Q101’s Jamboree First Midwest Amphitheatre Tinley Park, IL June 4, 2011

On what started out as one of the hottest days of the year thousands poured into the great, but way too far away, First Midwest Ampitheatre ready to rock. Despite the fact that many of the bands playing were in their prime in the 90s a bulk of the audience seemed to be in their late teens with a smattering of Gen-Xers, most of which seemed to be there with their children.

Though there were two stages the Cubby Bear stage, which showcased local and lesser-known bands, provided almost no-shade and didn’t attract nearly as much of a crowd as it deserved. Keeping on a tight schedule the show started promptly at 1 p.m. with the still relatively unknown Greek Fire. Known for their hit single “Doesn’t Matter Anyway” the band was formed in 2009 by Ryan Phillips and Phillip Sneed (aka “Moon”) because they were on a “mission to re-vitalize the spirit of rock music in all of its purity and greatness. A mission to create uplifting, soaring music for those who need it now more than ever,” states the band’s site.

Do they accomplish such a lofty goal? Not really. Their music is polished and the band certainly has a natural rock n’ roll presence but it’s nothing that isn’t already out there. This isn’t to say that the band is bad; they just have a long way to go to complete their mission. One of the best surprises of the band’s half hour set came when Moon joined percussionist Johnny Venus on-stage for a drum battle. Rarely does a performer stop the entire show to let the instruments do the talking anymore and it was a refreshing break from the norm.

Anberlin graced the stage next and I have to admit I was bored out of my mind. I’m going to get a lot of flack for this but it seemed like most of the audience shared my lack of enthusiasm for the band. This shouldn’t really be surprising looking at the history of the group. Formed in 2002 the band is a mix of Christian rockers and self-proclaimed emo’s. The result is stale and unmoving.

Thankfully Sum 41 came on stage and livened things up a bit. The pop-punk band made a name for itself in the late 90s and has kept a pretty steady following since. Jamboree gave them a chance to really let loose. The festival had been lacking in solid punk anthems and Sum 41 brought the noise and the power to liven up the festival. It was great watching them jam out, knocking out riffs of classic metal songs from AC/DC, Van Halen and even a few from Ozzy Osbourne. Unfortunately the band was only allowed a half-hour and quickly dived into some fan favorites before exiting.

It was at that point that chaos broke out. The heat had been building throughout the day and finally broke in an all-out thunderstorm bringing with it severe lightning and hail. Many were urged to go back to their cars although few actually did, instead choosing to play in the rain. Some worried that the festival might be called off at its halfway point but thankfully Q101 came on stage and reassured the crowd that would not happen.

Buckets and buckets of rain later the show began again. The crowd was soaked and quite a bit more drunk but that only seemed to help Ed Kowalczyk’s set. Formally of the band Live Kowalczyk has been performing on his own for a few years now and seems to show a genuine love for both his music and the audience. In the 90s Live brought with it a sense of angst much like Smashing Pumpkins. Nearly 20 years later Kowalczyk has become a family man and mellowed out a lot. Although he played a lot of old favorites he’s starting to sound more like Rob Thomas than Billy Corgan. His music is becoming closer to light rock and it shows, while I enjoyed his set many seemed to be bored by his new music.

Without a doubt the best show of the night came from Papa Roach. From the second they walked on stage it was raw, pure energy that every single person in the audience felt. Although many of their songs involve issues like suicide, death and fighting lead singer Jacoby Shaddix was one of the nicest and least pretentious musicians I have seen in a long time. About halfway though the show he proceeded to walk straight into the crowd and did not stop until he reached the very end of the standing room section. I admire artists that take the time to give the fans something extra, it says a lot about their integrity and why they do what they do.

The same cannot be said of the main headliner: Thirty Seconds to Mars. In a show that had run smoothly despite the rain the group came onto the stage over a half hour late. Many do not take notice but a lot can be said for the setup of a show. Every other band highlighted the band members if not equally, fairly close to equally. Granted, the lead singer and/or drummer will always get top billing but everyone is at least acknowledged. Not so with Thirty Seconds to Mars. Through most of the show the only person in the spotlight was lead singer Jared Leto. The audience had come for him and that was exactly what they were going to get, nothing more.

I’m still not sold on the band as a whole. It feels like they want to come off as edgy but Leto’s voice just isn’t made for gritty rock n’ roll. His celebrity status allows his to buy more expensive gear and put on a good show but its all style and no substance. Leto needs to take a cue from Papa Roach and let the music speak for itself.

Q101 was planning a fall version of the Jamboree set for sometime this September. Of course as we know now, this idea most likely will never come to fruition with the radio station only existing online being replaced by a talk radio format.

Still, if they do get that chance, the show might do better in a location more people can get to with a better selection of the latest “it” bands. This recently go around just felt forced and without a lot of thought put behind it. Every festival is like a box of chocolates, who knows what the next box will bring.

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