While sitting between the rain drops Thursday night during the Gin Blossoms performance at the
square, I felt like it was 1996 again.
Seeing local band More Than Me take the stage like some kind of rock-NSync-meets-Maroon 5
surprise brought me back to high school, heck, even before high school, when I first heard the band's CD from my cousin, their fellow student at Kenmore East High School. Their sound is good; More Than Me is polished, clean and upbeat. They reported that they won VH1's song of the year contest and have a single out on Kiss 98.5.
It was really that kind of night, when I remembered staying up to listen to the "Kiss 10 at 10" every night or taping my favorite songs off the radio in middle school. And I think the nostalgia was catching. Lots of other twentysomthings, though not exclusively, bopped around when the Gin Blossoms staples "Hey Jealousy," "Til I Hear It From You" and "Follow You Down."
Granted, most of the songs sounded the same, and Robin Wilson proceeded to throw up the "rock on" symbol using his index and pinkie fingers more often then was necessary or even cool, but still, standing in the slush hearing a lead singer from the '90s who hasn't lost his chops (sorry, Johnny Rzeznik) was great.
Not only that, but a 3-year-old, there with his mom and dad, proceeded to make friends with everyone on the steps of the statue. Those of you who faithfully read Jeff Miers' Sound Check column know he wrote about bringing children to concerts early and often. While I don't advocate taking them to the 3 Doors Down show tonight at Darien Lake, I think the Gin Blossoms are benign enough, even if the square isn't always so. And I was pleased to dance around with the little fella while he soaked up some music education.
Makes me think of my first concert: 98 Degrees at the Erie County Fair.
Ah, memories.
---Kristen Rajczak