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Cirrusites Survive Solo
May 10th, 2012By Ethan Walshe
Managing Editor
Members of Cirrus preparing for a day's events
Do you think that you would have the skills to survive in the wilderness all alone? Between April 25 and 28 five members of the Cirrus outdoor adventure club put their skills to the test and did exactly that.
Sophomores Sean O’Donnell, Felicia LeBlanc, Sean Clancy along with freshman Shanon Fan and Katie Stokes were dropped off along with club advisor Zach Brumbaugh in the woods at boy scout camp Wanocksett and had to survive with only their wits and some basic supplies about them.
Of the five students who participated in the overnight adventure, only two of them were on the trip from the Wednesday evening until the Saturday morning. The others arrived on either Thursday or Friday. Upon arrival, the first thing they needed to do was to set up a shelter to protect themselves from the impending rain storm. The ensuing downpour caused some problems for the participants
“I hold the record for the most wet person to ever complete the solo,” joked Shanon Fan as she remembered her experience. “Getting a shelter up before the rain came down [was the hardest part of the trip], and obviously I didn’t succeed.”
According to Sean Clancy, who took part in the entire trip, the hardest part was trying to sleep on the ground while it was also raining, soaking the ground. This sentiment was echoed by other participants as well.
“[On] Friday night I don’t remember sleeping at all,” reflected Felicia LeBlanc, “I just remember being really cold and wishing I was asleep.”
After their night of so-so sleep, the Cirrusites had entire days ahead of them to explore the environment around them, read, and just generally get away from the outside world. As none of the members were allowed to bring any sort of electronics with them on the solo trip, this was a real opportunity for them to be alone with their thoughts and put their skills to the test.
After the whole experience, the participants said that they felt a sense of accomplishment having been able to survive on their own for an extended period of time. The comforts of home had become foreign to them over the two to three days and their own houses were a welcome sight.
“I felt relieved [when I got home]. I got to sleep in my own bed, which was nice,” said Clancy.
The return to society was a bit of a culture shock for some of the participants as well.
“It almost felt weird to get back into a normal schedule, and being surrounded by people and actually having technology around. Even though I was only gone for a day it was kind of a shock to have absolutely nothing and then go back to having everything. It made me appreciate the small things,” LeBlanc said with a smile on her face as she remembered the task she and her peers had just accomplished all on their own.
Behind the scenes of Westford Academy’s Will Clark
April 6th, 2012By Ethan Walshe
Managing Editor
A man throws his body about the stage, dressed only in jeans and black soot. As he delivers his monologue before a rowdy group of other men, the emotions in his face and body shift and alter as he reveals his innermost feelings and opinions on the very world around him. The setting for this display, Westford Academy Theater Arts’ production of The Hairy Ape, a recent winner at the Massachusetts Educational Theater Guild’s festival. The man, Will Clark, a senior here at Westford Academy.
Will Clark as Yank in WATA's production of The Hairy Ape. Photo by ASA Photographic. Copyright George Lucozzi - 2011
The Hairy Ape was the second play that Clark played a lead role in that won at the METG Festival, the other being last year’s J. Caes, in which he payed the role of Marc Antony. He described his opportunity to be a part of these two winning production as a big honor.
“I was certainly blessed to have two state championship teams in back-to-back years,” he remarked.
Clark has been involved in WATA for a number of years now and is considered a star and leader of the organization. In fact, the decision to make The Hairy Ape this year’s competition play was made in part with the knowledge that Clark would carry the play in a lead role.
“Will’s presence, Will’s work ethic, Will’s commitment to the department and his commitment to his craft enabled me to select [The Hairy Ape] with confidence,” said theater Arts teacher and director Michael Towers.
With a play selected around his individual talents, Clark says he felt excited to be a part of this year’s production in that unique role.
“It’s a unique experience to know that you are having a world and a team chosen around what you bring to the table. I was more than happy with the opportunity to shoulder a lot of the weight of our competition play,” said Clark.
As some may not know, Clark has not been as deeply involved in WATA as he is now for all four years of his high school career. During freshman year he was “roped into” participating in the set manipulation team for that year’s competition play Angels in America. From there, he moved his way to working the spotlights during Rent and during his sophomore year he auditioned for Chicago on a whim, was cast, and became hooked.
