Last Friday the House of Blues hosted the first night of the Pac Sun tour featuring Saosin as the headlining act. The venue was absolutely packed with kids who came out to support the rising stars of the Alternative Music genre. Of the few bands on the bill, the most memorable acts were Saosin, and opening newcomers Innerpartysystem.

Of special note, I’d like to give kudos to the opening band, Innerpartysystem. I don’t know where they came from, how to categorize their music, or why the hell they have an orange pole in the center of the stage, but what I can say is they have one of the most original sounds I’ve heard all year. They’re a little electronic laid on top of a strong rock foundation, presented with a major light show. I can’t imagine listening to this band outside of a live context.

Aside from the band being incredibly energetic, they went far out of their way to light up everything on stage. Turntables and keyboards were bottom lit, a luminous silk screen covered the amp cabinets, and rope lighting surrounded even the bass drum. Their music was unlike anything I’ve heard or seen done this well; their performance shows the makings a future-headlining act. You’ve heard it here first, keep an eye on Innerpartysystem.

To be truthful, the surprisingly talented opening band probably stole a little thunder from the actual headlining act. Saosin was by no means bad, but their show wasn’t remarkably compelling, and got trumped in part by the energetic ace of an opener. As we come up to the midpoint of November, I am 85% sure that this is the only headlining act I’ve seen all year that didn’t get onstage to an intro or some kind of intense build-up. As soon as the curtains opened, the full band appeared onstage and immediately leapt into their signature song, "Keep Secrets." This was undoubtly the loudest concert I’ve seen all year (yes, louder than Lamb of God) due in part to screaming underage girls in the front rows coupled with misplaced feedback monitors on stage.

The band went through their stable of hits from "Voices," "Sleepers," "Seven Years," "You’re Not Alone" and eventually ended on "They Perched." Within the past year, I’ve seen this band four times. Though it is natural that the show will feel familiar, one would think they’d take the opportunity as a headliner to do something special and unique to the show this time around. Guys, this is your headlining tour, have fun with it! Decorate your set, embellish your outfits, and build your stage up; the more outlandish, the more kids you draw in. At this point, Saosin needs to take their performance to a new level or risk becoming stale.

Check out our fulls sets of concerts photos for Saosin and Innerpartysystem. - review and photos by Michael Mullenix