The 2011 American Tour feat The Dangerous Summer – REVIEW

As you can probably tell from the name of this tour, The Dangerous Summer loves America. This tour rolled through the American Legion in Lake In The Hills, IL on March 27th and featured support from Sparks The Rescue and The Scenic. Feel free to check out our review after the break.

On March 25th, I got the chance to see the 2011 American Tour, featuring The Dangerous Summer, Sparks The Rescue, The Scenic and The Graduate (Although, The Graduate wasn’t available for this date). It was held at the American Legion in Lake In The Hills, IL.

I was really anticipating how such a small venue was going to hold all the bands equipment, let alone having fans packing the floor, merchandise lining the walls, and the band themselves playing! To my surprise it worked out absolutely perfect.

I remember seeing a undeniably standout band member with long faded pink hair walk through the doors and I was hoping that he was in one of these bands and little did I know that he was the frontman of the first band on the tour package, The Scenic! I also got to check out their merchandise and saw that they had a great deal going that allowed them to get around the price matching with the other bands by giving you a t-shirt and CD for $25, saving you $5! They also were the first band I saw using a QR Code on their poster design (very forward thinking).

The Scenic took stage with such a good vibe. They brought a lot of color to a room that really just didn’t have much more than brown surrounding us and it was the perfect way to kickoff the show. The songs were very catchy, full of energy, but mellow enough to reach a broad horizon of people. I thoroughly enjoyed how much they expressed their loves for the fans in the room in-between songs. So many bands don’t understand the gratitude that you should have for fans supporting their shows, but they really seemed to get it and made sure that they expressed it. The vocalist was very expressive and entertaining to watch, as well with the rest of the members as they blasted rock anthem riffs to accompany him. During the set I even felt like I was at a cheerleading competition for a moment because the vocalist got the crowd to raise their hands in the air and do “spirit fingers”! They seem to all be quite nice and loving guys that really enjoy what they do.

Following right after, Sparks The Rescue set up their equipment to play. I was immediately caught off guard as one of the guitarists started shredding some insane sweep arpeggios and blazing licks as a sound check! If I wasn’t already interested in what this band had to offer, little did I know what I was in for! Before I knew it, they started the set and started rocking the venue. I didn’t even realize until I started hearing that the vocalist wasn’t even on stage with the band! Vocals were being sung by the rest of the band, which sounded wonderful. Then out of nowhere the vocalist came running in from outside, picks up the mic and with a quick apology for having “no idea” it was their set time, they continued to rock the place. They have a very rock n roll themed lead guitar every once in a while, which was a fresh sound during the show. But once the show just started to pick up and only half a song sang, the vocalist runs off the stage and out the entrance of the venue. Everyone was stunned and left a little confused, but the rest of the band continued on. Clearly something had been bothering or happened to him, but the show still needed to continue. The rest of the band started a cover of “I Need You Now” by Lady Antebellum. As the band carried on with the set, I noticed the vocalist of The Scenic guiding Sparks The Rescue’s vocalist back into the show and up onto the stage. He started singing as if nothing had ever happened! Once he came back the energy really picked up in the venue. They were absolutely phenomenal and have some great talent.

Finally, the band everyone was eager to see was about to take stage, The Dangerous Summer! The soothing sound, but very energetic and full of emotion, was gratifying to hear at the end of a long day of music blasting in a small room! The guitarists used effects very wisely which stretched out the emotion even further, as if the lyrics didn’t sweep you away already. Fans started singing, dancing and even jumping right away. Without even being told, it was like the crowd had practiced in their rooms when to clap together during their favorite parts. During every song there was a good amount of fans singing their hearts out to every word. “Where I Want To Be” was one of the songs that stood out the most to me. Without any introduction, I started to recognize a familiar bass line being played and then I realized that they were covering “Glycerine” by Bush! They did an awesome job with the cover. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a band in such a small venue be as tight as they were! Even after 13 song, which I believe is how many they played, the fans chanted “Encore”!

Tour: 2011 American Tour featuring The Dangerous Summer
Bands: The Dangerous Summer (Hopeless), Sparks The Rescue (Fearless), and The Scenic (Victory)
Date: March 25, 2011
Venue: American Legion in Lake In The Hills, IL