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It should be considered bad news when a tour can’t even sell out half an arena when it hits one of the opener’s hometowns. But for Boys Like Girls fans, it was their lucky day.
Whether it was the steep ticket prices (over $50 through Ticketmaster after convenience charges and service fees), a lack of interest, or the fact that most of headliner Avril Lavigne’s fans weren’t old enough to attend on their own on a school night, the back half of Agganis Arena in Boston was left unsold. So how did promoters solve the problem? They gave more than three entire sections of seats to hometown favorites, opening act Boys Like Girls. And what did BLG do with the tickets? Give them away to diehard fans, of course.
The night before the show, the band posted a MySpace bulletin with an e-mail address, telling their fans to send all their info and they’d choose a few lucky winners. Well, I happened to be one of those winners along with a list about five pages long. The catch? The winners weren’t contacted until about three hours prior to doors, meaning short notice, and even with so many free tickets, the back sections were mostly empty.
Doors were late, and so were doors, but when Boys Like Girls finally took the stage to a mostly enthusiastic hometown crowd, the energy could be felt all the way from the seats. Energetic as always, these four guys from the Boston-area possess a command of the stage that has been perfected after three years of touring the country and easily makes up for the shortcomings of vocalist Martin Johnson – whose voice managed to crack several times while being off-key for nearly the entire set. But the hundreds of teenage girls on the floor clad in ties, plaid skirts and striped arm warmers didn’t seem to mind as they bounced up and down on command.
The band blazed through a 45-minute set playing tracks off their self-titled debut album that hit shelves a little over a year ago, touching favorites like the hit singles “The Great Escape” and “Hero/Heroine” along with an electric version of the acoustic favorite “Thunder”. With a huge set, lots of space, and fabulous lighting effects, almost everyone in the sparsely filled arena was singing along.
Not a fan of Avril, I left before the pop-punk princess took the stage, along with about half the crowd who was found gathered outside around the band’s bus, waiting for their exit. Regardless of ticket sales, Boys Like Girls has a strong fanbase in Boston, and didn’t disappoint - though my opinion might've been different had I paid $50 for my seat. I've seen this band in action before in smaller venues (twice at the ICC in Allston and twice on tour with HelloGoodbye) and know they could've put on a better performance, at least vocally. | 