Have you ever listened to that one record in your collection and thought, ?Man, I wonder how they?re going to pull this off live?” Well, that was the case for me when Circa Survive rolled into town to play the Reverb on October 13. Was the crowd going to be moshing ?till their legs ached, or watching the stage in awe? Was I going to walk out of there neatly dressed, or drenched in not only mine, but other people?s sweat?

Well, to be honest, I?m still not sure.

But whatever the answer may be, Circa Survive put on one hell-of-a show.

Right before they took the stage, I overheard some fans behind me reciting the lyrics of front man Anthony Greene?s former band, Saosin. It seemed a bit weird to hear, because comparing them to Circa Survive is like comparing apples and oranges; either way, you?re in for delightful treat.

Anthony is one of those rare frontmen that don?t have to thank the audience for coming; he lets you know by the amount of energy and passion he puts into his performance. However, it would have been nice to at least hear him introduce his band once while on stage.

Circa Survive blazed through their six-song set with older tracks (?House of Leaves?) and newer ones from their debut, Juturna. Anthony got my attention right at the beginning when he groped the head of a lucky Circa fan in the front. The band was flawless and had some of the smoothest transitions between songs than any other band I?ve ever seen live. The music did not stop once in their 30 minute set. Although the crowd started off pretty dull, it quickly picked up once a few Circa fans pushed their way to the front, resulting in me getting pushed back into some surprised fans. Once they hit the opening chord of their last song and fan favourite, ?Act Appalled,? the fans were moving, singing loudly, and?well, awake! They left the stage with the fans screaming for an encore, a rare chant for an opening band. Unfortunately, no encore, but it was amazing to see how quickly the floor emptied out when the fans swarmed their merch table to get their hands on whatever they could to remember this memorable performance (luckily, they didn?t leave for headliners Mae).

If you haven?t heard Circa Survive as of yet, it?s about to time you do. The band will be back in Canada this December opening up for My Chemical Romance on their Canadian tour. So if you haven?t heard them yet, or are just looking for a good time, I recommend going to see them when they appear in your town.






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