A report on last night's Better Than Ezra show, from LIVE intern Matt Vensel:

I arrived a little bit before 6 p.m. to check out the free Better Than Ezra concert at Power Plant Live. I’ll admit that I don’t much about the band other than their 1995 hit single “Good,” but it seemed like an interesting way to kick off my 25th birthday weekend. After wrestling with the idea to watch the show from the bar over at the Lodge Bar (something about taxidermy reminds me too much of my hometown in Western Pennsylvania), I grabbed a table at Mondo Bondo. Against the will of the event’s organizers who seemed hell-bent on me buying a Heineken or Dos Equis, I grabbed a Miller Light --and a Greek salad-- and waited for the show to begin. 

Shortly after 6 p.m., I got pump-faked by the opening act, Shane Gamble, who I thought was beginning his set. He started a few songs off with some sweet feedback and the blaring of the bass drum over the speakers. It turned out to only be a soundcheck. 

It was an interesting crowd to say the least. At first, it was mostly women and couples, except for a few packs of apparent bachelors. I even saw a couple of baby strollers. This made me wonder about the demographics of Better Than Ezra’s fanbase because I haven’t really heard from them in about a decade. However, once the dusk faded into darkness, the young twenty-somethings came out as expected. 

Gamble hit the stage again a little bit after 8 p.m., but this time it was for more than six minutes. At first, the crowd seemed indifferent to what was happening up on stage. I admit that I, too, was slightly distracted by the free beach balls flying around the Power Plant crowd. I’ll never cease to be amused by unsuspecting bystanders getting nailed in the head with beach balls. As it turned out, Gamble turned out to be pretty decent. His voice reminded me a lot of Rob Thomas and Lifehouse’s Jason Wade. He’s got a new CD entitled “Behind the Blue.” Check it out. I might. 

Better Than Ezra hit the stage around 9:30, and “Good” was the second song they played. I noticed a lot of fans get a look of surprise on their face because they actually knew some of the lyrics of the song, which made me think that there’s probably a reason we haven’t heard from them this millennium.  

The rest of Better Than Ezra’s set was all right, but I definitely wouldn’t pay money to see them in concert again. Gamble’s performance ended up being the highlight of the show. His music blaring from the speakers reminded me that it’s been a while since the beat of a live band dictated the beat of my heart. I definitely need to make it a point to head out to more shows this summer.