With a line-up this strong, it wasn’t very surprising that this show was sold-out more than a week before its date. This is LESS THAN JAKE’s big tour supporting their new album “”Borders and Boundaries.”" By taking such famed guests as NEW FOUND GLORY and ANTI-FLAG, an event of epic proportions was definitely in store. The crowd was a very young mix, ranging from the patched and spiked punks to the skanking-crazed pop worshippers. If there was anything consistent to the whole evening, it was that each band displayed a high level of energy and theatrics, and I don’t think anyone went home dissappointed – except for that kid who broke his nose who bled all over himself…

I didn’t get a chance to watch the TEEN IDOLS as I was waiting for LESS THAN JAKE’s manager to take me to my interview with the band, but I did get to see some of their set on the jumbo-screen and it looked like for the most part, the crowd was unfamiliar with this Nashville band’s act. Within their 30 minute set, the band stopped only twice, and while I like a band that sticks to their music, the TEEN IDOLS don’t differentiate their songs very much so it was quite a blur. Anyway, if you like ferocious pop punk full of leather jackets and alchoholic beverages, then check out their latest offering, “”Full Leather Jacket.”"

Right after finishing the LESS THAN JAKE interview, I caught the last half of ANTI-FLAG’s set from backstage which was very freaking cool. This was only my second time seeing AF live, and they had easily attracted their own following to this show. The spikes, mohawks, studs, and safety-pinned were out in full force, and the crowd was more than willing to sing along. The band played a few new tracks off of their upcoming FAT Records debut, “”Underground Network,”" and although I don’t recall the song titles, they sounded like the typical ANTI-FLAG song. What do recall is the band hitting such favorites as, “”Got the Numbers,”" “”Tearing Everybody Down,”" “”Captain Anarchy,”" and of course, the unforgettable, “”Die for the Government.”" Being that this show was in DC, Justin Sane took his time to do a little political speaking in between the songs and led the crowd in a “”Fuck You George W. Bush!”" chant that seemed like the thing to do at the time. On a more important note though, there were no boneheads during the AF set, and everyone seemed to be helping each other when the crowd was getting a little rough. Positive music breeds positive attitudes.

Subsequently to ANTI-FLAG’s set, we we’re all tossed out of the backstage area by a not so nice “”stage manager.”" I found my way up the 2nd balcony which was the “”VIP”" section (hee hee…) where I had a killer view of the entire stage and crowd from high above. During the set change, there was a big crowd shift, with most of the punks reverting to the back while very young girls channeled their way up front, anxiously waiting to scream for NEW FOUND GLORY. Although I really dig this band, and I think their MCA “”self-titled”" debut is one of the most fun cds to play, something did not bode well while on stage at the Nation. I don’t know if the band was tired, stressed or just out of sync, but their usual high flying energy was at a quarter of what I expected, and this was my fourth time seeing this band in the past year. Granted, NFG didn’t play a bad set by any means, especially considering the fact that they played a ton of tracks off of “”Nothing Gold Can Stay.”" Thinking about it now though, I imagine that the tough security and iron barrier in front of the stage had something to do with the relative lack of excitement. NEW FOUND GLORY has always been a band that feeds off of the crowd’s energy and their interaction, and with this hinderance, things just didn’t connect 100% Fortunately, the crowd didn’t seem to be as picky as I and screamed their hearts out (which I did too). If for some amazing reason you have not heard this band yet, pick up their latest cd and rock out to some seriously infections pop-punk with an emotional edge that carves out melodies with the efficiency of a handful of daggers.

After a somewhat lengthy set-change, LESS THAN JAKE stormed the stage with a “”rocket-ship”" theme and backdrop. With some cool lighting and smoke screen, it was certainly a grand entrance. It had been more than a year since I had last seen LTJ and I was really looking forward to their set. If you haven’t witnessed this seven-piece in action, you have no idea what you are missing. Every performance is akin to a rambunctuous side show. There’s confetti, postcards, fire-breathing, and crack musicianship. Chris, the band’s guitarist came out dressed as an old dude with a full grey beard and wig. There was also a full-time dancer on stage, who’s efforts were earnest, but seemed more forced than natural – then again he was also in a tuxedo and was wearing a skeleton mask – hmm…. LESS THAN JAKE stuck to their guns playing songs mostly off of their best albums, “”Losing Streak,”" and the harder “”Hello Rockville.”" I was somewhat dissappointed in that they only played three songs off of their new one, but I guess hitting the crowd favorites is always a good deed. The floor action was incredibly intense throughout the duration of the set, and the band repeatedly mentioned how they’d be sticking around after the show for “”Velvet,”" the gay disco at the club later on that evening. I was really surprised the band didn’t play “”Borders and Boundaries,”" but they did happen to play my favorite of theirs, “”Johnny Quest Thinks We’re Sellouts,”" during their two song encore. Other hits included, “”All my best friends are metal heads,”" “”Automatic,”" “”Jen Doesn’t Like Me,”" “”Pete Jackson is Getting Married,”" and “”Losing Streak.”" After playing for about an hour, I was totally exhausted, and I wasn’t even in the crowd! LESS THAN JAKE fucking rule – it’s that simple. Get to this tour quick before every show is sold out!!!