On Oct. 13, a small group of devoted fans gathered inside the Bakersfield Dome for the 2009 Alternative Press (AP) Tour Fall Ball. Headlined by the bands Mayday Parade and The Academy Is . I became more nervous the closer I walked to the venue. Seeing the dozens of high school students waiting in line, I was reminded of why I was never into this particular music scene.
The music itself is fine. I’m even a casual fan of Set Your Goals, one of the opening acts. However, the attitudes many of the fans and musicians themselves exude have always been off-putting to me. I also had very little interest in most of the other bands performing.
When I arrived and took my place in line I noticed that several attendees were dressed to impress for the Dress to Express contest. The winners would get to meet the bands and appear on the AP website, and duct tape dresses, homemade tuxedos and fluorescent hairstyles showed who the most diehard fans were. Decked out in a tuxedo made of duct tape was Alexander Williams who stated, “Well, all the girls were wearing dresses so it just seems appropriate that I’d wear a tuxedo.” Although the Dress to Express contest seemed to be a fairly major part of the concert, I was unable to find any participants after the event was over and was thus unable to find out who the winners were.
As I had arrived early, I had expected the crowd to fill as more prominent acts took the stage, as time went on though the crowd (mostly teenagers) began to thin out. The floor was nearly empty as all who had arrived managed to crowd around the stage and the seats were empty with only around thirty people sitting at any given time. Luis Dubuc of The Secret Handshake even commented on the low attendance, teasing the crowd about how Bakersfield had low interest in their music and how those not there were missing out on something special. The band You Me at Six, was absent from this leg of the tour for unknown reasons.
There were however several highlights that night. Set Your Goals were packed to the brim with energy, bursting onto stage in pastel tuxedos and dancing with each other before they began their set. The crowd felt their excitement as demonstrated by the dozen hardcore dancers who scared away some of the more timid concert goers with their high-speed antics. Mayday Parade guitarist Brooks Betts managed to bring a little bit of the 80s back wearing a vest with no shirt while shredding his heart out; the fans seemed to love it but I just felt a little queasy. Like many rock shows the performers covered a few pop songs, the highlight being a cover of the Miley Cyrus song “Party in the USA” performed by The Secret Handshake. All of the bands present had great stage presence, encouraging the crowd to participate be it by dancing, waving their hands or even just singing along. Although the turnout was low it felt somehow intimate because of it.
I was slightly shocked when I realized that several of the fans knew the words to nearly every song played during the show, only faltering on songs that had just been released within the past month. I would have never guessed that any of these bands had this kind of devoted fan base.
By the end of the night headliners The Academy Is . had taken the stage, those who remained cheered, bouncing up and down as the front man twirled around the stage. However not everyone still present felt the same intensity for the music; a young woman sitting close to me had fallen asleep. After the show I talked to a young man named Garret and he commented that people were “missing out.” I’m not sure if I’d agree with him.
Although I’m not likely to attend another AP Tour, I can see why the fans would and that’s what’s important.