American Hi-Fi Makes Most of Small Gathering
By: DAN NAILEN - The Salt Lake Tribune
June 1st 2002 3:35pm
American Hi-Fi might not be a recognizable name quite yet, but
chances are if you watched the Winter Olympics on TV, you heard the
band's "Another Perfect Day" at least once each night, accompanying
a video montage of the day's highlights. At the quartet's X-Scape show Thursday, the song wasn't part of
the set list, but the band gladly played "Another Perfect Day" when
one of the kids in the small audience asked for it. The moment sums
up the vibe of the whole show. This was one of those nights when the crowd was obviously not as
big as the band is used to, but the group takes advantage of the
situation instead of moping about it. American Hi-Fi leader Stacy
Jones not only thanked the crowd repeatedly; he led the band in 10
extra songs after ripping through 11 pre-planned tunes from its
excellent self-titled debut and its upcoming sophomore disc,
"Beautiful Disaster." Fans of power-pop hooks filling American Hi-Fi's first album will
not be disappointed by new songs such as "Gold Rush," "Lies" and
"The Break-Up Song." Jones and company did not decide to get all
experimental for Round 2; the new songs, like the old, would make
Cheap Trick proud for their straightforward goal of rocking. For
every new song, the band played two old favorites, and delivered
them as though there were thousands of fans there, not 100 or so. The real fun started when the band started taking requests. Not
only did the kids get virtually every song they asked for -- "Blue
Day," "Safer on the Outside," "Wall of Sound" and "Another Perfect
Day" -- they also got some lighthearted cover songs. "We know, like, the first half of every alternative-pop song,"
Jones announced, before proving it with half of the Foo Fighters'
"Everlong," a Redd Kross cover and a complete performance of Lit's
"My Own Worst Enemy," with a boy from the audience jumping on stage
and taking lead vocals halfway through. When the crowd requested
Jones get behind the drums -- his former role in early-'90s
favorites Veruca Salt -- he said he would if someone could sing
Cheap Trick's "Surrender." Sadly, that song is probably about 10 years older than most of
the crowd Thursday, and no one knew the words.
 (C) 2002 The Salt Lake Tribune. via ProQuest Information and Learning Company; All Rights Reserved
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