As my first time slinging cream, Hellogoodbye at Chain Reaction was quite the experience. We thought their fans might enjoy a treat or two so we squeezed the van next to the loading area of Chain Reaction in Anaheim and set up camp. After a few hitches, we opened up shop and the pierced, tattooed, and hipster lovely beings there to see Hellogoodbye, Fun, Limbeck, and My Favorite Highway (or to promote something else entirely) formed a steady line and gladly accepted Ninja Turtle pops and Big Dippers, although were incredulous at our existence (a standard reaction, really). Those who already knew us were happy to see us and say “hi”.
I was able to sneak off the truck for the last couple of minutes of Fun.’s set to catch them play “Holy Ghost” off their upcoming debut album Aim and Ignite. Nate Ruess, formerly of The Format, and friends were full of energy and performed an eclectic mix of sounds, adding an acoustic guitar and horns to the traditional rock band dynamic. At the risk of sounding cheesy, Fun. was fun and left me wishing it was Tuesday already (the day of their CD release, August 15th).
After slinging some cream to a few more happy customers, we closed down the truck to watch Hellogoodbye take the stage. It’s great as a fan getting to see a band with a larger name playing a small venue again. Even Forrest Klein, frontman for the band, commented that he had worried for weeks that they wouldn’t all fit on a stage as small as Chain Reaction’s. However, when he arrived, he realized that Chain Reaction is, “the perfect size club with the perfect size stage, perfect sized kids, with perfect sized heads to cut open and eat everything and we’ll all be happy forever and ever.” If you can’t already tell, Hellogoodbye don’t take themselves too seriously and are making music to have fun. They opened with songs “Shimmy Shimmy Quarter Turn” and “Call n’ Return” off their self-titled EP, drenched in synth and keys and topped with quirky lyrics like “How can I check lost-and-found when I’m too busy getting down?”
The band treated the crowd to some new material, to which Forrest required that the crowd “wiggle.” The new songs were almost as sweet as the ice cream sandwiches Craig threw to the crowd before Hellogoodbye’s set. Dancing keyboard melodies, pounding drum interludes, and a trumpet-addition prove that the band Hellogoodbye isn’t messing around when it comes to writing songs. However, a void in the band was obvious when guitarist Ryan Daly asked new member Joe Marro, (formerly of The Early November), if he had learned the lyrics to “Jesse Buy Nothing.” Teasing aside, Joe did a great job filling such big shoes of the band’s former keyboard player, Jesse Kurvink, who left Hellogoodbye last year to go to college.
Sneaking out of the venue after the crowd enthusiastically sang along with “Oh, It Is Love,” I headed out to the truck to be bombarded with excited fans after Hellogoodbye finished their set. After photos with Hellogoodbye and Fun. we got back on the road. My first real Ice Cream Man experience was a total success. Lots of smiles and good music. And what is better than free ice cream, good music, and smiles? Pretty much nothing.
