2/23/05 @ Meow Meow in Portland, OR
Take Action Tour
By Robin Steeley
The Take Action Tour raises awareness about the tragedy of suicide. It includes one of my favorite bands, Sugarcult on the tour. If the tour can reach out to even one person and convince them to get help then it has accomplished its mission. Organized annualy Sub City Records and the Hopeline Network, the tour has been travelling all over the country selling out venues while spreading music and a message. Citing statistics from the National Mental Health Association, suicide is the third major cause of death in teens today, at this rate we are losing 5000 teens a year to suicide.
This year, title sponsor Hurley International partners with major lifestyle companies including Hot Topic, Tower Records, Alternative Press Magazine, and Earshot Media. The Hopeline Network partnered with the National Mental Health Association has recently introduced the Youth America Hotline which is a crisis line for teens where they can connect with their peers for guidance.
In addition to Sugarcult, the Take Action tour also features Hawthorne Heights, Hopes Fall, Anberlin, and Plain White T's. 10% of theTake Action ticket sales go directly to the Kristin Brooks Hope Center, which operates the Hopeline network and the 1-800-SUICIDE hotline.
The crowd is restless tonight at the Meow Meow while waiting for the bands to start, a huge domination of teenagers in the crowd ready to rock the house when the music starts. It means that the tour has been successful in drawing the under 21 demographic. As the first band took the stage the crowd began to press against the frontlines in this small venue, the temperature started to rise.
The Plain White T’s open up with their punk edged set of rock sounds and really got the energy started right. Rows of teenagers jumping in the air in front of the stage greeted them as they rocked hard and played their short but energetic set. Next up is Hopesfall who have been filling in for Head Automatica after lead vocalist Daryl Palumbo had problems resulting from Crohn’s Disease. The band opened tonight with a track called “It Happens” which is consequently the first track off their new album A Types. The vocals kicked it up a notch in songs like “Breath From Coma” which really seemed to get the crowd in high gear and brought it even higher as they played a song called “The Bending” from their former album The Satellite Years. Singer Jay Forrest keeps a good rapport with the crowd and I’m sure it’s a big part of the bands allure.
After a longer then necessary set change for this small place, the house music stops and the lights go down and the crowd screamed with renewed energy as Anberlin appears. They open with the song “Never Take Friendship Personal” which had a good number of kids in the crowd singing along and is also the same title as their new CD. They also played the song “Audrey, Start the Revolution” which I really got into. Overall, they played a great set with some catchy and memorable tunes. Next up were Ohio natives Hawthorne Heights. They ran through about ten tracks from their first and newly released CD The Silence In Black and White. There was plenty sing scream combination here that has been very popular with this age group of late, but I find can become tedious after a few songs, however HH delivered an excellent performance and played with their own style. I enjoyed their last tune, “Speeding Up the Octaves”.
Closing the night is Sugarcult, from Santa Barbara, California who opened their set with “Stuck in America” which was an abrasive but catchy tune. The band is led by charismatic Frontman Tim Pagnotta who has a certain style and quality about him as he works the room. I liked the song “Pretty Girl” and finally to finish the night “Sign Off” came off without a hitch and sent the crowd into spasms and to follow it up for good measure they played “Bouncing Off the Walls”.
Overall, it was a live night with a good collection of bands brought together for a very good purpose.
If you need help, don’t be afraid to call
National Hopeline Network
1-800-SUICIDE
