![_Pachanga Latino Music Festival 2012 [Show Photos]](http://austinist.com/assets_c/2012/05/AlejandroEscovedo2012SBH02ws-thumb-250x250-714254.jpg)
"There is comfort in a world / where darkness is the only thing we see"
Apparently when your concert ticket says ALL AGES, it really means that if you are over a certain age you are either A) there with your kid, B) a narc, or C) a pedophile. We guess that’s what happens as you get older; the kids at shows look at you funny as they wonder what category you fall into. It’s strange to be only one of 15 people in a sold-out venue old enough to wear a blue wristband proclaiming your penchant for over-priced beer.
Why is it so damn hard to get people moving in this city? Death By Stereo tried their best to get the kids worked up, but all their energy was ill spent as the crowd seemed content to compulsively check their goddamned cell phones for messages rather than enjoy a good performance. A few songs before their set ended, DBS was able to convert a few concert-goers, as small patches of movement broke out, but we think that the problem lied in the fact that the kids were not ready to hear something as heavy as DBS. Musically, their sound has taken a heavier, more metal approach, but lyrically, they are still 1st generation West Coast punk. DBS lyrics are rife with tales of social problems and messages of anti-conformity. When lead singer, Efrem Schulz, looked a kid dead in the eye and screamed at him "Fuck what they tell you! Fuck what they want you to be!," you pray his automaton program implements a self-destruct sequence. After the show, we had a chance to ask Efrem if it’s frustrating to play to a dead crowd, and he said that it's extremely difficult. But there’s always a chance that a few kids will get their message and will be there next time screaming "Death for Life!" Rock.
Next up was the band Rise Against. The only thing we knew about these guys is that their life stories were plastered all over the brochures peta2 was handing out. The crowd obviously knew the band, as the energy level rose in anticipation of their set. We didn’t realize that the next forty minutes were gonna be a Dashboard Confessional sing-along session. The only thing missing was a bouncing yellow ball. Thinking we weren’t giving Rise Against a fair shake, we grabbed a beer and came back for round two. Meh. Same results. The guys up there looked like the could rock if they chose too, but their songs all sounded very generic and boring. The kids in the crowd knew every nuance of every lyric, so at least someone got something out of it.
It’s very easy to see why the Alkaline Trio are on the verge of playing in the majors. With their haunting melodies and Stephen King lyrics, these guys run rampant in the catacombs of the Misfits and older AFI. But what sets these guys apart is their sound. Musically, they can have 5 or 6 singles from their latest album, Crimson. However, lyrically, the Alkaline Trio represent the darker side of music that top 40 radio will never be ready for. And that’s what makes them fun. It’s great to introduce someone to the Alkaline Trio who has no idea who they are. You watch their reactions as they bounce around to the pop-punk riffs, but every now and again, you see a puzzled look come over them when they hear lyrics like "you took me hostage and made your demands / I couldn't meet them so you cut off my fingers, one by one." The Trio took the stage to 1200 fans screaming at the top of their lungs. When the lights came up and the band started on "Time to Waste," the lead off track on their latest CD, something didn’t feel quite right. It took a few songs before it dawned on us that the Trio looked very tired. Having been to a few Trio shows in the past, we’ve seen the guys play a set where they do more than just stand there and run through a few songs. Is it wrong to expect a little more energy than that? The crowd didn’t seem to notice, or perhaps "mind" is a better word, as they sang along and clapped Bon Jovi style every chance they got. Was it a bad show? No, the Alkaline Trio’s set list was well worth the price of the tickets. It seems that the majority of the songs they played were songs that the bass player, Dan Andriano, sings lead on. We had heard that Matt was having trouble with his voice, so perhaps that’s why that didn’t play their biggest hit "We’ve Had Enough" in favor of Andriano songs that rarely get played live. As evident by how quickly their Austin show sold out, the Alkaline Trio will be playing a bigger venue next time they come through, but at their La Zona Rosa gig, we would we have liked to have seen a little more life from the band as captured by their "Halloween at the Metro" DVD.
Click here to see pictures of the Alkaline Trio in action. (pic1) (pic2) (pic3)