Clark says that his acting was not something that he was at all confident with, that it wasn’t something he had any prior experience in as other members of WATA did. He described the experience as something that was not “a lock”, meaning he was unsure of his abilities and how it would work out for him.
Over the past three years, Clark has played a number of roles, ranging from Leonardo in last year’s Blood Wedding to the previously mentioned Marc Antony in J. Caes and Ebeneezer Scrooge in this year’s A Christmas Carol. However, he describes his favorite role as the one he just finished bringing to life: the role of Yank in The Hairy Ape.
“I’m still coming off of the tremendous praise and appreciation for the production of The Hairy Ape. So much a part of me is still connected to the character of Yank and the 1920s mentality,” said Clark.
In addition to acting, Clark says he enjoys playing basketball, organizing events at the Parish Center for the Arts in the center of town and participating in community services. In fact, during freshman year Clark played for the junior varsity basketball team but had to abandon his interest in that sport because of his interests in theater.
“I’m happy that I did [left basketball] because I certainly am more rounded as a person because of that,” he added.
On the topic of athletics, Clark was even signed up to play varsity football this past fall. From this time last year and throughout the summer he did all of the preliminary activities such as weight lifting, conditioning, and beginning to eat right. However, three games into this past season he decided that he didn’t need to do this. He had signed up for the sport to, in his own words, prove to himself that he was still able to take on that athletic pursuit, and he realized that he did not need to do that anymore.
Though Clark keeps his time occupied with theater and other pursuits, he also fills up his time at school. He takes a few advanced placement classes which certainly keep him busy.
“It’s worth it for me to fill my schedule and juggle the AP’s and the theater and the sports and the extracurriculars because it keeps you thinking, it keeps you fresh…and you’re always on the move. I look at [overextending myself] as ‘this is me trying to figure out where I belong, what is the right path for me’… and I’ve failed in the past, but there is so much fulfillment in trying to do [a lot of things],” said Clark
As it turns out, the production of The Hairy Ape was the last that Clark would perform as an actor on stage for Westford Academy. According to Towers, he will have a role in WATA’s spring production of Cabaret, but it will most likely be behind the scenes. Clark described the whole experience of knowing that this was his last time on stage at WA as a “surreal experience.”
“I had tunnel vision during my last performance on that Westford Academy stage, and every moment of theater that I’ve seen as a member of this department just faded away. It was very special for me, a very beautiful moment to spearhead our final production and have that coincidentally be my final production,” said Clark.
During this spring season of WATA however, Clark will be directing a one act play in the blackbox titled Far Away. This is a very different role than he has previously played in WA’s theater department, as according to Towers, directing is a completely different ball game. However, Clark says that he is up to the task.
“I’ve built a team that I’m happy with, and I’m ready to begin season four,” he remarked.
As Clark prepares to leave WA , the future looks bright. At this time he is unsure of where he will go to college or what he will study, whether it be in an acting conservatory or in some other pursuit. He plans to continue acting in whatever capacity he can, if it is what he does with his life or not.
“I would love to continue acting, I would love to contribute to Westford Academy Theater Arts, and Westford Academy as a whole. This school has done tremendous things for me, my class and my community as a whole,” said Clark.
Hairy Ape advances to state finals
March 16th, 2012By Ethan Walshe
Managing Editor
Westford Academy Theater Arts’ production of The Hairy Ape advanced to the final round Massachusetts Educational Theater Guild’s drama festival Saturday, following the semi-finals held at Westford Academy. Chelmsford High School’s production of The 39 Steps also advanced. This differs from previous years, when three plays advanced to the state finals as opposed to this year’s two.
WATA gave a powerful performance of this year’s competition play during the festival on Saturday. They were the fifth of six schools to perform, amongst North Reading High School’s Medea, Boston Arts Academy’s 3014, Lemonster High School’s Bits and Pieces, and Everett High School’s The Good Life.
Senior Will Clark carried the play in his lead role as Yank, a laborer in the stokes of an ocean liner who attempts to find belonging in the world. After failing to find this in both the ocean liner and amongst socialite in Manhattan, Yank attempts to find companionship with a gorilla at the zoo, who kills him at the play’s closing.
