Punk rock powerhouse Brand New arrived Saturday night at the Bryce Jordan Center as the last stop for the United States leg of its Fight Off Your Demons Tour. Indie rock bands The Front Bottoms and Modern Baseball opened the show, and there were few late arrivers in the audience, with the crowd was present and high-energy for both openers. The younger openers factored into the large crowd, as both young and old in attendance.
Formed in 2000, Brand New has millions of social media followers and a heavy fanbase. Its popular songs like “Jesus Christ” and “Sowing Season (yeah)” show off lead singer Jesse Lacey’s unique blend of quiet, melodic vocals followed by intense guitar riffs, insane percussion, and impressively pitched yelling.
The show opened with Modern Baseball, and within minutes, the audience was cheering and singing along. Security even had to contain a few crowd-surfers, which is often held off until the headliners. On the last day of the tour, Modern Baseball gave it everything it had, and the audience responded accordingly — there was a wave of disappointment when its half hour set was up.
The Front Bottoms to come on brought a unique and well-received set to the excited crowd. It played its set with furniture all around, friends onstage eating Chinese food, and flickering lamps next to all band members.
As the Front Bottoms exited the stage, the energy and excitement for Brand New to come on reverberated throughout the entire BJC. Brand New made its entrance on a completely black stage with the first few chords of “Mix Tape.” The crowd erupt into cheers, and screamed every word.
Modern Baseball brought an energetic opening set to the BJC. Photo: Trevor Hayes/Onward State
The special effects weren’t necessary since Brand New’s music had the audience captivated, but the projectors that distorted the band member faces and colorful lights combined had a trippy effect to make it more than a musical experience. Brand New played a mix of both old and new songs, ranging from 2003’s “Okay I Believe You, But My Tommy Gun Don’t” to 2006’s “Degausser” to 2011’s “Mix Tape.”
Brand New put on an electric show that appealed to both old and new fans alike. The band rarely spoke and focused entirely on nearly two hours of straight music. Combined with the incredible lights and effects, it had an amazing final show of the US part of its tour. One thing’s for sure, although they aren’t a “Brand New” band, Brand New is timeless in its talent.
