Reel Big Fish performed at noon, sticking heavily to their older, most well-known songs. In fact, only two of the band’s eleven songs were written in the last decade despite the band releasing more than fifty original cuts over the last ten years. The band’s sophomore album (issued in 1996, which contains re-recordings from their 1995 debut) contributed five of the set’s eleven songs, including absolutely stellar performances of “Beer” and “Sell Out”. Pretending to walk off stage after every song (“thanks, we’ve been the Reel Big Fish!”) in the first half of the set, the California natives set a jovial, lighthearted tone early.

With songs like “She Has a Girlfriend Now” — sings frontman Aaron Barrett during the song’s potent ending: “I never thought it would end like this just because I’ve got no tits / I’ll shave my legs, I’ll wear a bra, I”ll even cut my dick off for you”) — the band thrives on a playful setting, but doesn’t rely on it. Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl” was undoubtedly in jest, but the band’s cover of the Norwegian mega-hit “Take On Me” is as solid as any cover recorded in the last twenty years. And there lies Reel Big Fish’s true appeal. While many of their So-Cal peers understand the fun side of music, few execute with Reel Big Fish’s precision and musicianship.

Everything Sucks
Thank You For Not Moshing
Another F.U. Song
Brown Eyed Girl (Van Morrison cover)
Your Guts (I Hate ‘Em)
I Want Your Girlfriend to Be My Girlfriend Too
Snoop Dog, Baby
She Has a Girlfriend Now
Sell Out
Beer
Take On Me (A-Ha cover)

The Dillinger Escape Plan

Starkly contrasting the ska antics of Reel Big Fish, The Dillinger Escape Plan played a loud, brash, and to-the-point eight song setlist constructed largely from the band’s latest release, Option Paralysis. Beginning with 2004′s “Panasonic Youth”, the New Jersey locals tore through a career-spanning setlist that drew the biggest response with Calculating Infinity‘s “43% Burnt”. There’s no questioning the band’s unbelievable technical ability or vocalist Greg Puciato’s unrestrained vehemence, but it remains to be seen why the frontman ditches his trademark screams for an embarrassing attempt at traditional singing on songs like the closing “Farewell, Mona Lisa”. The Dillinger Escape Plan were likely the most potent heavy act of the day — that is, when the band stays fierce and unrelenting.

Panasonic Youth
Milk Lizard
43% Burnt
Room Full of Eyes
Chinese Whispers
Good Neighbor
Sunshine the Werewolf
Farewell, Mona Lisa

AM Taxi

The five-piece AM Taxi played next on the nearby side stage, showcasing their blend of Bruce Springsteen-influenced melodic punk rock. Comparable to The Replacements or The Gaslight Anthem, the Chicago natives ripped through a seven song set filled with songs from their recent debut, We Don’t Stand a Chance. Tight guitars, interesting bass lines, and rock-steady percussion backed frontman Adam Grier’s raspy vocals, with occasional keys provided by Luke Schmitt. The band appeared genuine and appreciative of the meager crowd they attracted, and during the penultimate “Shake, Rattle, and Stall” Schmitt traveled down to the audience to sell copies of the band’s album for just five dollars. The unique marketing tactic proved successful, and Schmitt sold every CD he had taken down to the crowd. The keyboardist returned to the stage for the band’s closing song, a solid cover of “Paint it Black”, and AM Taxi wrapped up their set to enormous applause from anyone lucky enough to have caught the up-and-coming act.

Dead Street
Woodpecker
The Mistake
Fed Up
Charissa
Shake, Rattle, and Stall
Paint it Black (The Rolling Stones cover)

Face to Face

Catching all of AM Taxi unfortunately meant missing part of Face to Face‘s setlist. Frontman Trever Keith was characteristically cynical throughout the set, at one point calling out fans of Bring Me the Horizon for idly standing around in the middle of the band’s set. Unquestionably one of the oldest bands in Monmouth Park that day, the California five-piece’s classic ’90s punk-pop was refreshing amongst a backdrop of neon-powered acts on nearby stages. Face to Face’s setlist included “Ordinary”, “Pastel”, “Velocity”, “A-OK”, “Complicated”, and a song from the band’s upcoming full-length, Laugh Now, Laugh Later.