In addition to advancing to the state finals, several WA students received individual awards. Awards for Excellence in Acting went to seniors Will Clark and Michaela Burke. Awards for technical excellence were divided into two categories: Lighting Design and Set Design. These awards went to junior Elise Paugh and the ensemble of Daniel Bubin, Peter Cialli, Katie Levitsky, Scott Coull, Erin Carr and Nick Calow respectively. Awards for Excellence in Choreography and Excellence in Costume Design went to senior Christine Torto and the group of Sarah Welch, Alexa Lambert, Sam Sheppard, Anna Hartman and Sam Calow. Lastly, an award for Excellence in Ensemble Performance was won by JC Davis, Kyle Hughes, Nolan LaFlamme, Andrew McEvoy, Daniel Regan, Nathan Rigione, Kyle Russo, and Matt Sullivan.
There will be one final performance of The Hairy Ape at Westford Academy in the Performing Arts Center on Wednesday, March 21 and 8 p.m. The show will be performed at the METG State Finals in Boston on Friday, March 23 at 1 p.m.
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April vacation reinstated for Westford
February 28th, 2012By Ethan Walshe
Managing Editor
On Monday, February 27th, the school committee voted to reinstate this year’s April vacation. This decision passed with 5-2 vote during last night’s meeting and reverses the previous decision to have school meet on April 17 and 18.
The school committee’s decision was influenced by the large rate of absenteeism during last week’s abridged February vacation. Westford Academy posted absentee rates of around 40% on both the Tuesday and Wednesday of last week.
Students at WA are for the most part quite excited about the reversal of the school committee’s previous decision. Many heard about it last night immediately after the news broke.
“I heard about it yesterday,” said junior Mike Sistare.
The excited sentiments are common amongst students this morning after hearing the news.
“It’s good to actually have a break,” said senior Leah Spinazzola.
Following last week’s shortened vacation, some students felt that their time here was not used well and that April vacation wouldn’t be any different.
“I was kind of indifferent [when I heard about April vacation],” said junior Aaron LaBarre “I wasn’t going to be here anyway and last week felt like a waste of two days anyway.”
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“Fakation” should not have happened
February 22nd, 2012By Ethan Walshe
Managing Editor
It’s the topic on every student’s mind this week: “I can’t believe we’re in school this week.”
Earlier this year following an unseasonable Nor’easter in October that left Westford Academy powerless and thus without school for four days, Superintendent Bill Olsen made the decision to make up the missed days during the Tuesday and Wednesday of both the February and April vacation weeks. This decision was made because it was assumed that there would be four more snow days during the winter. WA is yet to have a snow day this winter.
The reasoning behind this decision is understandable. Given that WA is in New England, it’s perfectly reasonable to assume that we would experience some snow days throughout the winter and not wanting to have school end late into June, Olsen made the executive decision along with the school committee to make up the lost days during vacation weeks. Now, thanks to this decision, the last day of school is June 13th, noticeably earlier than previous years. While this is good in the eyes of the students, it is not worth the sacrifice of parts of both the remaining vacations.
This “fakation” as it has been dubbed by many students is a joke. Breaking up a vacation into a three and four day period is just agitating. Family vacations needed to be altered if the parents intended on sending their students to school, some of which could have been planned the previous year. And for what? Classroom instruction that was supposed to be like any other day, but has been different.
Given that on the first and second days of “fakation” there were 567 and 750 students absent respectively, many classes could not operate normally because there simply were not enough students. This defeats the point of having these “normal days of instruction” if normal instruction cannot occur due to lack of attendance.
Arguably, days at the end of the year are also relatively light on work as just about everyone is itching to get to their summer vacation, but that is not the case here. Those are days scheduled into the year as they are every year. This is the first time in recent memory that students have been required to attend school during their vacation weeks. Understandably, they aren’t too thrilled about doing work.
Look back to 2008. An ice storm in December caused schools to be out for a week, and no vacations during the school year were taken away or altered.
The main issue here is the fact that the assumed four snow days that could have occurred during the winter didn’t. The superintendent and the school committee should have realized that it is unreasonable to make up days that we did not have off. If they had made the decision not to make up the days lost in October during the vacation weeks after realizing that there have been none, and probably will not be as it is 50 degrees outside as this is being written, the last day of school would still only be on the 19th of June, not an unreasonable day to end school.
It is too late to change the decision for February, but making up the days in April is ridiculous at this point. There are not going to be any more missed days of school between now and then barring some kind of flood or electrical blackout. It makes no sense for school to be in attendance on those days. Bill Olsen should make the decision to call off the April vacation days and allow students to enjoy a well deserved break.
