Location: Philadelphia, PA

Venue: World Cafe Live

Date: January 11, 2009

Line Up: SafetySuit, Parachute, Cheap Seats

SafetySuit

Parachute and SafetySuit are two bands that have been getting a lot of attention over the last 2 years. You probably have heard a couple of their songs on MTV and VH1, or even on your local rock station. Although I don’t often listen to mainstream music, I do enjoy Parachute and SafetySuit’s music. I grabbed their albums just a few months ago. Losing Sleep by Parachute, and Life Left To Go by SafetySuit have been constantly playing in my car’s stereo since then.

This past week I had the opportunity to see both Parachute and SafetySuit in Philadelphia at the World Cafe Live. I was surprised when I found out that both bands are co-headlining a small tour around the country. The World Cafe Live is a unique venue in Philly. The place is divided in two rooms, “UpStairs” (a bar and restaurant with a small stage) and “DownStairs” a much bigger room with a nice stage, bar and a mezzanine. Cheap Seats, a local band, opened the show “DownStairs”. They aren’t so bad, the frontman Vincent John has a great stage presence but unfortunately they dressed cheesy (like they were lost somewhere in the 50’s) and the vocals weren’t all that great. However, they are a new band and they still have a way to go. I hope I catch them around town sometime as they continue crafting their music.

SafetySuit was the next band on stage. After some 10 to 15 minutes of setting up their equipment the band came in and started to play. Vocalist, Douglas, started pumping up the crowd even before he could be seen on stage. He came running in, just in time to sing the first verse. SafetySuit played a total of 8 songs including hit singles Stay, Annie, and Someone Like You. As I recall only the opening song wasn’t from their debut album Life Left To Go. SafetySuit is simply amazing on stage. They moved quite a bit from side to side and they also spent time interacting with the crowd in between songs. Dave (guitarist) was all over the stage, jumping, dancing, air-kicking and whatnot. Sometimes it seemed he was in some sort of aerobics class. He had the whole crowd jumping with him from the moment he entered the stage. SafetySuit’s live music sounds just as good as in studio, plus an extra dosage of energy. Their performance met my expectations.

Parachute

Parachute has a huge female fan base, that were gathering up in front of the stage all night. None of them dared to move or take a break just so they could keep their spots. Led by, multi-talented frontman Will, Parachute came on stage slowly, playing a couple of slow-paced, piano filled, songs. The audience, that had been screaming with their hands up in the air during SafetySuit’s performance, was a little quieter now. It almost led me to believe that most people came to see SafetySuit perform. However, the atmosphere soon began to change as Parachute played hit after hit. She, Ghost, Back Again, Blame It On Me, and The Mess I Made were all on the playlist for that night. Under Control was the song that reached the climax of the night. Even the tougher guys in the back that came only to escort their girlfriends were tapping their feet, rocking their bodies back and forth.

Will makes an honest and sometimes peculiar face when he sings. It really seems as if he is pouring out his best. At moments when playing the piano he could barely stay seated, he urged to stand up and sing along with the crowd that were singing every word with him. The saxophone played by Kit French filled the air above and complimented each piano stroke. After the seventh or eighth song, the band thanked everyone and left the stage quickly. Their early exit was clearly done on purpose as they still had songs that everyone wanted them to play. After a few moments of much request the band rushed back on the stage to play In The Air Tonight, a classic Phil Collins song. Collins’ song had everyone singing along. It was the perfect song to set the mood for She Is Love, which is arguably one of the best songs on Losing Sleep. After the final song was finished, Will picked up a camera from one of his fans and took a couple of shots of the crowd.

The night ended. Everyone seemed pleased, as if they had learned something good that night. All three bands met in the lobby afterwards to take pictures, sell some merchandise, and talk to fans.

*Unfortunately I didn’t have a camera with me to get pictures this time!

Posted on January 21st, 2010