest of their set was welcomed with as much gusto.

My only wish is that bands would stop using the whole ‘You know who rocks, Melbourne’ bait to get the crowd going, I know they are probably told this by their label but enough already! So, after having drunk a little too much at a Linkin Park concert, getting my bands mixed up and spending a large portion of the night, kind of hoping to see some crowd surfing dent some of that carefully manicured hair, I can honestly say, they may not be to my taste as much as Story of the Year but these guys know who to give good concert and every one of their fans walked away buzzed as I walked away humming a sappy ballad.