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Westford Academy administration cracks down on student drivers
February 22nd, 2012By Ethan Walshe
Managing Editor
Westford Academy principal Jim Antonelli is currently working in conjunction with Massachusetts state representative James Arciero to pass a new piece of legislation that would result in harsher punishments for student drivers caught in possession of illicit substances like marijuana or alcohol.
The new bill would call for minors aged sixteen and one-half to eighteen years caught in possession of marijuana or alcohol to pay a $1000 fine and to have their license suspended pending a minimum of three months of completion of driving instruction.
Antonelli says that over the past five years he has seen numerous counts of students arriving at school under the influence. He believes that the use of marijuana in particular has increased drastically in recent years and that this is largely due to the decriminalization of marijuana in 2009 which made possession of small amounts of the class-B substance a misdemeanor resulting in a citation and a $100 fine.
“I firmly believe that the marijuana use has increased tremendously in the community and I think that there needs to be some kind of corrective action” said Antonelli.
Thus far, the legislation has been drafted by Rep. Arciero and has made its way to transportation committee chairman William Strauss.
Antonelli hopes that the hefty fine and loss of license will act as a deterrent for any minors who might be involved in these kind of activities. In addition, the loss of license is a large inconvenience for anyone.
“If you lose your license until you pay the fine and you complete the three month course, you’re not driving, and it’s an inconvenience to you and your family and that’s a tough thing to swallow” said Antonelli.
At this stage, Antonllie gives the bill a fifty percent chance of being passed. He believes this because Massachusetts citizens voted for the decriminalization of marijuana previously.
“[The decriminalization of marijuana was] a strong message from the voters within Massachusetts that they don’t feel as though marijuana has any impact on the population. They think it’s a very harmless drug…I don’t believe it’s going to go very far …[but] I think there will be adjustments to the level of the fine” said Antonelli.
It is yet to be seen if the bill will be vetted out.
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New English electives being offered next fall
February 15th, 2012By Ethan Walshe
Managing Editor
The 2012-2013 school year will see new electives in the English department. Two new classes, Contemporary Literature and Film and Literature will be offered to juniors and seniors and will be taught by English teachers Emily Coates and Brian Mahoney respectively.
Both of these classes received strong interest following a survey conducted on sophomores and juniors earlier this year. They were the two most voted for classes and thus the decision to run these classes next year was made.
The contemporary literature class will focus on three novels, Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult. According to Coates, a large aspect to the class will be finding the literary merit to contemporary novels.
“We’ll be looking at whether Harry Potter is really a hero’s journey…whether The Hunger Games is a book that qualifies as a piece of dystopian literature and then lastly we are going to look at the detective genre and whether Nineteen Minutes is a real detective whodunit murder mystery,” said Coates.
The film and literature class will also focus on yet to be decided contemporary novels, but will also feature analysis of accompanying films and seeing how the novels translate into film and if that adds to or takes away from things like theme or morals in the novels.
“In my mind right now it’s two novels and two films based on those novels and the idea is to look at a story that was told through two different mediums…and to see what was lost and what was gained through the process of those two different mediums,” said Mahoney.
Both classes will be different from standard English classes in a number of ways, but will also have similarities. Both classes will be based on discussion and feature a bit more independent work than a normal English class usually does. For example, in the contemporary literature class a book may be assigned and rather than having a set number of chapters due on this day, the entire book would need to be read by a certain date. Both classes will also feature essays based on the books or films at hand.
Coates would recommend the contemporary literature course for any student who is looking for a chance to talk about books they are interested in from a more literary standpoint.
“You might be interested in Harry Potter or Hunger Games or a Jodie Picoult book outside of school, this hopefully is going to be a chance for them to talk about a pop culture book, a book they might read for fun in an academic setting,” said Coates.
Mahoney would recommend his film and literature class to a student who is the type of person who finds himself going to a movie with his friends and afterwards really feeling the need to talk about it or wanting to see the same movie multiple times.
“if you’re looking to be engaged everyday, to come in… and feel like you’re taking an elevated class… to make them feel like ‘wow this feels like I’m doing something that a college student is doing’… if you’re looking for that, this is the class for you,” said Mahoney.
These new courses will be available to juniors and seniors next fall.
