The weather was perfect, not too hot and not too cold. People were comfortable and enjoyed the atmosphere while having their drinks and waiting for the show to start. The show only had one opening band which was Judah and the Lion. The audience in the pit instantly started dancing and the audience in the seated areas was clapping along with the music. He showed his rapping talent when he performed the song “Take It All Back”. I would have gotten tongue twisted trying to rap that fast. The band had a really fun beat throughout their performance which got the audience warmed up for the next band and one thing I really liked was when Judah Akers (Vocalist), left his band members behind dancing on stage while he jumped off the stage and ran all the way around the Amphitheatre just to say hello to his fans. The crowd loved it and cheered and applauded him all the way.

After Judah and the Lion finished their show the stage quickly transformed for Jimmy Eat World. I liked the setup of the stage a lot. The stage was set with old street lamps which worked in combination with fog and a screen in the background to make the ambience perfect. The crowd cheered and got so excited when the band entered the stage to perform the first song “Sure And Certain”. Right away everybody in the Amphitheatre was dancing, clapping or bobbing their head. At times I felt like I was surrounded by bobble heads HAHA. The band grabbed the attention of the audience the minute they started and kept it all the way until the end. “I Will Steal You Back” was another fun high energy song which made it perfect for the next song “Lucky Denver Mint” which slowed the energy level down just a little bit but then picked the energy right back up with the song “Futures”. The song “Pass the Baby” had something mysterious about it which was a nice touch to the song and it also ended with a great guitar solo. The crowd went wild with this song and cheered for the band.  One song that really hit home was “Hear You Me”. The singer Jim Adkins made a point when he told the audience that a lot of times we don’t say thank you to the ones we love and one Day we realize that we missed the chance and will never be able to tell them thank you because they are gone. When Jim sang the song he played the acoustic guitar and all of a sudden it turned so peaceful and calm in the Amphitheatre. The crowd turned on their cell phone flash lights and held them high to light up the venue. It was such a beautiful moment. After this it was time to pick up the beat again and get the energy going to get ready for Incubus to come on stage. The song “Always Be” did the magic and before I knew it everybody was dancing and bobbing their head again. Next was the song “Get Right” which was a song with a little attitude which made the song a lot of fun. Jimmy Eat World is a fun band to watch and before I knew it, it was time for the last song and what better song could he have picked than “The Middle”. I believe almost everybody knows this song from the radio and can pretty much sing along with it and that’s exactly what happened.  Jimmy Eat World knows how to get the audience heated up but they also know how to control the atmosphere by mellowing everything out and picking it right back up to full speed energy. It was a joy to watch them perform.

It was great to once again have the opportunity to be part of a great evening of entertainment at the Mattress Firm Amphitheatre in Chula Vista, California. I would like to give a big shout out to all the police staff and event workers. It was like always, well organized and made it easy to get to the show and do our job.

Set List:

1. Sure And Certain
2. Bleed American
3. Big Casino
4. I Will Steal You Back
5. Lucky Denver Mint
6. Futures
7. Pass The Baby
8. Pain
9. Work
10. Hear You Me
11. Always Be
12. Get Right
13. A Praise Chorus
14. Sweetness
15. The Middle

Jimmy Eat World  – Mattress Firm Amphitheater

Written by RacerX

Email: Michelle@backstage360.com