Jimmy Eat World

Jimmy Eat World
2/3/2011
Event Rating: ★★★½☆
Venue: Revolution Live (Fort Lauderdale, FL)
Presented by: Live Nation

Jimmy Eat World has been around for what one could call a long time. The band formed in 1993 in Mesa, Arizona, and hasn’t looked back since. With hit after hit, the band has amassed a huge following that seemed to make its presence known at Revolution Live on February 3; a show that one could call decent.

They opened up with “Bleed American,” which was a good fast-paced start to really generate crowd interest. The audience was responsive, emotionally singing along to their favorites. All the big singles were accounted for including   “Pain” and “Sweetness,” the band’s more signature songs and ending with the megahit “In the Middle” during the encore.

The band’s energy was solid, supported by an array different stage lights and hues. The ambiance and mood were definitely set by the solid production value. The band’s overall sound was clear and concise, though I feel lead vocalist Jim Adkin’s microphone could have used a little boost as his vocals seemed to be lessened by the instrumentals.

It’s hard to gauge if bands are not much for fan interaction or they simply wish to fill in their set with as music as possible to appease the fans who want specific songs. Jimmy Eat World seemed to focus on the latter. There wasn’t much interaction between the band and audience aside from a random “Thank You” here and there. This can sometimes cause the audience to become disengaged, but it worked for the band.

Jimmy Eat World put on a solid show.  There wasn’t much in the way of “bells and whistles” during the show, or with the band, but that’s what Jimmy Eat World is about. They’ve been around the independent scene since the beginning, and even with mainstream success, they remain rooted to the former. The band focused on the music and performed a solid headlining gig. No more, no less.

Reviewed by: Justin Roach

Photos by: Kari Klein

Tags: bleed america, in the middle, jim adkin, jimmy eat world, Justin Roach, kari klein, live nation, pain, revolution live, sweetness