Concert Review: Hit the Lights and Cobra Starship

Hit the Lights, Forever the Sickest Kids and Cobra Starship

Okay I'm finally accepted that I'm too old for certain concerts. For example, I went to my last Vans Warped Tour two years ago and haven't really looked back, not only because of the steep price tag (whats it at now? 50 bucks?) but simply because I feel so divorced from the younger punk scene each year I get older.

Enter 'Hit the Lights' opening for 'Cobra Starship' alongside a ton of other young popular punk influenced bands (Gabe from 'Cobra Starship' for example used to play in 'Midtown'). I hesitate to say pop-punk because of my old-school belief that such a moniker is only entitled for bands like 'The Ramones' or more recently 'Broadway Calls.' But that's grandpa Rob talking, and in all fairness bands like 'Hit the Lights' fall into the same category as 'New Found Glory' (a guilty pleasure of mine) and 'Blink 182' -a newer, glitzier, more produced pop-punk...new-pop-punk? What a stupid name. Oh well, we'll roll with it. Nu-pop-punk.

The lyrical content of this new flashier version of pop-punk reminds me of my age. Gone are the days of singing with an ironic tongue-in-cheek sneer (see Dead Milkmen's 'Punk Rock Girl'), and instead are the days of singing about hanging out in the parking lot thinking about girls. Yeah, at 25 I'm kinda over that. I sit in my room drinking by myself thinking about girls instead (like that cute Ukranian girl from my French class). The vote's out on whether its an improvement or not.

A point should be made that I actually like a lot on nu-pop-punk bands. As a matter fact 'Hit the Lights' easily fall into this category. While I have difficulty connecting with the band on a lyrical level, its still catchy as hell and perfect feel-good music. I even had a chance to interview the band a few hours before doors opened and had a blast hanging out with them afterwards shopping around St. Catherines looking for Montreal t-shirts. Good times.

However, once I got some food and went back to the venue it was a culture shock for me. An ocean of teenagers (mostly girls) were screaming for the band onstage, a bunch of good looking boys playing keyboards, wearing overly tight pants, and dropping the F-bomb like it was going out of style and grandpa Rob in me was really upset that they thought swearing to 14 year olds made them cool and I was really worried that 'Hit the Lights' once they went onstage would pander to similar schtick to get the crowd going.

Thankfully, 'Hit the Lights' were much more composed and played a solid set with most songs coming off their newly released album. The band pogo'd onstage, talked about how cute Montreal girls were, and tried to get the crowd to sing along to their stuff...nothing really eye-rollingly corny, but nothing really awe-inspiring either. Just a straight up solid set, which I guess is what I came for.

Following their set, I quickly packed up and left, not even sticking around for the last few bands. Gabe from 'Cobra Starship' is a attention-seeking douche (see this story). I mean, really, who says "I'm so punk rock that I blah blah blah." Gabe man, I loved 'Midtown,' why you gotta turn out to be a total ass?

Anyway as I walked back home I began to reflect. I used to be that young. I used to love really cheesy bands ('Fenix TX' come to mind). I used to go to similar concerts in Vancouver and that's fine, for that age group. Looking onto that crowd of kids I realized that (like the mid-90s in Vancouver) most of those kids are only at the concert because they think its cool to be there. There's little love for the music and during 'Hit the Lights' I even saw some kids playing poker in the back (man, these boys came all the way from Ohio! Where's the love!).

However, a small portion of those kids are there because they love the music. Those are the kids who, in five years will be forming bands, writing zines, or putting on shows to promote local talent. Its so easy for us to laugh at the terrible fads teenagers cling onto as they gush over cute boys in bands, and screaming about over-the-top stage antics...but its where most of us started from. Moreover, it will be a handful of these kids who take over the local music scene in 5 to 10 years time. Which is great, and its even great that they're enjoying tonight's show. But for me, man I'm glad I'm no longer an akward 15 year old listening to major label pop. Its just so glossy and void of any grit or real substance. I'll take a local show in somebody's basement any day of the week. And maybe, someday, hopefully, so will some of these kids.