Streetlight Manifesto @ The Kool Haus, September 26

Last night I saw one of my favourite bands ever, Streetlight Manifesto at the Kool Haus. Streetlight Manifesto is a 7 piece ska-punk band formed in New Jersey by songwriter/lead singer/guitarist, Tomas Kalnoky. Although Streetlight is considered a ska band, they are definitely more than just that, they are a combination of ska, punk, rock, reggae, classical, world, and more.

There were 3 opening bands. The first band was a pop punk band called Broadway Calls. I've heard some of there songs before and they sound pretty good, but I didn't get there in time to see them last night; I'm going to make sure that I see them when they open for the Gaslight Anthem in October.

The 2nd band was Outernational. This band was definitely something else. They are a 5 piece band out of New York City. Their music is a mix of reggae, rock, a bit of ska and punk, with a hint of gypsy. Sounds like a funny mix eh? Well it works, every song was catchy and had everybody bopping their heads. What was also cool about them was they said they live in New York, but they aren't Americans, they are "internationalists" meaning that they consider the entire world their home. I bought their cd after their ep after the show, and who do I find it is the producer? My hero, Tom Morello. No wonder I liked them so much.

The 3rd opener were local physcobilly heroes The Creepshow. The Creepshow consists of a drummer, an organist, a standing bass player and is fronted by lead singer/guitarist Sarah "Sin" Blackwood. They have been on the scene for a few years now, and their fan base keeps growing and growing. They were recently signed to one of the biggest punk labels ever, Hellcat Records. This was my 3rd time seeing them, and every time I see them they keep getting better and better. They played for 45 minutes and everybody was into it, and quite a few people were singing the lyrics too.

Finally, after two months that seemed like two years of waiting, Streetlight Manifesto took the stage. I knew this was the show where everybody was gonna give it there all, because this is the last slew of streetlight dates before they take a break for at least a year. At 10:30, the lights went out, and the 7 members walked on stage. I remember having a rush of adrenaline as soon as the brass players hit the first note. The crowd was mixed into two areas. There was the mosh pit which was in the front by the stage and everybody would squish forward, and there was the skank pit where everybody was dancing near the back. I was mostly in front in the pit, but I was in the skanking pit a bit too. I've seen and been in pits like this tons of times before, but this time it just felt so special. Even though this was my third time seeing them, and like my 50th mosh pit, it felt like it was the first time I've been to a concert and that felt so good. Everybody knew the words for most of the songs and everyone connected like a community.