I had the pleasure of attending a sold out Yellowcard concert at the Orlando House of Blues that was thoroughly impressive. Not only am I a fan of Yellowcard, but also one of my favorite bands, The Spill Canvas, rocked the stage right before Yellowcard.

The opening acts included: Treaty of Paris, Secondhand Serenade, PlayRadioPlay!, and The Spill Canvas.

I’ve seen all of these bands previously with the exception of Secondhand Serenade. Honestly, I wasn’t a big fan of Treaty to Paris the first time, and I can’t say my feelings about them changed all that much.

They’re pretty good, but for the most part I find their lyrics to be a bit weak. Secondhand Serenade was definitely a crowd pleaser.

When the lead singer of Secondhand Serenade, John Vesely, began singing the bands hit single, “Fall for You,” I was certain one of the screaming girls was going to run onto the stage and rip his clothes off. Sadly, from a female perspective, this failed to transpire.

Instead, you could hear a room full of people singing in unison, sincere and passionate lyrics.

The next band, PlayRadioPlay!, is a bit of a funny story. First of all, I became a fan of PlayRadioPlay! after attending a Spill Canvas concert last semester. They have a truly unique sound with even more compelling lyrics.

Forgive me, I digress; back to the funny story. PlayRadioPlay! were supposed to perform third in the lineup, but unfortunately, the bands trailer broke down on the way to the concert. The lead singer pressed on and took the stage alone with only a guitar and his MacBook.

If you have listened to this band you already know that most of their music is computer generated. Dan embraced the opportunity and performed solo with his laptop to the delight of the crowd.

Now for The Spill Canvas. I have seen this band live four times now. I’ve loved each time, and I appreciate their music more and more when I see them play. They truly exude a passion and love for music that is hard to find in bands today.

They love what they do and love the music. I particularly loved hearing “Hush, Hush” and, “Staplegunned” live. They certainly had everyone singing along and rocking out.

Yellowcard closed the show with an acoustic set. It was comprised of two acoustic guitars, a violin and a cello.

They played both old hits and new songs from their CD Paper Walls. It was nice to hear an acoustic set.

I have never personally attended a strictly acoustic set. They closed the show with the song, ” Only One.” No exaggeration…everyone was singing along. Even the huge macho guy was singing ever so quietly to one of Yellowcards most well-known love songs.

This was definitely a concert that was worth driving to see. There’s nothing better then seeing and hearing a group of strangers come together through music.

If you haven’t heard the wonderful news already, Yellowcard is going to be at our school Thursday, April 17.

I hope you come out to see them because you will have a great time. Hope to see all of you there!