Images: Last Call February 19, 2012 at the House of Blues (XPOZ Battle of the Fans)

Morrissey once said “we hate it when our friends become successful.” Morrissey can be pretty dumb sometimes. Personally, I was beyond stoked to see my buds in Last Call compete for shot to play this year’s Extreme Thing, rooting for them to win the entire time they were up on that big House of Blues stage. They were the odd ducks on the lineup, playing pop punk on a bill that leaned so far towards heavy music it recalled the king of pop’s signature move from the “Smooth Criminal” video. The band soldiered on, though, playing a new song, “Live Together, Die Alone,” and had a number of fans in the audience singing along to “Slow Motion” and “Glassell St.” In the end they lost, much like Rocky in Rocky, but I’m sure they will get another shot, like Rocky in Rocky 2.

-Emily Matview | https://www.flickr.com/photos/holdfastnow/