Less Than Jake – The Castle Theatre

On Wednesday, March 27th, I had the pleasure of seeing Less Than Jake at the Castle Theater. One of my favorite things about this concert was getting to hear new music, as I had never heard of the first two openers before.

First, the night started with Raging Nathans, a four-piece band from Ohio. During their set, the lead singer and rhythm guitarist said “I bet you’re thinking ‘not bad for the opening band,” which was a shared sentiment in the crowd. As only about 15 people there knew of them previously, the rest in the crowd were all pleasantly surprised, as they brought the energy and the fast punk vibe to start off the concert. The lead guitarist blew me out of the water, as his solos were absolutely amazing yet very casual. The bassist also had an amazing stage presence, as he would play with his instrument in strange but cool positions. After seeing Raging Nathans, I can say I will definitely be looking out for their next show in the central Illinois area.

Next, Strung Out hit the stage, and once again I was amazed. As I had also never heard of them before, I was not sure what to expect, but they absolutely rocked it. All 5 members were dressed in black, giving them a sleek look. One thing that stood out to me from them was the drummer. Typically, punk music is fast, but he was much faster than other bands of their genre. With the faster beats going, the band members were constantly moving around stage, and showed genuine love for what they do as they played. The lead guitarist for this band was an amazing soloist, not to mention he had a gorgeous guitar. After seeing Strung Out, I have subscribed to them and have been listening to them non stop.

After their set, the crowd grew excited, as the cardboard cutouts for Less Than Jake were turned around one by one. They all represented a part of the album “Hello Rockview”, including a cutout of the guy on the album cover. When they came on stage, the energy in the theater was insane. I have been to a couple concerts at the Castle Theater before, but this was the most crowded I have ever seen it. There were people all the way to the merch in back, and multiple rows of people on the balcony. While Less Than Jake played, there were many different effects and props, including smoke machines and those blow up men you see at auto dealers. With a saxophone and trombone, I truly felt the ska vibe seeing them in person. My favorite part of their set was when they chose 2 men from the crowd to come on stage, as they said they were the best air trombone players they had ever seen. It was hilarious to see the guys air trombone playing next to the trombone player, as everyone on stage looked like they were having the time of their lives. Overall, I had an amazing time at this concert, and I would love to see all three bands again.