No Knife Sunny Day Real Estate at Metro

"Hello, I should be on the guest list."
"Alright, what’s your name and who’s list?"
"My name is Jason Jackowiak and I should be on No Knife’s list."
"I’m sorry, I don’t see your name on this list, Jason."
"What? I should have a plus one and a camera pass!"
"I’m sorry, I don’t see your name on this list. Let me check the others."
"Ok."
“Nope, I’m sorry -- you don’t seem to be on any of these lists.”
“Alright, it’s not your fault...thanks for checking.”
To Jason B: “Good thing we didn’t sell those tickets!”
“Amen”

This is how my evening at Metro started out: dissed on list action and thanking the lord above that we actually bought tickets just in case. The list didn’t really matter anyhow; somebody upstairs saw fit that I see Sunny Day Real Estate one way or another. So feeling like complete dorks for looking like we were trying to be somebody that we weren’t, we handed over our tickets and trucked upstairs to find a good vantage point. After we'd hung out for an hour or so, and had given in and purchased an absurdly priced bottle of water, No Knife finally took the stage.

Sound check-less due to heavy traffic, the band spent a few moments fine tuning their sonic weapons before unleashing their fury upon the ever-growing crowd. Despite the lack of a sound check the band’s sound was tight, brash and explosive. Throughout their hour-long set the band delved into their back catalogue for some of their more exciting, not to mention lengthy numbers. The remainder of the set was dedicated to material culled from their forthcoming LP Fire in the City of Automations. Their dueling guitars and tag-team vocals satiated the Sunny Day massive, even winning over a vast majority of the hipper-than-thou onlookers by the end of their set. As No Knife exited stage left, the tension was already starting to mount; the club was nearly packed and SDRE’s set did not begin for a good half-an-hour.

By the time the lights went out and the band took the stage the place was jammed. Balconies normally half-full were at maximum capacity, with people packed into every conceivable nook and cranny. Offering a brief greeting, the band got settled then tore straight into a fiercely rocking version of “Fool in the Photograph”. Amazing was the sound which emanated from the stage -- a sound which found touring bass player Nick Macri (of Heroic Doses) and keyboardist/guitarist Greg Ciran meshing perfectly with the SDRE's three original members. From "Fool..." they rolled straight into a wondrous version of “Pillars”, followed directly by a high-octane reading of “One”. This trend continued throughout the set, with song after song being dispatched promptly and perfectly. New tracks like “The Ocean” and “Disappear” fused effortlessly with favorites such as “Every Shining Time You Arrive” and “Guitar and Video Games”. Without a doubt the highlight of the regular set was the band’s anthemic rendering of “Snibe”, which saw all three guitarists flailing about while drummer William Goldsmith, wearing little clothing (and his usual shit-eating grin) pounded the kit mercilessly. The band’s venomous three-guitar attack served to provide the added firepower needed on newer and more musically complex songs like “Killed by an Angel” and “One”. LP2 standout “J’Nuh” closed out the regular set in joyous fashion, leaving the crowd screaming for more, which they got in spades.

SDRE began the encore with a blood-red version of “8”. Enigk’s soaring vocals, combined with Goldsmith’s relentless pummeling and his own as well as Hoerner’s and Ciran’s wailing guitars, proved to be the highlight of the evening. The band then rolled out a gorgeously extended version of “The Rising Tide” before ending the night with the triumphant crowd driven wallop that is Diary’s “In Circles”. Thrashing their way through their most loved song, the band members looked euphoric -- especially guitarist Dan Hoerner, who played every note as if it was going to be his last. And with that, they were off, and the crowd were finally able to catch their breath.

Never before has a band so singlehandedly made people truly believe in the power and beauty of music -- which is exactly why Sunny Day Real Estate are so vital.

Guest list? Who cares!