When one nationally successful act and one highly popular local band combine their talents with an energetic group from Seattle, West Chester was rocked. On Thursday, April 20 in Hollinger Gym, Overise, Gatsby’s American Dream and The Starting Line joined forces and played for a nearly sold-out crowd of WCU students and other local fans.
A hometown band, Overise took the stage promptly at 7:35 p.m., energizing the crowd and preparing them for what was yet to come. Overise is comprised of Joey De Noble (vocals, guitar), Mark Bolger (lead guitar), Garret Watts (bass), Gabe Horning (guitar) and the newly added Steve Rutt (drums). With such a huge local following, it was no shock that the crowd sang the chorus to their successful hit, “Outside” instead of front man Joey De Noble.
“Last night was awesome. I loved the crowd’s response and when they sung back to us, because after being at school for all these years, it was like the final anthem for WCU to give back to us,” said De Noble.
The energy did not stop there. Making their way from Seattle, Wash. was Gatsby’s American Dream, a band that was determined to keep the energy from Overise in tact. The highly strenuous set consisted of popular songs such as “Theatre” and “Losing of The Shadow,” as well as old songs such as “We’re Not Orphans,” that made the older fans more appreciative of their set list and song selection. Their set was also punctuated by Kenny Vasoli, lead singer of The Starting Line, appearing at highly random moments banging on cowbells and dancing on stage. The energy had only one direction to head from there up: after much anticipation, The Starting Line finally took the stage and proceeded to rock the crowd in every direction. West Chester was the last stop on the “Screaming For Babies” tour for The Starting Line and provided a “homecoming-like” environment in Hollinger gym. Founded in Horsham, Pa, The Starting Line consists of to Vasoli (vocals,bass), Matt Watts (guitar), Mike Golla (guitar) and Tom Gryskiewicz (drums). Mixing oldies with new songs, TSL created a set list that would make every fan proud to be a part of Thursday night’s festivities. The band kicked it into full gear with one of their newer hits, “Surprise, Surprise,” and followed up with songs such as “Making Love To The Camera,” “Stay Where I Can See You,” “Up And Go” and “Bedroom Talk.” With the anticipation running high in the crowd, TSL rightfully ended their set with their biggest song to date, “Best Of Me” and proceeded to shoot confetti into the crowd as the final chorus kicked in. Soon after, chants for the band could be heard echoing through the packed room, sending the band back on stage for two final songs. The first of which was a new song, hopefully being placed on the forthcoming CD the band plans to record on their summer off. The Starting Line ended the evening with one of their older songs, “Cheek To Cheek,” and it was more than appropriate. With the lyric “The last goodbye I’ll ever say to you” ringing through the gymnasium, the band could not have crafted a better farewell.
For more information on the bands, visit: www.myspace.com/Overise, www.gatsbysamericandream.com and www.startinglinerock.com.