From the moment I heard the opening of Copeland’s Beneath Medicine Tree riding along in a friend’s car, I knew I had to get my hands on the album. With its melancholic hospital theme, it was a perfect example of therapy through music; it was there for me during some of the lonelier years away at college. I had the opportunity to follow the band throughout their career, from small the-floor-might-collapse venues to larger ones upon the release of the more pop-influenced In Motion. Admittedly behind on their more recent records, I still couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see Copeland one last time on their Farewell tour.
The lineup for this concert read like a “Where are they now?” of early 2000’s Drive-Thru Records favorites, including Kenny Vasoli’s (former Starting Line singer) new project Person L, and I Can Make a Mess Like Nobody’s Business, one of many of Ace Ender’s (former Early November singer) incarnations. Apparently, these two veterans have not gotten sick of each other, as they also joined together for last summer’s “BBQ Across America” tour.
I was excited to see the opening band, Deas Vail, after receiving rave reviews from three nice guys in line outside of El Corazón. I immediately understood why this band was chosen to open for Copeland’s last performance. They had a very similar sound: melodic, piano-based rock featuring prominent falsetto. They seemed to have a substantial fan-base in the audience, who kept shouting out song names, at which the singer looked very flattered by (if not surprised). I found their set to be very enjoyable.
Much to the delight of the girls standing beside me, Person L performed next. They were exactly as I had recalled from last year: crazy, energetic, and funky. Although I still listen to Starting Line records from time to time and reminisce, I completely understand why Vasoli has moved in a more creative, rock-driven direction. Pop-punk has run its course. While the young ladies seemed very puzzled by his new sound (“well… that wasn’t what I expected…”), I had to embrace it. It has the guitar-driven appeal of 70s rock-and-roll, when things were more about the music, and less about celebrity crushes of the week.
I could barely contain my excitement knowing that I Can Make a Mess Like Nobody’s Business was just moments from taking the stage. Despite numerous failed attempts to see The Early November while they were still together, it was by chance that I was able to see Enders perform as “Ace Enders and a Million Different People” for the first time in 2008. Not only did I love their new material, but Enders even took requests for old favorites: each of the three shows I saw them at were completely different, but always fun. I was (and still am) uncertain what is going on with the name change back to ICMAMLNB – but who cares – it’s Ace! No matter the alias, he always brings his charming style of quiet moments that suddenly burst at the seams with emotion. He once again brought his “awkwardly” adorable sister Robin on keys, and this time, friend Jose Lopez on drums. Lopez killed it on the drums, but the stage felt a bit empty without a bassist. And as much as it pains me to admit it, the set did not meet my high expectations. The variety “a million different people” brought to the stage before seemed to have more substance. At the very least, Enders should have done one or two songs the way he does best: stripped down with just an acoustic guitar. I have no doubt that his lyrically superb song-writing abilities will continue to sustain the band through their next two planned albums.
The energy in the room doubled as Copeland finally took the stage. There are rarely surprises with this band: they are consistently good performers. They took the usual approach of starting the set with a few guitar-driven songs, beginning with Medicine Tree’s “Take Care.” Singer Aaron Marsh then took a seat at the piano, where he would stay for several mostly recent tunes. When he stood back up with a guitar, he announced that it was time to “rock” and jumped into In Motion’s “Pin Your Wings” and “No One Really Wins.” Very appropriately, they then went into their two most musically intricate songs: “When Paula Sparks” and “California.” These songs, as found successively on Medicine Tree, work so well together building up in emotional intensity. Now that they had the audience firmly in their grasp, it was time to walk off the stage, the crowd demanding an encore.
Marsh came back out to the piano to play what he claimed would be just one more: “Brightest.” Someone behind me yelled, “you can’t play the fucking shortest song!!” But this was clearly just a ploy, and the rest of the band came out to join in for the real last song, which was (appropriately) “You Have My Attention.” The energy, particularly at the end of this song, was a great choice to finish with. Surprisingly, the band never acknowledged what was on everyone’s mind – that this was their last show together. The audience’s overall feeling was summed up by a man’s voice that kept yelling, “Don’t quit!!” But as we’ve seen from so many other artists, the end is often only the beginning.
