February 26th @ Warfield, San Francisco, CA.
What started as a beautiful sunny day in San Francisco, quickly turned into a chilly evening. Young teenagers wearing their converse shoes, tights, and neon colored hair lined up outside The Fillmore on Feb. 26th for the Take Action Tour. Including bands like Mindflow, Crown The Empire, We Came As Romans, and of course The Used. My boyfriend and I anxiously waited in line with the other teenagers and adults, but the cold started hitting me when my hands and feet started to go numb. Luckily The doors opened at 6:30pm and we booked it inside. Walking into The Fillmore was a great experience. First thing I noticed was that the walls are a deep purple color. I didn't notice that the building was actually 2 stories tall. The 1st floor had the bathrooms, bar area, and a wide open space with a big square of hard wood floor in the middle. Towards the back of the first floor is the stage, it's not too big, kind of small really. When I first saw it, I imagined that the band members wouldn't really be able to move around much. Then we headed up stairs, the walls in the stairway had posters top to bottom of previous artists/bands/comedians that have performed there. Then, on the right was another bar area with café tables and a small place for café performances. On the right was again, a smaller bar area with every wall covered in music posters. It was really freaking cool to look at. There were about 5 tables spread out and on the left side, then on the right they have about 4 balconies that over look the stage. Great view also! On the ceiling of the entire venue, had around 6 chandeliers just hanging above the main floor. This is by far the coolest venue I've ever been to.
Mindflow was the first band to perform. As they came on, the crowd echoed with cheers and plenty of screaming. I had no idea who they were or what their music sounded like, and to be honest, it caught me off guard. Mindflow has a bit of a metal sound to them, like the band Disturbed. I'm not particularly into the metal genre as it is, but they weren't that bad. I also found out that they from Brazil. Their stage presence was okay, and they had a some energy. But there was something I didn't like about them. Then I heard it.. The lead singer shouted out to the crowd, "How are you doing San Antonio?!" Um WTF MAN YOURE IN SAN FRANCISCO?! Yes I know, I only see that stuff in movies or TV. But it really happened. So instantly he knew that he messed up and the crowd got quiet. He started singing, San Francisco ( Be Sure To Wear Flowers In Your Hair) by Scott Mckenzie. Still the crowd was not moving. Talk about awkward. After that I think the crowd loosened up and started dancing a little bit. The ending song was a really hard metal song but sadly, there were no mosh pits. :[
The second band was Crown The Empire. My boyfriend was especially excited to see these guys. Although we did hear rumors that they weren't so good live. But after hearing the first song, those were only rumors. They had crazy energy flowing from the stage to the floor. The entire venue was vibrating. From jumping, dancing, and constantly moving. It was nearly impossible for me to get a good picture of any of them because they moved around so much! Which wasn't a bad thing. Fans were loving CTE too. Mosh pits constantly broke out throughout their songs. By the end of the last song, literally every person was jumping, dancing, mosh pit-ing, singing, and hands raised above the crowd. I was really impressed.
Then there was We Came As Romans. I think that they are another really good scream/hard core band. They jumped and danced with their fists held high. Lead on a few head bangs here and there. And kept you watching during their set. I think they have really good stage presence and really know how to interact with the crowd. Every song there was at least 1 kid going crazy in a mosh pit, which was fun to watch. In the middle of their set, they stopped and thanked everyone for coming out, and I could really tell how much they really adore their fans. But overall they sounded pretty dang good to me!
Finally, the band I was waiting for, The Used. I was right in front of the stage minutes before they came on with my camera in hand, and I was thinking how cool it is that when I was in middle school, I remember singing all the lyrics to "In Love And Death" and I'm going to be inches away from all of them. I was ecstatic to say the least. Their opening song was "Listening" and every person in the crowd was singing. It was a great feeling. I couldn't barely hear Bert's or the crowds voice singing a long, just the music. Which can give you a better idea of how close I was to the stage. Bert Mcracken, lead singer, danced side ways, backwards and all around, the stage. The fans loving every minute of it. Song after song you can just hear the voices of the fans singing their lyrics echo through the walls. It was a feel good time and really brought back memories.
This being my first show review and experience with me having a photo pass was a great opportunity and an exciting moment for me. I think all the bands did really well except Mindflow, shame on you! Just kidding, but really what the heck? Anyway, I had a great time watching the bands perform and jumping and singing a long to the lyrics. I had a lot of fun and I think it was a great show overall. Take Action Tour 2013!
