Jimmy Eat World
Friday, July 20
The Granada
Better Than:Yelling for "Sweetness" alone in a dark room.
By Crystal K. Wiebe
The guy next to me must have felt very cheated by his Jimmy Eat World experience last Friday night. The drunk bastard kept yelling for “Sweetness,” but the band never played the guy's favorite song during a sold-out show at the Granada. I would have enjoyed a live rendition of that massive hit, too. But it was satisfying to know that the guy who annoyed me all night went home a little irritated himself.
Most of the band’s other popular songs made it onto the setlist, albeit acoustically. Performed that way, the power pop was stripped down to its naked, emo heart, which inspired lots of young couples to hold each other and sway to the music, despite the oppressive temperature inside the venue.
Security didn't allow us to photograph the show, so here's an old promo shot.
The preponderance of earnest, bittersweet anthems about failing love and growing up did border on redundant, although I admit to blinking back a tear during the tender last song of the night, “Hear You, Me,” a song about the most final of farewells. Frontman Jim Adkins can really nail regret. But some songs – like “The Middle,” which Adkins played solo on the acoustic – just wouldn’t have been that interesting if you didn’t have prior knowledge of the rocked-out version.
The high point of the show occurred about halfway through. The swelling intensity of “Disintegration” – guess what’s falling apart (again) – proved that Jimmy can bring it, even without excessive amplification.
No doubt the band will have that next time around. The acoustic tour that brought the band to Lawrence is a warm-up before it goes back on the road to support a new album, due out in September. Some new material got previewed Friday night, including “Carry You,” yet another end-of-the-road take on romance.
Hey, at least the band knows what it’s good at.
Personal Bias: The only Jimmy Eat World album I have is a pirated copy of Futures.
Random Detail: Adkins was wearing a navy blue Western-style button-down with white piping.
By the way: No matter the name of the song, Adkins isn't 23 anymore.
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