After Midnight Project at the Roxy Theatre

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Written by Brittany Woolsey

Saturday, 05 March 2011 21:26

Sunset Boulevard roared Friday night, as a few hundred After Midnight Project fans crammed themselves into the intimate Roxy Theatre as part of the KROQ Locals Only series.

Throughout their 14-song set, the band played songs from their 2009 release, “Let’s Build Something to Break,” as well as new songs off their upcoming EP, “You Belong.” After Midnight Project showed that despite having no bassist, they could still kick ass. During some songs, Jason Evigan (vocals) pounded on a drum, showing that smooth vocals weren’t that only talent in his repertoire. Kicking off with their latest single, “Hour Glass,” After Midnight Project commanded the stage, hardly standing still throughout their entire set. That is, until the band stopped the song to playfully complain about their set starting more than a half hour later than their scheduled time, and joked that they needed to start over and get a proper introduction. The crowd seemed to agree, as they laughed and shared frustrations of an opening band making After Midnight Project late.

Although “Hour Glass” made its debut only a few days ago, plenty of the audience members knew the words to the optimistic song. As Evigan belted out the chorus, the fans were on their feet, jumping to the rhythm of the song and setting the pace for what was to be a great night.Immediately following “Hour Glass,” with no interlude, the band broke into “The Becoming.” As Evigan performed the song that basically tells an ex-lover or ex-friend to go to hell, the sea of people raised their fists as he sang, “I’m going to throw my fist in the air and erase you from my memory so I can leave you and all of this shit behind!”

As After Midnight Project played some songs off their upcoming record, it became apparent that the group is aiming for a somewhat poppier sound, which their fans didn’t seem to mind at all. Many of the new songs started off mellow, gradually becoming harder as the song progressed. “On the Other Side” showed a softer side to the band, with a calmer and sweet melody. Coupled with Evigan’s charming vocals, the song was a crowd-pleaser, making many eager for the album’s release.

Instead of coming out for an encore, Evigan said that he “wasn’t feeling it,” and instead continued the set with no break. The band ended their set with a new song, “Take the World,” as well as two older crowd favorites, “Take Me Home” and “Scream for You.”“Take the World” was also well-received with a beginning of a constant drum beat by Ryan Folden and guitar melodies by Christian Meadows and Spencer Bastian. The song was uplifting and spread positive vibes throughout the venue with lyrics like “I will show the world how beautiful you are. I will take the world on for you.”

The crowd clapped in unison to the beat of the group’s most popular song, “Take Me Home.” With powerful vocals by Evigan and backup vocals by Meadows, as well as catchy guitar rifts, the song had many singing along. “Scream for You” is one of the band’s heaviest songs and many joined Evigan in belting out the chorus.

When After Midnight Project left the stage, many began chanting for an encore, despite it being near midnight and the band had already played their encore.

After Midnight Project’s newest independent EP, “You Belong,” is due out April 1.

Set List:
• Hour Glass
• The Becoming
• Hollywood
• Come On, Come On
• Fire In the Sky
• Open Door
• Dub Step Interlude
• Keep My Feet
• Backlit
• The Real Thing
• The Other Side
• Take the World
• Take Me Home
• Scream for You