Images: We the Kings, Breathe Carolina, T. Mills, The Ready Set, Keep It Cute August 3, 2013 at Hard Rock Live

The night started out with self-described “pop n’ roll” band Keep It Cute. The unsigned Texas group got a good reaction from the earlybird crowd, and based on the line of kids waiting to meet them after the show, I’d say they gained a few fans.

I’ve been to four or five The Ready Set shows now, and the crowd gets larger every time. Jordan Witzigreuter never disappoints, and whether it’s dancing with strangers in the crowd or taking photos, he puts on a really fun show. He kicked off his set with “Young Forever,” and fans sang along to every word of crowd favorites “Love Like Woe,” “More Than Alive” and “Give Me Your Hand.”

Unfortunately for T. Mills fans, his set was cut short due to an overly long sound check, but the crowd still made the best of every moment. The Riverside, CA rapper is the only person on this tour that I’d never listened to or seen before, and although I don’t see myself seeking him out in the future, I was impressed with the audience interaction. It seemed the whole crowd knew the words to every song, including “She Got A…,”  “All I Wanna Do,” and closer “Vans On.” Breathe Carolina’s David Schmitt made a surprise appearance for “I Live High” which pumped up the crowd for their set.

Breathe Carolina puts on a fantastic show. They never stop moving on stage, and I love seeing Kyle Even jump into the crowd to sing along with the band’s dedicated fans. T. Mills returned the favor and made a guest appearance during their set, and they played classics like “Hello Fascination” (which even made it into one of the Tap Tap Revenge games), “IDGAF,” and “Black Out” along with some newer works, such as a their “Billie Jean” cover and “Wooly.”

Florida’s We The Kings have gathered quite a following over the years. Personally, I’ve got some happy highschool memories of belting out their platinum-selling hit “Check Yes Juliet” and “Secret Valentine.” They started off their hour-long set with “Say You Like Me” and rolled along with “Skyway Avenue,” “Friday Is Forever” (in which a lucky fan was picked for an onstage “date” with Travis Clark), a cover of The Killers’ “Mr. Brightside,” and “We’ll Be A Dream,” unfortunately without guest vocalist Demi Lovato (I mean, come on, how cool would that be!?).

We The Kings’ set was a perfect ending to a really great show, and I can’t wait to see these guys roll through town again!

-Hunter Wallace | https://www.flickr.com/photos/hunter_wallace/