Alkaline Trio - Alkaline Trio, New Found Glory

Godfather's Of Pop Punk Come To Play

The Rockstar Energy Drink tour came crashing through the Twin Cities on a chilly, yet energetic night.

As the road crew removed the covers from the band equipment on stage, the words New Found Glory appeared on the grills of the amplifiers, matching the artwork on the tour backdrop. Suddenly, the lights went out and singer Jordan Pundik screamed in to the microphone, "Minneapolis, let's see some movement, come on!" The lights came up as the band started to play their hit, "All Downhill From Here."

Florida's own, New Found Glory, are notorious for their high energy performances and this show was no exception. The band knows how to get the audience going. From the band member's energetic movement and jumping, to Jordan's exiting the stage and singing with fans, New Found Glory are hands down one of the most entertaining groups on tour. Often referred to as the "Godfathers of Pop Punk," New Found Glory played a wide variety from their discography of their sixteen year recording career. The set included a good mix of songs for both new and old fans. They performed older tunes such as Hit or Miss and newer songs such as Connect the Dots.

The bands versions of Aerosmith's, "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" and "Sixpence None The Richer's," "Kiss Me" electrified the crowd. Guitar player Chad Gilbert said "We Loved Minneapolis so much we had to come back." This was in reference to the bands visit during their Sticks and Stones album tour, just six months prior. The fans definitely were happy to have New Found Glory back in the Twin Cities.

As Alkaline Trio got ready to take the stage, the main floor of the venue began to swell with people. The crowd was now littered with shirts sporting the bands infamous heart and skull logo.

Once again, dark lighting over took the stage and prerecorded music started playing overhead. Alkaline Trio entered, took up their instruments and started playing the music that was being played through the sound system. The music immediately went straight into the song Cringe and the fans loved it. Numerous cell phones shot into the air capturing photos and video. Even though Alkaline Trio was not as energetic as New Found Glory, they still had everybody in the venue watching them. After seventeen years, Alkaline Trio continues to have a strong and large fan base.

The band formed in 1996 and released their first studio album Goddamnit in 1998. In 2011, they released the album, This Addiction which debuted at No. 11 on the Billboards top 200. Currently, Alkaline Trio is promoting their recent album, My Shame Is True. The band performed much of their new album with a few older hits mixed in.

When Alkaline Trio left the stage following their set, they returned and announced "We have two songs left for you guys." Radio was the first song they performed. All over the venue people were singing the words and throwing their hands into the air. It's arguably the bands biggest song to date. Closing their set, the band played "My Friend Peter" from the Magnetic Curses compilation album.