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The Hobbit hits the big screen
February 2nd, 2012Ethan Walshe
Managing Editor
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, the hugely anticipated prequel to the multibillion dollar grossing Lord of the Rings trilogy, is slated for release in December 2012. It will be part one of a two movie series directed by Peter Jackson, director of LotR.
The film tells the story of Bilbo Baggins, relative of LotR protagonist Frodo Baggins, as he journeys with a wizard and thirteen dwarves to slay a dragon residing in the Lonely Mountain and reclaim the treasure the dragon has taken. The story follows the adventures that the group encounters along their way, including battles with giant spiders, trolls and the discovery of the ring of power that is central to LotR.
The film stars Martin Freeman as Bilbo and Richard Armitage as the dwarf leader Thorin. It also features appearance from LotR actors Elijah Wood and Sir Ian McKellen as Frodo and the wizard Gandalf respectively.
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Caucus and primary: What’s the difference?
January 10th, 2012
By Ethan Walshe
Managing Editor
As most everyone should know by now, we have entered an election year. The Republican candidates are well into their campaigns and Monday, January 3, marked the first in a series of contests between these candidates to determine who will receive the nomination for presidency. There are two kinds of these contests, caucuses and primaries. Many people hear these words thrown around on the news these days, but what is the real difference between the two?
The main difference between the two is that a caucus is more of an open forum style of voting whereas a primary is much more similar to a general election. During a caucus, registered caucus goers will report to their voting location, a town hall for example, for what will end up being a more time consuming process. Voters may sit at a table representing their allegiance to a candidate. There could be a table for Mitt Romney, one for Newt Gingrich, one for Rick Santorum etc. Here, voters may engage in debate and discussion ab out the issues at hand and why they believe the candidate they support is the right choice.
Over the course of their time at the caucus location, representatives of the running candidates or the candidates themselves can explain why they should receive your vote. They can answer questions and the caucus goers can debate amongst themselves. If they decide at some point that they should vote for someone else, they may switch tables. At some point, votes are cast in a public way, as in raising hands. This very open style of voting can sway voters opinions when they see how the people around them have cast their vote.
The caucus style of voting is only used in twelve states nowadays, as it is far more time consuming than the primary process. It is often used by more tradition-based states.
The entire point of these processes is to award delegates and the amount of delegates a candidate receives determines if they are the nominee for president. A candidate needs 1144 votes in order to win. The delegates are divided up as follows: If a state has 20 delegates up for contention and Mitt Romney, for example, receives 60% of the vote, Jon Huntsman receives 25% and Rick Santorum receives 15%, candidate A gets 12 delegates, candidate B gets five and candidate C gets three.
The first caucus, in Iowa, has passed and the first primary –New Hampshire primary–was on Tuesday, January 10. Many more are to follow in the coming months.
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How do we do our homework?
December 22nd, 2011
By Ethan Walshe
Managing Editor
As high school students, school is potentially the largest part of our day to day lives. And what goes hand in hand with schoolwork? Homework. How much homework are students getting per night, and what are their habits for getting it done?
As most everyone has discovered by now the amount of homework you receive nightly is directly related to your grade, the types of classes you take and whether those classes are CP, honors, or AP. How long this homework will take you, regardless of the actual amount of work, is also affected by how you occupy your time elsewhere, whether it be in sports, a job or if you just procrastinate a lot. All of these factors to how much time students are spending each night to complete their assignments.
Freshman in particular can find that the homework load in high school can become overwhelming, particularly at the beginning of the year. However, it is almost midterms so more than likely they have settled into a routine. Whether they tackle their assignments right when they get home, in DLT, on the bus in the morning or some other method, some kind of measures are taken.
“I do my homework when I have time, usually right after school or later that night after sports,” said freshman Emma Katz.
Other grade levels have different experiences with their daily homework loads. Seniors in particular can find that they are either almost without homework, or are laden with it depending on if they take AP classes. According to senior Matt R. Miller, he has almost no homework this year.
“I just go home and do about ten minutes of trig homework, and that’s about it,” said Miller.
On the opposite side of this coin are those seniors who find themselves in AP classes are given far more work than those in CP or honors classes, and this is to be expected. Senior Nick Woodbury said “AP gets a lot more of a workload than the college prep classes,” and any senior or student involved in these classes can echo this sentiment.