The Riverboat Gamblers

Led by the charismatic Mike Wiebe, The Riverboat Gambers performed on a small sidestage in the mid-afternoon as Face to Face’s set wrapped up. The Texas quintet was exceptionally exciting, gathering a fairly large crowd that grew bigger and bigger as passersby noticed the intense live show. The band played a brand new song (“What Are You Waiting For?”) before wrapping up with Underneath the Owl‘s “Victory Lap” and Something to Crow About‘s “Hey Hey Hey!”; for the latter, Wiebe toppled a nearby trashcan, dragged it across the parking lot to the pit, and then climbed on top, demanding a circle-march around him for the song’s final moments.

The Swellers

The Swellers contractually finished their stint on the Warped Tour before the Oceanport date, but the band still set up a merch tent to make a few extra bucks before heading home to Michigan. In addition, the band teamed up with the Keep-A-Breast non-profit organization to perform a set of acoustic songs at 3PM. Barely miked and quickly improvised, the set consisted of four songs from the band’s latest full-length, Ups and Downsizing. Frontman Nick Diener was overwhelmingly cheerful and lighthearted, coming off extremely relaxed and accessible; his softer takes on normally swift punk-pop songs gave the tracks new life, displaying an honest, sincere vibe that feels missing on the band’s overproduced and lifeless album.

Do You Feel Better Yet?
Ups and Downsizing
Sleeper
Welcome Back Riders

The Mighty Regis

The Mighty Regis, a seven-piece Celtic-punk/folk-punk band from California, was next. Beginning with “Them Bastards” from 2008′s Another Nickel for the Pope, the band played a lengthy six song setlist. “Broken and Battered” was dedicated to Chicago Celtic-punks Flatfoot 56, whose singer Tobin Bawinkel would join the band later for a rousing cover of “Boys from the County Hell”. An unconventional take on “Danny Boy”, featuring Ryan O’Neill on pan flute, finished up The Mighty Regis’s set. Unfortunately, few saw the band put on one of the day’s best sets.

Them Bastards
The Brothers Rafferty
Broken and Battered
Celtic Storm
Boys from the County Hell (The Pogues cover)
Danny Boy

Alkaline Trio

The Flatliners played next, kicking their set off with “July! August! Reno!”. The Canadian punk quartet played a new song, “Common Collection”, next, but I left the sidestage afterwards to catch Alkaline Trio performing across the parking lot.  Opening with the rarely seen “She Took Him to the Lake”, the Chicago three-piece played a respectable collection of early-decade cuts, wisely opting to ignore the less-than-impressive offerings found on 2005′s Crimson and 2008′s Agony and Irony. “My Friend Peter” was a nice surprise, as was a totally unexpected and passionate Nomeansno cover that flew over the head of a crowd not-yet-born when the song was originally recorded in 1989. Alkaline Trio wrapped things up with “97″, tossing in the often-sampled chorus fromRock Master Scott & the Dynamic Three’s “The Roof is On Fire”.

She Took Him to the Lake
Armageddon
Emma
Dine Dine My Darling
My Friend Peter
Blue Carolina
Private Eye
Off the Map
Two Lips, Two Lungs, One Tongue (Nomeansno cover)
97

Motion City Soundtrack

Motion City Soundtrack performed the tightest set of the day, but it was unfortunately the exact same collection of songs performed by the Minnesota five-piece just a few months earlier at the nearby Bamboozle festival. Luckily, the songs are some of the band’s best. Things began with “Attractive Today” leading directly into I am the Movie‘s “The Future Freaks Me Out”, the entire crowd singing the song’s opening lines: “I’m on fire / and now I think I’m ready / to bust a move / check it out I’m rockin’ steady!”

With four albums to choose from, Motion City Soundtrack spread things out quite evenly. Tossing in three cuts from the band’s excellent 2010 release, My Dinosaur Life , frontman Justin Pierre was spot-on yet tired, clearly draining the remains of his stamina on the penultimate “Disappear”.  Still, closing track “Everything is Alright” sounded excellent and the crowd roared to the song’s opening riffs. Motion City Soundtrack never disappoints, but it would have been great if the band switched things up from their last New Jersey appearance just a few months earlier.

