20 Watts

Despite the weather, fans came in big numbers to see the Verizon Wireless Tour.  Most of the audience was there from the start, and stayed the whole time to see Boys Like Girls finish off the three band lineup.

Lights, comprised of 21-year-old Canadian singer-songwriter Valerie Poxleitner and her two backing musicians, opened the show.  Each song received great feedback from the audience, despite the group’s obscurity, and many people went to meet Poxleitner at her merch table after her set.  Her synth pop electronic style and catchy vocals made for a great opening set.

Cute Is What We Aim For’s set followed in order, but not in quality, as their use of studio auto-tuning was evident in frontman Shaant Hacikyan’s lack of singing ability.  The crowd still seemed pleased with the set, which Cute dedicated to one of their SU fans.

Boys Like Girls headlined the show, and rightfully so, as they captured the audience quickly and for the duration of their set, playing hits such as “Five Minutes to Midnight”, “Dance Hall Drug”, and a cover of Frou Frou’s “Let Go” before closing with the very popular “The Great Escape”.  Their high energy set and between-song conversations kept fans captivated from the first song to the last.

The homecoming show was a hit, and I am sure UU will get lots of credit for booking the Verizon Tour again this year.

– Cameron Hepburn