Sophomores and juniors can find themselves muddled in between these two extremes. The jump between freshman and sophomore year is usually an easier transition than that between eighth grade and freshman, but some students still find that homework loads increase and more is asked of them as they grow older. This is also to be expected.
A general consensus amongst members of the sophomore class interviewed is that they can have two to three hours or so of homework per night, but more challenging classes can pose a larger task for students.
“I think [the amount of homework] has to do with the fact that I take so many honors classes,” said sophomore Demi Zhang.
Junior year can often be the year where everything comes together. Work becomes more challenging at students prepare to apply to college in the coming year. Workloads intensify and home is definitely a part of that. Junior Sam Sheppard believes that junior year has been “crunchtime” for her and she has had more homework this year than the previous two.
The purpose of homework is often questioned by students and in recent times, by adults. This has lead to the idea of a “road to nowhere,” the idea that student’s are spending their time finding elaborate ways to make it look like they’ve done their homework instead of actually doing it. Some students at WA certainly share this sentiment.
“In my opinion, most homework tends to be busy work and it’s annoying. I see the [point behind] homework but I think sometimes teachers give too much,” said sophomore Mikayla Viscione.
The Ghostwriter will continue to explore this topic in upcoming articles.
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Students Find a Balance
December 12th, 2011
By Matt Miller and Ethan Walshe
Students at Westford Academy dedicate their time to a myriad of activities, such as sports, clubs, employment, involvement in their community and other endeavors. With this many options, students often put their time into several areas, and balancing this all with schoolwork can prove to be a challenge, although some find it to be no trouble at all.
In school, it is important to have a balance of both academics and extra-curricular activities. Some manage to maintain that balance gracefully, and some choose to focus on their academics more than other activities. Then there are some who choose to become involved with a lot of clubs and activities, and others who choose to keep their schedules open.
Students such as senior Richa Kaul are very involved in extra-curricular activities both within the WA community and outside of it. As senior class president, a main officer for DECA, and a captain for the track team, she certainly fills her time. Academics are also important to her.
“I don’t really manage to balance academics and activities, everything just kind of falls into place” said Kaul, a mentality that is likely shared by many students.
Other students decide to focus on one or two specific activities and devote their full time and effort to them. Sophomore Spencer West is active in the track community and that is the main non-academic endeavor in which he puts his time. According to West, he is quite diligent at this.
“I try to get [his homework] done right when I get home, and I am pretty effective at it” said West.
This style of seeing to schoolwork is one that is not unfamiliar to much of Westford Academy’s student body.
Time management is an pertinent skill to have for anyone, but it is something that high school students in particular are learning to use more effectively. Dean Bob Ware said that in addition to this skill, organization is also key.
“It’s really a great tool for kids to figure out how to prioritize their lives, juggle their work obligations, their school obligations, their life obligations, their financial obligations and really learn how to manage their time” said Ware.
Sophomore class president David Ran echoed this sentiment.
“It’s all about time management” said Ran.
Guidance counselors like Mark Lucey support the idea of students participating in extra-curricular activities. He believes that is important to the well-rounded individual to have activities outside of schoolwork in which they are involved.
“It isn’t about building a résumé and being the president of this and the volunteer for that, it’s about finding a few things where you can put a lot of your energy and creativity” said Lucey.
The balance between academics and extra-curriculars is essential to maintain a successful career at Westford Academy.
No Guts No Glory Tour hits Worcester
December 7th, 2011
By Ethan Walshe
Managing Editor
On Friday, December 2nd, the No Guts No Glory tour made it’s Massachusetts stop at the Palladium in Worcester. The show was co-headlined by post-hardcore act Pierce the Veil and metalcore band Miss May I. The Amity Affliction, letlive and Woe, Is Me performed as direct support.
Fans had begun to stretch down the neighboring block as they waited for doors to open. When the doors did open at 5:30, ticket holders began to pour in. This amusingly led to every male in line being admitted before the women because the number of women was far greater than the number of men and thus required more time at security.
The event was originally set to be in the upstairs area, a much smaller part of the Palladium than the downstairs, but due to the number of ticket sales, had to be moved to the larger downstairs area. This meant that while the venue was not packed, there was more room to move around, particularly outside of the pit. Fans were abuzz with anticipation at roadies and tech crew made final adjustments to the equipment onstage.