Attractive Today
The Future Freaks Me Out
My Favorite Accident
Broken Heart
A Lifeless Ordinary (Need a Little Help)
LG Fuad
This is For Real
Her Words Destroyed My Planet
Disappear
Everything is Alright

Set Your Goals

As the sun began to set, Set Your Goals played a large side-stage. Drawing in fans of all genres, the band opened things with their latest single, the blistering “Gaia Bleeds”, setting the tone of their performance immediately. “Goonies Say Die”, from their debut EP, made an appearance in the nine-song set, and a surprising number of attendees responded to the song. Highlights included “Summer Jam”, a song almost describable as a Warped Tour anthem, and the one-two closing punch of the “Dead Men Tell No Tales” into “Mutiny”. Unfortunately, the band sounded hollow — especially vocalists Matt Wilson and Jordan Brown — a far cry from their normally-outstanding intensity. The rest of the band picked up the slack, though, with crisp leads and rock-solid rhythms anchoring an enjoyable performance.

Gaia Bleeds (Make Way For Man)
The Fallen
This Very Moment
Summer Jam
Goonies Never Say Die
To Be Continued…
Echoes
Dead Men Tell No Tales
Mutiny

Criticisms of Warped Tour’s sixteenth year are often targeted at the overwhelming number of awful bands on the tour. It’s not unfounded. At the Oceanport date alone acts like Alesana, Artist vs Poet, Attack Attack, Breathe Carolina, Breathe Electric, Bring Me the Horizon, Emarosa, Emmure, Four Year Strong, Hey Monday, In Fear and Faith, Mayday Parade, NeverShoutNever, Pierce the Veil, VersaEmerge, and We the Kings undoubtedly cluttered the parking lot with uninteresting tunes, but there were more than enough diamonds in the rough worth checking out. At least one solid band was playing at any given time, including a number of overlaps that meant missing quality acts like Every Time I Die, Fake Problems, and Flatfoot 56. At just $40 per ticket, Warped Tour remains an excellent opportunity to see a large number of favorites in one day. More importantly, it might expose you to your new favorite band.

Photos credit to the amazing Rebecca Sawka.

Comeback Kid

Long running Comeback Kid kicked things off with Wake the Dead‘s “Partners in Crime”: “I did this to myself, the summer air burning in my lungs / One more glance till I come undone, let’s stop this rising sun”. With those opening lines, frontman Andrew Neufeld demanded crowd participation and rowdiness. Likely the most well-known Canadian punk/hardcore act, the five-piece tore through an excellent setlist loaded with cuts from their strongest effort, 2005′s Wake the Dead, and the packed crowd responded appropriately with singalongs, pits, and stage rushes.

Comeback Kid

The older songs (like followup “Talk is Cheap” or the much older “Die Tonight” from the band’s 2003 debut, Turn it Around) received the best response, and indeed it seems like the band knows that their latest effort Broadcasting…, was a giant step backwards: Comeback Kid picked just two cuts (“Hailing on Me” and the title track) from that 2007 effort for their thirteen-song, forty minute set. An upcoming cut from Symptoms and Cures, due out this fall on Distory Records, followed “Trouble I Love”; album-closer “Final Goodbye” was the penultimate song, and the band finished with single and title track “Wake the Dead” at 9:15.

Partners in Crime
Talk Is Cheap
Hailing on Me
Die Tonight
Broadcasting
Our Distance
All in a Year
The Trouble I Love
(New song)
False Idols Fall
Step Ahead
Final Goodbye
Wake the Dead

Set Your Goals

When Set Your Goals arrived on stage a half-hour later, the band announced that they would be playing the longest set of their career. It’s not hard to doubt that statement: the California six-piece dug through their entire discography, playing twenty songs across sixty minutes, much more than their last area headline gig. The band’s self-titled 2005 EP contributed the first three songs (in order), building excitement with the instrumental “Reset” and culminating in fan-favorite “Goonies Never Say Die”. The one-two explosive punch of “Work in Progress” and “We Do It for the Money, Obviously!” sent the crowd into a frenzy: “My life: a constant work in a progress / I wouldn’t have it any other way!”

Set Your Goals

This Will Be the Death of Us contributed six songs, including the crushing “Gaia Bleeds” and the ever-playful “Summer Jam”, the latter of which found vocalists Jordan Brown and Matt Wilson trading lines about the band’s tour experiences over the last five years. “The Few that Remain” was expectantly absent as the song features guest vocals from Paramore’s Hayley Williams, but Set Your Goals has performed the song in a live setting without her before, and it would have been an awesome addition to an otherwise flawless set selection.

