Kari Williams posted on July 16, 2011 00:00
The Pointfest Announcement Show invaded Pop’s Friday with great local music and an impressive list of bands for the September show at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater.
Brookroyal headlined the Pointfest Announcement Show, starting their set with “Inspiration,” immediately getting the crowd excited. They then went in to “Tear Me Down,” followed with “Motives,” which got the already amped up crowd jumping like crazy. Lead vocalist Jack Wiese got off the stage and on the floor during “Motives,” getting their fists pumping.
Not too long after he mingled with the people, he yelled out something along the lines of, ‘If I jump, you better fuckin’ catch me!” Then he leapt into the crowd without a moment’s hesitation. Next, Brookroyal played a new song, “Drama Queen,” which was obviously well-received by the pro-Brookroyal crowd.
After the new song, they reached back to their “There Was a Time” EP for one of my favorite Brookroyal songs, “Friend.” The energy that came over everyone—fans and band alike—when Brookroyal took the stage was amazing. I have seen them a couple times before, and each time their stage presence and interaction has improved.
They also dished out “Hello” and another new song, “Move,” which I didn’t care for, but everyone else seemed to like it. For their second to last song, “There Was a Time,” Wiese thanked 105.7 the Point for playing and supporting the song, as well as fans for requesting it. During the song, they mixed in a little “We Will Rock You.” This amazingly talented group ended the night with “Save Today,” sending fans to the Oz after-party stoked and ready to party.
Before Brookroyal took the stage, Last Nights Vice was raring to go. They kicked their set off with “Power Cosmic” then went into “Perfect Little Noise” and “314.” Despite my obvious bias and partiality for Last Nights Vice, it was easy to see that they owned that stage and made an impression on anyone who hasn’t seen them live. Having just come off of playing at Fair St. Louis and a show in Chicago last week, these guys have been on a roll with no intentions of pumping the breaks.
From the first song, they commanded the stage like the rock stars they’re destined to be. Just in the couple years I’ve seen them, their confidence and ability has sky-rocketed. And it’s easy to tell they’re having fun. When the band has fun and they’re enjoying themselves, fans notice and react accordingly. And Last Nights Vice has an uncanny knack for making that happen every time they play.
They also rocked out to “Gin and Tonic” and their latest single, “Dance While you Still Have Time.” Before they started the latter, lead vocalist Brandon House told the crowd to “Dance like your dad when he’s drunk”—and some people took that to heart.
Before their final song, lead guitarist Joe Fitzsimmons said, “I’m gonna rock my balls off. After this song there will be no balls.” Then the group went right into their power ballad, and my favorite LNV song, “All I.”
Fivefold took the stage previously, and their charisma shined through from the moment they started playing. Though they worked hard to get the crowd into the music, their natural talent and likeability made it easy for fans to give in. As soon as they started, I knew I was going to like Fivefold. Having only heard of them before this show, I wasn’t sure what to expect. But their solid rock sound attracted me immediately. Some of the songs they played included “Make up your Mind” and “Find my Way.”
They are one of the most interactive local bands I’ve seen. They encourage the crowd to dance, sing and do pretty much whatever moves them. When lead vocalist Ryan Cheney got the crowd ready for, “Not the only one,” he said he was “slowing down for all the ladies out there.” Fivefold ended their set with “Never Enough.”
Corvus opened the show after the Pointfest lineup was announced. I hadn’t seen Corvus since the last Pointfest Announcement Show. They weren’t my favorite at the time, but they have definitely improved in the few months since then. One song they played was “Incredibilis.” The crowd seemed to be in to the band, which kicked off the announcement show in perfect fashion.
With lead vocalist David Brown’s voice reminiscent of Our Lady Peace’s Raine Maida, I was quick to give them another chance. They put on a good set that engaged the crowd and left me wanting to see more of Corvus. They ended their set with “Plastic,” which Brown said was “a big, ‘Fuck you,’ to fake people.
Before the show started, the following bands were announced for the Pointfest lineup Sept. 10 at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater: (Newly reunited) The Urge, Chevelle, Cake, Bush, Hurt, Middle Class Rut, 10 Years, Janus, Greek Fire, Brookroyal, Shaman’s Harvest and Redline Chemistry.
Pointfest tickets go on sale July 23. More information can be found here.