AVA Review- A collection of 2nd timers

Yeah I know, I said 4 weeks ago I'd talk about the show. Eh, you get what you pay for (that's right cheap-skates!). So the deal is, for those of you who don't know, AVA is the abbreviation for Angels and Airwaves which is a band featuring the singer/guitarist of the now-defunct Blink 182, Tom DeLong, along with guitarist David Kennedy (Boxcar Racer, Hazen Street), drummer Atom Willard (the Offspring, Rocket from the Crypt), and bassist Ryan Sinn (the Distillers). So Tom, an SD native, got some of his friends together and created a band whose main aim is Emotional Rock, AKA ambient rock, or in otherwords, sensory based rock. It is a type of music that has more invested energy than your typical generic rock. The songs have meaning and often times convey real feelings or sensory of more than just auditory value. What does all this mean? Well it sounds kinda strange to hear it described, but if you listen it kinda invokes this idea that you should be hearing it as a soundtrack to a rock opera, or in some huge stadium. Often times the band cites 80's U2, Springsteen, The Police, Pink Floyd, etc. as influence for how to construct the album. Anywho, it's good post-punk music that shows a very emotional side of Tom and co.
Alicia is a big fan of their stuff, as am I, so that should tell you something. With two albums out they aren't exactly huge, but certainly not small time either.
The show/experience went down at SOMA- which is in its third iteration. The venue, having been there a few times now, is very much what you would expect to find in the mid-90's SoCal punk scene. Dark, concrete, no seats, smallish stage, enclosed, and above it all- in a strip mall next to the Sports Arena (a huge Delta Center-esque venue).
The opening acts were a mixed bag. Some bands that I could have passed on and one that was a new found goodness. "Ace Enders and a Million Different People," is a band consisting of a collection of distinct people all supporting the main singer/songwriter/guitarist- who ironically enough is called... Ace Enders. You may know him best as half of the songwriting/singing effort that fronted the now defunct band "The Early November." Good stuff, slightly more chill than emo and yet more demanding than elevator music. It had a nice sound, so good, in fact, that we picked up the album while we were there (hard to say no to a CD and T-shirt for $15). The next opening band was a group called, "The Color Fred." Featuring, (you guessed it) ex-band, "Taking Back Sunday,"'s guitarist. Ehh, folksy rock, eh. Last up was a group that I had seen several times before (couldn't place where until they said where they're from), "Meg and Dia," straight out of SLC. Well technically I think it's Draper. Anyway, whiny, ehh, so-so, could have left them too.
But then the moment finally came, the main event. Angels and Airwaves. A small stage, three flags at an angle, nothing much to it. Oh yeah and after it started LOTS OF LIGHTS AND SOUND. They were LOUD, and if I even thought I had epilepsy I would have gone into seizures like mad. Holy spinning lights, Batman.
Yeah the band played for about an hour and a half straight. It was good. Playing almost every song off both albums. They did a nice little 3 song encore just to show they could. It was a strange feeling. You could tell they enjoyed being home. But yet it felt like they were trying so hard. Maybe, because they had family and friends in the crowd they had to push harder.
So survey says: 7.5/10
Would I go again? Yes, in a heartbeat. Would I pay $50 to go? Nope. Would I recommend them to anyone? If you liked Blink, especially songs such as Adam's Song, Stay Together for the Kids, or Anthem, or if you liked the album Boxcar Racer you'll enjoy this. If not, well this isn't gonna change a whole lot of opinions. Yes there is more to them than just punk, but the root of it all is that SoCal angst.

BTW- Irony is that 3 of the 4 bands that played were all made up of defunct bands. So Alicia and I were commenting that this should be called the "Comeback Tour." I'm thinking more along the lines of, "Yet Again," or, "One More Chance Tour."