Set Your Goals

The fairly rare “An Old Book Misread” was a treat; in fact, the band played all of their excellent 2005 debut full-length, Mutiny, aside from the minute-long “Don’t Let This Win Over You”. Jawbreaker’s “Do you Still Hate Me?” was an unexpected yet welcomed addition to the setlist, as well. Comeback Kid’s Neufeld joined Set Your Goals for “Our Ethos”, which preceded the powerful combination of “Dead Men Tell No Tales” directly into “Mutiny”. A rousing performance of “To Be Continued…” wrapped up the evening just after 10:30PM.

Reset
How ‘Bout No, Scott?
Goonies Never Say Die
Work in Progress
We Do It for the Money, Obviously!
An Old Book Misread
Look Closer
This Will Be the Death of Us
Echoes
Do You Still Hate Me? (Jawbreaker cover)
Flight of the Navigator
The Fallen…
Gaia Bleeds (Make Way for Man)
Summer Jam
This Very Moment
This Song Is Definitely NOT About a Girl
Our Ethos: A Legacy to Pass On
Dead Men Tell No Tales
Mutiny
To Be Continued

Set Your Goals had always been a solid live act, but something has seemed to always hold them back. Tonight, however, the band simply exploded and proved they are the unquestionable leaders of the punk-pop meets hardcore genre, a style that is more than overwhelmed with less than adequate or just downright embarrassing acts. It’s great to see the band take out excellent bands like veterans Comeback Kid or up-and-comers Title Fight; a good tour package goes a long way. Set Your Goals is unfortunately joining the weak Warped Tour lineup this year, but expect them to come back around before 2010 ends — don’t miss out.

The Swellers

The Swellers kicked off the impressive four-band bill at 6:30 with Ups and Downsizing leadoff cut “2009″, sticking primarily to that album for their half hour set. The Michigan four-piece harmonized well and executed with precision but ultimately failed to shine with any truly excellent moments. A solid opening band, The Swellers sounded good but not great. “Skoots” and “Bottles” from 2007′s My Everest were welcomed additions to the set; the band finished with a strong performance of “Do You Feel Better?”. The full set:

2009
Fire Away
Bottles
Welcome Back Riders
Watch it Go
Skoots
Sleeper
Dirt
Do You Feel Better Yet?

This Providence

Seattle’s This Providence followed with a bland and uninteresting performance. With few exceptions, frontman Dan Young was devoid of energy and bored most of the crowd for the band’s thirty minutes. Taking cues from and playing in the the musical style of Panic at the Disco, The Academy Is…, and Gatsbys American Dream, This Providence never reached any of the aforementioned band’s creativity or charisma. With tighter hooks and a more powerful live show the band might be ready to join their peers, but as it stands This Providence simply falls short of many similar bands who just do it so much better. Seven of the band’s eight cuts came from their latest effort, Who Are You Now?. The full half-hour set:

That Girl’s a Trick
Waste Myself
My Beautiful Rescue
Playing the Villain
Keeping on Without You
This is the Real Thing
A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing
Letdown

Set Your Goals

At 8PM Set Your Goals took the stage, playing a shortened version of their headliner set from the day before — please see that link for a full bootleg and lengthy commentary on the band’s setlist. Powerhouses “Gaia Bleeds (Make Way for Man)” and “Goonies Never Die” kicked things off, setting the pace for the next thirty minutes. Vinnie Caruana joined the band to perform his vocal part on “This Will Be the Death of Us”, a nice surprise that spiced up the band’s already-exciting performance. “To Be Continued…” and “Mutiny”, from the band’s debut full length, were the final two songs, the latter receiving the warmest response of the fairly short nine-song set:

Gaia Bleeds (Make Way for Man)
Goonies Never Say Die
Look Closer
The Fallen
Echoes
Summer Jam
This Will be the Death of Us
To Be Continued…
Mutiny!

Motion City Soundtrack

Motion City Soundtrack walked on stage at 9PM to the ’80s pop hit, “Walk the Dinosaur”. Beginning with My Dinosaur Life‘s track one,”Worker Bee”, frontman Justin Pierre sang: “It’s been a good year, a good new beginning. I’m through with the old school, so let’s commence the winning. I’ve been a good little worker bee: I deserve a gold star.” If quirky lyrics like that don’t go over for you, then abandon ship now: Motion City Soundtrack only gets stranger.

Bringing things back to 2002, I am the Movie‘s  “The Future Freaks Me Out” went second, with the entire crowd singinging the song’s opening moments about Betty and her love for modern rock. Another cut from that album, “My Favorite Accident”, kept the crowd dancing and singing along to every word. “Broken Heart”, from 2007′s Even if it Kills Me, was warmly received, and the brand new “Delirium” sounded great. Some strange sound problems hindered “This is for Real”, but the band bounced back strong with a crowd-rousing performance of “When You’re Around”.

