Less Than Jake- Castle Theatre

     Wednesday night, I went to the Castle Theater to see Less Than Jake with their openers, The Raging Nathans and Strung out, This show was part of the Less Than Jake’s Return to Rockview tour, and it was so incredibly fun! The atmosphere was amazing, the people were so nice, and the acts were so fun. 

     The night started with a punk rock/metal band called The Raging Nathans, who did a great job of getting the audience hyped up. They were super exciting, but I thought Strung Out absolutely killed it. They were so full of energy and they really brought the whole crowd’s mood up to the max. Something that I really loved about them was their quick turnaround between songs. They did some crowd work, but you could really tell it was all about the music for them. 

     Then there was Less than Jake. Where do I even begin? I have been the biggest fan of them for years now and seeing them live was electric. I would say this was one of my favorite shows I’ve ever been to. The band members were all so enthusiastic and engaged with the crowd, which made a comfortable and laid back atmosphere. Throughout the show, there was a ton of banter and funny moments. The guys in front of me at the barricade got invited on stage to play air trombone! Less Than Jake’s setup on stage was also so fun. They had a 3D version of their album cover, Welcome To Rockview, along with light up smoke machines and two of those inflatable guys you see at car washes. Overall, you could really tell that they were just happy to be with their fans and they had a lot of pride in what they were doing. 

     The set list was super interesting. Because this tour is all about their biggest album, they played it all the way through. They played my favorite songs, “All My Best Friends are Metalheads,” “History of a Boring Town” and a bunch that I’d never heard before. After they finished the album, they said “ok, we’re gonna go behind that curtain and if you yell real loud, we’ll come back out.” So, that’s what we did. The night ended with “The Science of Selling Yourself Short” and “Look What Happened.”

     I am so happy that I was able to go see this band and I was glad it was at the Castle Theatre. I know this venue never disappoints. The shows here are always well organized, safe, and enjoyable for everyone.