Hear/Say: America's College Music Magazine

		Features: Katy Perry Katy Perry Travis Franz Ferdinand Concert Connection Fall Out Boy Bryan Adams New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival Death Cab For Cutie Mates of State/Black Kids Morrissey Cornmeal / Cabinet Campus Correspondent Little Brazil The Tragically Hip J.J. Cale Grandmaster Flash Samantha Crain & the Midnight Shivers Green River Ordinance Rush Reel Big Fish Fastball A.C. Newman Dierks Bentley Beastie Boys Antony and the Johnsons War Child—Heroes, Vol. 1 KMFDM Lily Allen Ben Kweller John Frusciante

		Bad Boy Bill Mindy Smith Magnolia Electric Co. Dolores O’Riordan Ramona Falls Fact Doves Erasure Phish Iggy Pop And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead Mirah Owen Beverly Papa Roach An Horse Dan Deacon Peter Bjorn and John Sam Roberts Great Lake Swimmers Madina Lake Kelly Clarkson Red Jumpsuit Apparatus Mark Olson & Gary Louris The Soundtrack of Our Lives Thursday U2 Chris Cornell The Decemberists Meg & Dia Ace Enders & A Million Different People Sonicbids

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Mates of State/Black Kids
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Metro/Chicago, IL

Review by Alyssa Vincent, North Central College

What happens when a motley crew of kids from Jacksonville, FL meet a duo that originally hails from Lawrence, KS? Confetti is spewed, projectors offer up Technicolor landscapes and tons of upbeat music offers the perfect soundtrack for the evening.

On Saturday, April 11, Mates of State and Black Kids hit the Metro in Chicago. Both bands offered their unique sounds, and the show itself was pure indie pop entertainment. The show was slated to begin at 7pm, but opening act Sunbears! arrived onstage a little behind schedule. However, what they lacked in timeliness, they made up for in energy and aesthetics. This Floridian duo offered a more electronic feel than Mates and Kids, but it was a great way to warm up the crowd. Even though they were just a starter, they looked like they were having the time of their lives and wanted to make sure the crowd was enjoying themselves just as much. Whether they were exploding confetti bombs into the audience, or sending around a massive balloon, Sunbears! knows how to utilize props in a show. Even with all the stimuli they offered, though—including a projection screen with a rainbow of cartoonish images—it didn’t overshadow their highly energetic music, played on a drum set and a candy cane-colored piano.

After a short break, Black Kids took to the stage. The Jacksonville quintet is known for their danceable songs, but since the crowd still seemed to be easing themselves into the set, there weren’t many dance moves getting shown off. At one point, the lead singer even commented on the apparent lack of excitement. Even with a slightly lackluster crowd, the two ladies in the band did more than enough dancing for the set. Fittingly, they opened the set with “Listen to Your Body Tonight,” which prompted quite a few cheers, if not dance moves, from their fans. While each song was performed well, it seemed like they were just waiting to get to the grand finale—“I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You.” Any lack of enthusiasm in the crowd disappeared with the first chords of the song, and all of the Metro was dancing along with the Kids for this track.

Finally, Mates of State found their way on to the stage around 9:15pm. The best part of their set was in their improvisation, as well as their ability to fluidly link their songs together with instrumental breaks. Also, the addition of a violinist and a cellist was beautiful—and they knew how to rock out along with Kori Gardner and Jason Hammel. The set was a mix of new and old songs, and Kori stuck with her trusty organ for the majority of the performance. The crowd went wild for every track, including the final one, “Goods (It’s All In Your Head), which featured additional percussion from Sunbears! However, the highlight of the show occurred mere minutes after they left the stage. Hammel and Gardner set up in the lobby of the Metro to play a gorgeous acoustic cover of Tom Waits’ “Long Way Home,” which truly was the perfect end to an enormously entertaining night.