Pierre sung a brief happy birthday song to the tune of “Worker Bee” before Motion City Soundtrack laid down two excellent performances of My Dinosaur Life standouts “Pulp Fiction” and “Motherfucker”, the latter of which is clearly inspired by American Teen‘s Jake Tusing, right down to the the Legend of Zelda references. “Even if it Kills Me” was a nice surprise to the setlist, as was the much older “Perfect Teeth”. For “Her Words Destroyed My Planet”, Motion City Soundtrack had previously distributed kazoos to everyone in attendance and encouraged them to buzz along to the song’s shrieking synthesizer riff.

After finishing the set with “LG Fuad” — and the entire crowding singing along, “let’s get fucked up and die” — the band walked off stage and the lights went dark. In a completely unexpected twist, Motion City Soundtrack didn’t return to the stage — Boston’s Williams Octet walked out in front of the Irving Plaza crowd to perform a remarkable a cappella version of “Fell in Love Without You”. Pierre joined the octet for the song’s final moments before rejoining Motion City Soundtrack for their new single “Disappear”. “Everything is Alright”, perhaps the band’s signature song, received stellar treatment and appropriately closed the evening. The full set:

Worker Bee
The Future Freaks Me Out
My Favorite Accident
Broken Heart
Delirium
This is for Real
When You’re Around
Pulp Fiction
@!#?@! (Motherfucker)
Last Night
A Lifeless Ordinary (Need A Little Help)
Even if it Kills Me
Attractive Today
Perfect Teeth
Her Words Destroyed My Planet
LG Fuad
Fell in Love Without You
Disappear
Everything is Alright

Motion City Soundtrack’s eighteen-song set — nineteen, if you include the a cappella rendition of “Fell in Love Without You” — was an absolute treat and showcased why the Minnesota five-piece is known for one of the genre’s best live shows. Song selection across the band’s four albums was impeccable, with bonus points (and a gold star) for playing more than half of their outstanding new album. A great performance by Set Your Goals and solid openers The Swellers only added to excellent evening. Motion City Soundtrack’s next performance in the area is at this year’s Bamboozle in East Rutherford — don’t miss out.

All photographs by the extremely talented India Allegra.

On a day off from supporting Motion City Soundtrack, Set Your Goals took tourmates The Swellers to industrial South Hackensack to headline a show at School of Rock. Joining the line up were local acts Bayonet, Dear Tragedy, and My Only Escape, but I arrived in time only to catch The Swellers.

The Swellers

Blending punk-pop with traditional punk, The Swellers played a solid set for thirty-five minutes. The Michigan four-piece stuck heavily to their latest effort, Ups and Downsizing, on Fueled by Ramen Records, but also mixed in older cuts as well. Highlights from the night included “2009″ and “Welcome Back Riders”. Frontman Nick Diener did his best to excite the crowd, but ultimately the band’s biggest downfall is their lack of originality and excellent moments — the band is extremely solid but never truly excels. After giving thanks to New Jersey for its excellent punk scene — name-checking Lifetime in the process — The Swellers closed their set with “Do You Feel Better Yet?”.

Set Your Goals exploded on stage with “Gaia Bleeds (Make Way For Man)”, the crowd appropriately reacting with an enormous pit. Guitarist Audelio Flores  tackled the song’s brutal vocals (recorded by John Gula of Turmoil in the studio) while the crowd tackled each other in attempts of making the pit as large as possible. Things hardly slowed down with the band taking on one of their oldest songs, “Goonies Never Say Die”, next.

Set Your Goals

The singalong-ready “Look Closer” followed, with the the bigger Jordan Brown and much, much smaller Matt Wilson trading vocals. Though vocally and aesthetically opposites, Brown and Wilson play off each other extremely well. The one-two knockout punch of Mutiny opener “Work in Progress” directly into “We Do It for the Money, Obviously!” was a great addition to an already solid set.

