p>Watching Saves the Day ruin its catalogue of songs onstage is a unique experience. This past Friday's show at the Agora Theater in Cleveland can be summed up with two phrases: "completely unenthusiastic" and "high school dance gone horribly wrong." Just because you can hear all of the romping junior overachievers decorated in buttons and Buddy Holly-esque glasses chanting along to your music in hypnotic fashion doesn't mean the lead singer's mic should be so low that everything he sings is a dull murmur amid a mess of guitars playing slowed-down power chords.
Saves the Day could have improved the show by playing its faster, more-upbeat songs to make the crowd bounce up and down inside the infectious melodies displayed so well on its studio efforts. One would expect a band such as Saves the Day to play its most popular song, "At Your Funeral." Did that happen? No. Also lacking from the performance was any kind of energy. Aren't rock bands supposed to "rock?"
Fortunately, Grandaddy took the stage next to save the day. Unfortunately, roughly half of the audience had left, perhaps to get home before their curfew. If they had stuck around, they would have seen what a true rock performance is like. Unlike Saves the Day, Grandaddy brought to its set an enthusiasm and graciousness that are marks of superior performers. On top of that, the band displayed masterful musicianship on music that at first seems simplistic, but has more layers than a homemade lasagna. Grandaddy's visual show enhanced what fans have been hearing in the privacy of their headphones.
After seeing both bands, it is perfectly clear why everyone says Saves the Day is sub-par live and why Grandaddy was the headliner of this particular show.
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