Crocodile Rock in Allentown is a great place to see a show. From the outside, it’s an unassuming pizza joint, but tucked in the back is dive bar with a stage with a sort of ghetto jungle appeal. For decor, they’ve duct taped branches and leaves to the columns and the place is ridiculously warm. None of this matters, what does it that it’s the kind of small room where you feel intimately connected to the music regardless of where you stand or the size of the crowd.
When we arrived, the first opening band, Seattle’s Fall From Grace, was almost through their set, and seemed to have effectively gotten the crowd’s blood flowing. The second band, The Audition had a large following at this show; they’ve been together for almost a decade so this is no surprise. Lead singer Danny Stevens took to the stage with ease and comfort (also barefoot) and the band played like a well-oiled backyard party band. I felt myself starting to bounce along very early in their set, during “Make It Rain”. For their last song, Danny took a walk through the crowd on the barricades to watch his band play, and who could blame him? They’re fun and catchy, and definitely worth checking out.
As a fan of Eve 6 in the 90s, I was wondering if they’d perform together with the same energy that I’d seen all those years ago, and they did not disappoint. Singer Max Collins has a way with sing-songy rhyming and homophones; it’s fun to watch him spout his tongue-twister lyrics flawlessly. Luckily for me, this style did not change between their last release in 2003 and now. They dove right into new material, with “Situation Infatuation” off the new album ‘Speak in Code’, and followed that with “Promise”, a single off their second album Horrorscope. Before they played “Leech” from their debut cd, Max dedicated it to the ‘old timers’, but considering this was a successful single for them, it’s not surprising the entire crowd responded. Also well-received were other Horrorscope tracks “Here’s to the Night” and “On the Roof Again”, and current single “Victoria”.
A highlight of the show was an acoustic version of “At Least We’re Dreaming” from It’s All in Your Head. When Max switched to the acoustic guitar, he said the crowd might be asking what he was doing, and explained that all the songs start there. The album version of “Dreaming” is typical Eve 6 but I love hearing it this way, raw and emotional, exposed. I was also happy to hear “Amphetamines” and “B.F.G.F.”, and that they did not end their set with “Inside Out”. Instead, they played that followed by “Open Road Song”. After a very quick break from the stage, they did a one song encore (“Rescue”) as a special request for a fan who apparently put a lot of effort into seeing them.
I thought that seeing one of my old favorite bands might feel like I was reliving old memories, or that they wouldn’t hold up. Turns out that the chemistry been long-time band mates and friends perseveres. I look forward to catching Eve 6 again, hopefully without an 8 year gap this time.
