The Sandspur

Issue date: 11/14/03 Section: Entertainment

Media Credit: SavesTheDay.com SAVING THE STAGE: Saves the Day performed at House of Blues Orlando, showcasing songs from their latest album.

Saves the Day held the House of Blues' stage with confidence and an artful grace. For fans, it was obvious that there have been several changes with the group's sound and style. Saves the Day is still shaking off its punk rock categorization, which pigeonholes them into a genre that usually signifies a less refined art. The House of Blues' mosh-pit had been seeing some serious stage diving and elbow throwing throughout the opening acts of Taking Back Sunday and Moneen, but when Saves the Day took the stage the mood settled into a "swingy," melodic atmosphere.

The band started the night off with the catchy hit "At Your Funeral." The performance kept a good upbeat pace, peaking on songs such as "As Your Ghost Takes Flight" and "You Vandal," which quenched the younger audience's thirst to cause a ruckus. The group's musical improvement was highlighted on some of the slower songs such as "Nightingale" and "Freakish," where Chris Conley broke out into a guitar solo that left most fans clapping and calling for more. The band also performed several songs off their most recent album, In Reverie. All and all, the Saves the Day's energy and sound were terrific along with some elaborate lighting effects.

The performance was capped off with a four-song encore, one of which was the recent Outkast hit, "Hey, Yeah." The song brought out some of the opening act band members onto the stage for a break dance exhibition. Saves the Day ended the show with the bouncy sing along, "Cars and Calories;" it left fans of all ages happy, and of course wanting more. After seeing a Saves the Day performance for the third or fourth time, it is clear that the band is playing for the wrong crowd. The days of moshing and tongue-in-cheek melodies are a characteristic of the band's past. Their style suits the more eclectic and appreciative audience as well as the aging post-punk rockers.

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