A Nostalgic NYE For Motion City Soundtrack Fans

By Katie Karpowicz in Arts & Entertainment on Jan 2, 2014 8:40PM

If you're not into long lines in the snow and fancy drink packages, New Years Eve in Chicago always presents a slew of concert options. This year the choice was even harder than usual but I decided to satisfy my nostalgic tendencies by checking out Motion City Soundtrack's ten-year anniversary show for the band's debut album I Am The Movie at Bottom Lounge. Happy New Year indeed.

The album clocks in at just a few seconds over 43 minutes and that's about all the time it took to bust it out on stage. The Minneapolis pop punk vets sped through the album's 14 songs in rapid fire succession, proving that just because their more recent work has taken a softer, poppier turn, these guys still know how to turn out a rock 'n roll show. I'm not saying I didn't expect the band to brush up on these "oldies" before the show but I am saying I was blown away by how great they sounded.

It wasn't until MCS wrapped up I Am The Movie and announced they'd be playing a second set of more recent hits following the countdown to midnight that I realized how many good vibes were coming off the surrounding crowd—a rarity on December 31st. Older and more matured than expected, last night's attendees reminded me that I was also ten years younger when I first fell in love with those synthesizer and teen angst-filled tracks.

Listening to lead singer Justin Pierre sing about "walking away from the memory game" during the final cut of I Am The Movie ("A-OK") minutes before midnight felt perfectly right. Thanks for the memories, 2013, now onward!