This show didn’t get under way until 9:30pm, and I’m not the biggest fan of late shows, mainly because I can hardly stay awake through them. However, this was JIMMY EAT WORLD were talking about here, so I knew I had it in me to plow through the evening. Another thing this show had against it though was its WHFS radio sponsorship. There are few things more insulting to a band than to watch a radio DJ come out before their set and have to witness the pathetic fella try to garner up crowd support and hype out the event. That kind of action should be reserved for the shitty bands that actually need to convince people that they are good – certainly not JIMMY EAT WORLD. But I digress…

I didn’t pay much attention to REUBEN’s ACCOMPLICE, and I fell ill for the last four songs of their set, so when all was right with me again, it just happened to be around the same moment HEY MERCEDES took the stage. Consisting of almost all of the former emo champions, BRAID, these guys come armed with a very rockin’ sound, something just ahead of mid-paced rock, and not too far from standard punk rock beats. With a few slightly heavy song structures and lush guitar work, the HEY MERCEDES sound was very easy to get into. One of the best things about this band is that their vocalist has a voice that doesn’t seem typical for this genre. It’s a bit deeper, louder, more heartfelt, but not overally passionate in that sappy way. “”New Wave”" anyone? The singer also looks strangely like John Norris of MTV. Anyway, HEY MERCEDES played almost entirely new material from their upcoming debut full length, due out on Vagrant records, and the songs certainly seemed well composed. The drummer for HEY MERCEDES was extremely animated, and pretty good might I add, so they were a fun band to watch. I can’t wait to hear their new disc – these guys seem to have a bright future.

Once you hear the song “”Bleed American,”" it’s really not hard to allow it to stick in your brain for the next few hours. I honestly can’t think of another radio single that I truly felt was worthy of being heard by so many people – maybe “”Self-Esteem”" by the OFFSPRING, or “”Basketcase,”" by GREENDAY. The concept of JIMMY EAT WORLD doing well on mainstream music is still a bit alien to me, but damnit, I like them, their new cd is flat-out killer, and if the masses can get into it too, I’ll just have to deal with it. With that said, it was now 11:30pm and JIMMY EAT WORLD didn’t finish until a few minutes before 1:00am! Wow. I had no idea they were going to play this comprehensive of a set, but boy was I enthralled. Playing mostly stuff from “”Bleed American,”" including “”Cautioners,”" “”Get it Faster,”" “”Sweetness,”" “”The Middle,”" “”The Authority Song,”" and my growing favorite, “”If you don’t, don’t.”" Not to forget their earlier material that helped build the awesome fan base this band has, “”Clarity”" was well served with the anthemic “”Lucky Denver Mint,”" among others, and a few tunes stretching back to “”Static Prevails,”" and their recent split with Australia’s JEBIDIAH.

Joining JIMMY EAT WORLD on stage was the amazing Rachel Hayden, on keyboards and backup vocals, and sometimes, a third guitarist that gave an additional thump to an already thick sound. One of the nicest elements to watching JIMMY EAT WORLD live is that their stage presence and command of the entire venue is so natural and reserved. When Jim Adkins wants to explode into a barely controllable fury, he does in a fluid, constrained matter. I’ve seen plenty of bands that look awkward live or out of their natural state of just writing tunes, but with these guys, the stage appears to be their best outlet for letting their conviction, thoughts and feelings overflow. When you don’t have any reason to look at your clock for 90 minutes, it’s amazing how fast music can past the time.

Above picture courtesy (ok, stolen) from the official JIMMY EAT WORLD website, www.jimmyeatworld.net.