On to Better Than Ezra, the reason I was at the show. Best known for their song "Good", a smash hit single during the mid-nineties, this band always seemed to be on the brink of greatness, but never quite made it. They’ve had four or five successful singles, but they were the kind of band whose songs you heard on the radio, but never really knew who they were by, and never bothered to buy the album. They have maintained a cult following though, and still sell out big clubs and small theatres across the country. I own two out of there four CDs, and though I had always liked them, I was really at the show to hear the five songs I knew from the radio. I was expecting those five songs and some fun pop filler in between, but not much more. However, from the opening song, it was obvious that the vast majority of the large crowd was made up of people who were more than casual fans. Now I know why.

As lights went down and Queen's "Fat Bottomed Girls" blared through the sound system, the band took the stage to enthusiastic "Ezra" chants. Front-man Kevin Griffin shot some high pitched bluesy riffs from his distorted acoustic guitar, while the crowd went crazy in anticipation and the rest of the band readied themselves. And then they were off, kicking right into "Recognize", a driving rock song from their most recent album. As they transitioned into the next song, I began to realize why this band has such a good following. "Misunderstood", a catchy, yet unremarkable pop song, was rocked up to the point where I could barely recognize it as the song I had heard on the album years ago. It retained its catchy pop-rock goodness, but the chorus’s were backed with ripping distorted guitars and a forceful rock and roll drum beat.

The crowd swayed in rhythm with the band, singing along with all the words, despite the fact that the song had never been released as a single. As the song ended, Griffin provided an improvised outro in his trademark falsetto, then stepped back as the band kicked into "Good" with even more intensity than the studio version I had loved for nearly a decade. I was very surprised that they played their biggest single just three songs into the set. It was very admirable though, and shows how much confidence they have in themselves and their fans.

Though their most well known song was behind them, their intensity never wavered. They blew through their hour and a half set with a true rock and roll flair, stopping every so often to tell stories of their days in Boston, or to thank the crowd for being so good to them for so many years. Ezra got their start in Boston, and Griffin gave aspiring musicians in the crowd some priceless advice, recollecting how they used to get gigs at TT the Bears and other clubs in town by lying, saying they had been playing all over the place down south, and making up quotes from promoters and press. He also noted how remarkable it was that they could play for a packed club on a Sunday night, even though they hadn’t put out an album in three years.

"In the Blood", a popular, yet largely overlooked single from "Deluxe", was one of the highlights of the show. They brought up a jovial young man from the crowd to play the cowbell, and he really added to the already high energy of the song. The whole thing was very climatic. The band left the stage with their second biggest single, "Desperately Wanting", a perfect alternative rock/pop song that I had nearly forgotten in the six years since its release. They returned for the encore with two intimate acoustic songs, and then left the crowd for good with a rousing rendition of the fan favorite "Rosealia."

I left the show immensely pleased with my decision to leave my dorm and walk to the club. I had found out they were playing only a few minutes before the show, and I debated whether or not I liked them enough to spend twenty dollars on a ticket for quite some time, but in the end it was well worth it. They absolutely rocked out, but in a catchy pop way, and looked like they were enjoying themselves the entire time. They interacted great with the crowd, and did a great job conveying their appreciation to the audience.

I’m definitely going to start listening to them more as a result of this experience, and will definitely see them again next time they come around, which is the best praise a band can get.