lauren stern catches the pop-punksters in Central Jersey …
This past summer, pop-punk veterans The Early November surprised their fans when they announced two reunion shows near their hometown of Hammonton, N.J. After a successful first show back in September at The Electric Factory in Philadelphia, Pa, the band hit the stage again at Starland Ballroom in Sayerville, N.J., on Nov. 26 for what appeared to be their second “last show ever.” However, fans were pleasantly surprised that this was not the end, but merely a new beginning.
Before their first time back as a band in Philadelphia, the prior lineup — singer/guitarist Ace Enders, bassist Sergio Anello, lead guitarist Bill Lugg, guitarist and keyboardist Joseph Marro, and drummer Jeff Kummer — has not played together since their short set at the Bamboozle festival in 2007. For their second reunion date, the band did not disappoint with the set, mixing fan favorites from both their 2003 release The Room’s Too Cold and their 2006 release The Mother, The Mechanic, And The Path.
The band kicked off their set by opening up with “Baby Blue” off The Room’s Too Cold and then continued with other favorites from the same album “Something That Produces Results” and “A Mountain Range In My Living Room.” Out of the many shows I’ve seen at Starland Ballroom, I have never seen a crowd so energetic. As the band ripped through the set, the crowd got more and more active, toppling on top of each other through their favorite lines and riffs. Less active members of the crowd sang their hearts out, dancing and swaying in their place. The band certainly fed off the crowd’s energy and each member countlessly acknowledged the positive energy and thanked the crowd for being so awesome and so supportive.
The band ended out their set with “Every Night’s Another Story,” which is notably the last song the band played at their “last show” at the Bamboozle Festival in 2007. Before the song started, Enders asked the crowd to take out their cell phones and cameras for a special announcement. Glows from different recording devices light up the venue. Enders then announced that the band was getting back together to record one last album. The crowd roared with excitement and continued to go nuts during the last song. It was news that every single person in that room, including me, hoped for but never expected. It couldn’t have been a more perfect way for the band to end out an already amazing performance.
To make it more official, it was announced the next day, that the band has signed with Rise Records and the new album will come out in the spring of 2012. The band will also perform a stream of holiday shows throughout the month of December.
I was at this show too and it was awesome! I was never even a big Early November fan (I bought my ticket mainly to see The Dangerous Summer who dropped off the show). But they were really great and the energy of the crowd was amazing. I saw the Starting Line’s reunion show at Starland last year and the crowd was soooo much more legit for TEN.