After an extended wait indoors as fans filtered through, the lights finally dimmed and the first band took the stage, Australian post-hardcore quintet The Amity Affliction. The band played an impressive five song set, despite being without one of their two guitarists. The band got a pretty rowdy crowd going, as hardcore dancers began to fill the open space on the floor.
The second band to play, LA-based progressive hardcore act letlive were plagued by technical difficulties throughout their set. Feedback from microphones were a common occurrence and one of their guitarists seemed to be having consistent issues, frequently consulting his amp or his guitar tech in the middle of a song. That being said, the group had an incredible energy, unrivaled by anything this concert goer has seen before, as lead vocalist Jason Butler threw himself across the stage and into the crowd.
The final opening act, post-hardcore septet Woe, Is Me from Atlanta, Georgia took to the stage to a frenzy from fans. The group played a powerful set consisting mainly of songs from their debut album Number(s) but also their recent cover of Katy Perry’s “Last Friday Night” from the Fearless Records compilation album Punk Goes Pop, Volume 4 much to the glee of many fans. The group announced that they would be doing a signing at their merchandise table immediately following their set and after their performance a large number of concert goers moved to the back of the venue for a chance to meet up with the band members.
With all of the opening bands finished, the pit began to fill with all of the fans for the upcoming co-headliners. There was huge amounts of chatter as the minutes passed and roadies moved the opening bands equipment out of the way to make room for the headliners. The atmosphere could be described as electric before these main bands took the stage.
Metalcore band Miss May I stormed the stage amongst a frenzy of strobe lights and smoke and began to tear through their lengthy set. While the band is of a much different genre than the other bands on the tour, they were still received very well by most of the crowd, who began to get very rowdy. The most impressive thing about the bands performance was certainly their light show. Strobe lights were set to go off with every hit of the bass drum, so double bass rolls became even more incredible than they already were.
The mosh pit was filled to the brim with people throwing themselves into each other, crowd surfers and even and old styled circle pit. At one point, lead vocalist Levi Benton called for everyone in the crowd to befriend the security located at the front of the crowd, meaning that fans should crowd surf to the front. He asked for a hundred people to crowd-surf by the end of the song, and though no actual count was taken, just by appearances it seemed that they were very close.
Drummer Jerod Boyd played an engrossing drum solo towards the end of the groups set, exhibiting his strong double bass and odd time signature drumming. The crowd erupted to his performance and the rest of the group returned to the stage to close out their set.
As Miss May I filtered off of the stage, everyone in the crowd got very excited; they were mere moments away from what many ticket holders had come out to see. The overall room temperature seemed to rise several degrees from the fans sheer excitement.
Before final band Pierce the Veil came to the stage, a man dressed as the grim reaper ran out on stage and distributed foam swords and battle axes to an ominous sound track. Fans went wild as the clutched and grabbed for the free items.
San Diego based post-hardcore band Pierce the Veil came on stage to a powerful introductory track explaining what sounded like a post apocalyptical radio announcement. The group then began to play through their extended set consisting mainly of songs from from their 2010 sophomore release Selfish Machines, including opening numbers “The Boy Who Could Fly” and “Besitos”, which are fan favorites. Midway through their set, vocalist Vic Fuentes appeared towards the back of the venue at the sound booth, guitar in hand, to play through “Bulletproof Love” for a more intimate performance. Before finishing the track, he said that he “needed some help getting back to the stage.” The high pitched scream of every fangirl in the audience that followed was deafening, as he threw himself onto the crowd and crowd surfed back to the stage. The whole band finished the song when he returned.
A little while later during the sec, Fuentes stopped the music for a few minutes to talk about the Keep A Breast Foundation, a charitable organization dedicated to fighting breast cancer, who the band had brought along with them on the tour. He shared a personal story about knowing someone with breast cancer who is now cancer free and the crowd erupted with applause and cheers.
The band finished their last few songs, including another song from the Punk Goes Pop compilation mentioned earlier, their cover of Bruno Mars’ “Just the Way You Are.” The band closed the show with their most popular song “Caraphernelia” and a surge of confetti. The audience was engrossed by their performance and the sight.
The No Guts No Glory tour was an impressive show to attend. All of the bands played with an awe-inspiring energy which made the musical performances all the more entertaining. The tour will be continuing until the 16th.
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