The lighthearted “Summer Jam” was a fun three minute romp, and 2009 title track, “This Will Be the Death of Us”, sounded great. The explosive “Equals” — written about the the necessary equality between band and fans in a punk community — preceded a solid performance of the Something Corporate-inspired “To Be Continued…”. Set Your Goals closed the set with “Mutiny!” and its associated introductory track, “Dead Men Tell No Tales”. The full list:

Gaia Bleeds (Make Way For Man)
Goonies Never Say Die
Look Closer
The Fallen
Work in Progress
We Do It for the Money, Obviously!
Summer Jam
Echoes
This Will Be the Death of Us
Equals
To Be Continued…
Ethos
Dead Men Tell No Tales
Mutiny!

Blurring the lines between punk-pop, punk, and melodic hardcore, Set Your Goals played a solid forty-five minute set to a half-filled venue. In a headlining role, though, it was somewhat disappointing to see the band play just fourteen songs, even if the fourteen selected were arguably the band’s best songs. The band continues on through the the United States in direct support of Motion City Soundtrack, including another date the next night in Manhattan’s Irving Plaza.

All photographs by the excellent Danielle Shepherd.

Unfortunately, I arrived late and missed openers Grave Maker. I recommend catching them, however, and also checking out their debut full-length, Bury Me at Sea. I did catch the last bit of The Swellers, who sounded quite good if not somewhat out of place on a bill featuring less-than-traditional styles of punk rock. Unlike the rest of the bands on the bill who can be jokingly (yet lovingly) described as “think hardcore, play punk-pop” (citation needed), The Swellers are more direct and traditional punk. The few songs I caught sounded good enough to pick up My Everest and to check into their backlog. Unfortunately, it’s somewhat difficult to find much information on the band; good luck tracking down their discography.

Fireworks

The Swellers’s Michigan brethren in Fireworks played next–another band that is almost impossible to find Internet information on. Spoken of highly and recommended for fans of Set Your Goals, I checked out All I Have to Offer Is My Own Confusion, issued earlier this year on the well respected Triple Crown Records. Immediately I was turned off to the band’s brand of punk-pop–it sounded contrived and uninspired. I’ve seen countless bands rip off New Found Glory better than Fireworks; I have no room on my iPod for another throwaway pop-rock act disguised as a punk-pop band.

Under those circumstances, it should come as a shock that I truly enjoyed Fireworks’s live performance. The band drops its perfectly quantized (read: lifeless) studio production for a much more raw live sound, and, in doing so, sounds great. Drummer Tymm Rengers kept things moving, providing the backbone for frontman David Mackinder’s vocal assaults. The band captured the crowd and were everything an opening band should be, setting the stage for Set Your Goals.

Set Your Goals came out firing with their latest single, “This Will Be the Death of Us”, but it wasn’t until the band reached back into Mutiny! cuts that the crowd truly exploded.  When it did, Stone Pony security didn’t handle things appropriately: pits were heavily guarded against dancing by angry bouncers, and many kids were tossed out early in the show. An embarrassing display by the Stone Pony staff, it luckily did not keep Set Your Goals from playing an excellent set.

The band unsurprisingly pulled half of its set from This Will Be the Death of Us, the band’s first new material in three years. Essential cuts from 2006′s Mutiny! made the list, and the band mixed things up well, even tossing in “Goonies Never Say Die!”, from their debut EP. The band’s strongest moments came during “Work in Progress” into “We Do it For the Money, Obviously”, showcasing the band’s ability to write completely separate yet perfectly segueing songs–the band clearly realizes this, opting to close  with  “Dead Men Tell No Tales” into “Mutiny!”. The full set:

Set Your Goals

This Will Be The Death of Us
The Fallen…
Work In Progress
We Do It For The Money, Obviously
Look Closer
Summer Jam
Echoes
Goonies Never Say Die!
To Be Continued…
Gaia Bleeds (Make Way For Man)
This Very Moment
Our Ethos: A Legacy To Pass On
Dead Men Tell No Tales
Mutiny!

Set Your Goals sounded excellent, much different from their normally mediocre performances. “An Old Book Misread” from their debut and “The Few That Remain” (featuring Hayley Williams) were the only glaring omissions to an otherwise near-perfect set and performance. I left before Four Year Strong headlined. I’ve seen the Boston faux-core synth act a number of times, but they unfortunately do not write anything memorable or worth staying for.

Set Your Goals is unfortunately not embarking on a proper headlining tour in support of their latest album, as they will be embarking on the less-than-impressive Alternative Press sponsored “Fall Ball Tour” with throwaway acts like Mayday Parade. When they do return, however, in a headlining spot–don’t miss this band.

Photos by Sara Faz