As I walked towards the venue long queues were blocking my way. The excitement on the people’s faces was unmistakably there. A lot of young, a lot of which female, rockfans had come to Tilburg to see a band performing that was responsible for one of the biggest alternative hits of this summer. In one hour Hoobastank would hit the stage. But not before support act Three Days Grace had played.



When this Canadian four-piece entered the stage the crowd already was enthusiastic. After a calm intro they started their set. Their sound reminded me of Incubus, sometimes playing reservedly, sometimes leaning towards emo. There were some nice pop songs hidden in their intense rock sound. I had never heard of them before but they amazed me. The singer did a real good job, he managed to give an energetic performance and to keep singing very bright as well. Though a lot of the girls seemed to enjoy his appearance he sure had great vocal qualities. The crowd reactions were very positive, a lot of people were visibly excited. The band seemed somewhat surprised about this, since it was their first time in Holland. They replied with a very energetic set and praising the crowd several times. Three Days Grace convinced me, and the crowd. I will definitely check out their CD.

30 minutes later it was time for Hoobastank to enter the stage, no fancy stage entrance. The last time I saw them perform I was already pleased, so I was curious if they could beat that this time. In a sold out venue they did what they stand for. One rock song after the other was played for the fans, who were going out of their minds. I was walking all around the venue and even found a spot on the balcony. I stood there for a couple of minutes, from that position it was great to see the reactions of the people on the floor level. I can’t recall the entire set list of the night, but I do remember songs like ‘Crawling in The Dark’, ‘Running Away’, ‘Out of Control’ (opener), and of course their hit single ‘The Reason’. Although the last one wasn’t that good. From where I was standing at that moment the singing audience was sounding better than lead singer Doug. He and the lead guitar and tended to get pushed away by the enormous volume of the bass. The band was playing around 65 minutes before they left the stage. I think they should have played a little bit longer but overall it was a great show. One minus in my opinion is that the female fans were a little bit too enthusiastic. At the beginning and end of each song they were screaming so loud that my ears are still ringing



Again I had a real good night with 2 great performances. After both bands were done Three Days Grace hung out at the merchandise stand and gave everybody the opportunity to take pictures and get stuff signed, including CD booklets and certain body parts. Great thing to see a band giving so much attention to their fans. And when I look to their live show and energy (maybe combined with a hit single), I think they can fill up the 013 on their own next time.
Hoobastank was great too, I got to hear the songs I wanted to hear and I think the rest of the audience as well. Too bad this band isn’t able to sign stuff after the show, they would get snowed under by female fans. They gave their energy to the crowd on stage.