The Starting Line - Somebody's gonna miss us (Live)

'Somebody's gonna miss us' is the live recording of underrated pop-punk band The Starting Line's last hometown show to date. It was a year and a half ago, on April 18th, 2008 at the Electric Factory of Philadelphia. It wasn't their last show ever (Bamboozle later in May was), but it sure was emotionally more special to the band.

The setlist is made of nothing less than 18 songs from their very first EP 'With hopes of starting over' to their third and last full-length 'Direction'. It's obvious the fans will be on cloud nine. None of their hits is missing (maybe 'Making love to the camera') and the set is a fair mix of the band's career. What strikes the most is obviously the contrast between their old and latest material. There's no wonder why frontman Kenneth Vasoli went to look for new horizons with his new band Person L, as you could feel on The Starting Line's last songs that their sound was really evolving. The songs from their last effort are much more complex and heavy and 'Direction' may feel a bit weird between pop-punk nuggets 'Almost there, going nowhere' and 'Up and go' if you're not familiar with the band's discography. But this live CD (accompanied by a DVD featuring the live performance and an hour-long documentary about the formation's last days with interviews helpful in understanding the hiatus) is meant for the fans so people willing to discover The Starting Line should rather start with their studio material. The performance is enjoyable, Kenny's speeches are full of emotion and passion but stay short and avoid cheesiness. The audience's contribution is especially great to hear. The recording is decent, nothing amazing and sometimes rough but overall it's all good. You almost forget the band actually threw the towel after this show until 'Somebody's gonna miss us' hits the speakers and Kenny claims it's their last song. The crowd chants "Bullshit! Bullshit!" and the album suddenly takes a sadder turn. There's an encore, of course, which consists in the beautiful 'Photography' and the inevitable perfect closer 'Best of me'. I wonder if we actually hear the singer or the crowd better as both are sung-along by the audience. The very last chorus of 'Best of me' is especially not far from giving chills with everyone in the room singing in unison.

'Somebody's gonna miss us' sure is must-have for The Starting Line fans' collection. It won't blow you away if you're not familiar with their songs but it's a pretty testimony of what this band was and tried to accomplish. However, it must be mentioned that they never really broke up and always said they would reunite. They lately affirmed in several interviews they already had dates fixed. During the show, you can even hear Kenneth Vasoli saying "We'll see you guys in 2011, okay?". I bet it will be sooner than that. Let's hope for new material and not only shows.

3.5/5

Recommanded if you like:
The Early November, Spitalfield, Valencia
Check also:
Person L, The Dangerous Summer, The Graduate

www.myspace.com/thestartingline
(Image Entertainment, 2009)