Images: Face to Face and Strung Out July 2, 2011 at the House of Blues

Early into their July 2 set at the House of Blues, Face to Face frontman Trevor Keith commented on the age of the show’s attendees, calling for a show of hands first for the over 30 crowd and later for those in their 20s and under. Keith was visibly delighted that so many fans in the over 30 crowd had stuck with the band since their early days, still showing up and packing in a large portion of the hot House of Blues floor. He appeared equally thrilled though with the amount of younger people who have discovered the band in the intervening years since first hitting the scene, years that saw the band encounter everything from lineup changes and label woes to a temporary breakup.

Once the band started playing it was evident that there was no age gap in excitement and crowd participation. From the oldest fan who remembers picking up Don’t Turn Away on cassette to the kid who discovered Face to Face this year on iTunes, everyone in attendance pumped their fists and sang along to classics like “You’ve Done Nothing,” “I Won’t Lie Down“ and “Disconnected” equally, the latter seeing the pit practically envelope the entire floor with excited fists and elbows. As a longtime Face to Face fan, my biggest highlights of the night were hearing new favorites “It’s Not All About You” and “All For Nothing” from the band’s excellent new album Laugh Now Laugh Later live for the first time. Keith’s voice sounded fantastic as the band shredded through over an hour and a half of their material.

To top off an excellent night and as a special treat for the last day of the tour, Face to Face returned to the stage after the final song to cover “Iron Maiden” by Iron Maiden, members of opening bands Strung Out and Blitzkid in tow to give the song a fuller sound.

-Emily Matview

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

and Tyler Newton | http://500px.com/spottedlens