The Cab lives up to headliner status on U.S. tour

Concert Review, issue 15, Mauricio Escobar, the cab, Entertainment - By Mauricio Escobar on Thursday, January 26, 2012 - 02:51

The House of Blues in Anaheim, Calif. was filled with the anxious youth waiting to rock out, dance out and in some cases stand and scream out to live music from the five bands present.

The Everything’s Fine Symphony Soldier tour consisted of Paradise Fears, Days Difference, He is We and the two headliners: The Summer Set and The Cab.

Sex appeal, rock n’ roll, with a hint of soul and R&B, is what The Cab from Las Vegas, Nev. brought to Anaheim. Not only did they bring energy but they also brought the crowd back from the dead after some of the opening acts.

The main headliners are usually always the crowd’s favorite, but The Cab had a distinctive sound that is not heard in many alternative-rock bands. Crowd pleasers liked their latest single and the song that ended the show, “Bad,” brought everyone to their feet. The band’s music switches from dancing to head banging to even a state where you are standing and listening to the frontman, Alexander DeLeon, sing his lungs out to songs done in acoustic.

The first headliner that took the stage beforehand definitely did not impress my musical taste. The Summer Set has this common boy band presence, which brings down the music quality since they focus mainly on their looks. Standing in the pit was difficult because many females and some males went insane for the bands’ looks rather than their musical talent.

It seemed as if the first band opener, Paradise Fears, came on stage with a different look and a face change because it could not be distinguished from The Summer Set’s sound.

The only thing that made the band watchable was the young 20-year-old female drummer who killed it, not just with looks but also with musical talent. After a long 10-song set, the show officially started when the curtains pulled for the start of The Cab.

Before the headliners, the show got better when the indie-pop band He is We stepped to the center stage. Lead vocalist, Rachel Taylor and guitarist, Trevor Kelly, are from Seattle, Wash., where they joined and formed their band.

Taylor and her soft-spoken singing combined with Kelly and other back-up musician’s acoustic instruments produced decent quality music.

The frontwoman’s personality made the music more memorable. Taylor had an awkward presence that made the performance more enjoyable to watch since the other openers had a similar steady, manly personality. Her personality also made up for the repetitive love and break-up songs that were sung.

Paradise Fears kicked off the show with the appearance and sound of every other alternative-rock band out in the world. Of course it is good to be open to new music, but as the guitars continued strumming I could not help but find myself yawning. The band was not very distinctive with their music, lyrics or wardrobe. After their five-song set, Days Difference seemed to have a better fan base and a much better sound than the previous opener.

It is uncommon to see a keyboardist as the frontman of a band but for Days Difference, a quartet band from Virginia Beach, Va., lead singer, Jeremy Smith not only provides vocals but the piano parts of their music. The pop-rock band stood out for their more mellow sounds with piano solos.

The band’s sound is similar to Jack’s Mannequin but a bit better and fresher. Another uncommon feature of the band is the statement they made about their set list. Typically musical artist uses the same set list, with the changes of one or two songs, throughout the tour but Days Difference mentioned each day they would be using a totally different set list, which is interesting to see a unique set each day.

The tour is about an A-/B+ only because He is We and The Cab are the only two bands that are really worth seeing. The Cab has been in the music business for quite a while but had to face the situation of leaving their previous record label whereas He is We is starting out.

Both bands have a bright future ahead of them in the music industry. They will go far only if they stay true to their roots and meaning behind their music.