skiba - He wears his sunglasses at night.

The sold-out crowd that awaited the Chicago-based emo act Alkaline Trio at the House of Blues showed the kind of patience you don't often see from punk audiences. Prior to playing, the band took nearly 45 minutes to set up its equipment and run through one final sound check. Despite chanting "Trio! Trio! Trio!," the crowd didn't become too unruly as it waited. The fact that the band looked so pleased when it finally started playing — singer-guitarist Matt Skiba appeared on stage with a broad smile on his face and wearing a pair of oversized sunglasses — helped to smooth over any resentment for the interminable wait. The band's set featured a great mix of material from its six studio albums, including several tracks off its latest release, Agony and Irony.

Highlights from Agony included "In Vein," which had bassist Dan Adriano giving a stellar vocal performance and found Skiba dancing frenetically at the front of the stage. "Mercy Me" sent the crowd into a state of poetic hysteria and had everyone singing the words in unison. The band also played the rarity "Warbrain," which is featured on Rock Against Bush, Volume 1. During "Old School Reasons," the crowd was in a frenzied state with fans surfing, and Skiba stopped the show as a young fan was injured. He instantly grabbed the mic and said, "Hold on, people are getting hurt over here. No one needs to get hurt for some stupid-ass reason." He then handed the young lady a water bottle and told the fans that caused the problem to calm down and picked up the song like nothing happened. When one fan spat at Skiba, he wasn't fazed, either, and dodged it and laughed into the microphone and exclaimed, "You missed me, dickhead!"

After those few tense moments, the band sprang into "Help Me," a song about Joy Division singer Ian Curtis that Skiba described as "a song about a boy from Manchester." After the trio walked off stage, the crowd immediately burst into the "Trio!" chant again and the band came back out, explaining that it "forgot" to play a couple of songs. The encore featured "For Your Lungs Only," which Skiba said it hadn't played in 11 years, and "Radio." Both songs were gratefully received and sent the audience home after a lengthy set.

Gavin DeGraw
House of Blues, Friday, July 11

Gavin DeGraw attracted a decent crowd Friday night, proving that fans have remained loyal to the New York singer-songwriter after a five-year hiatus. As soon as DeGraw came on stage wearing a T-shirt, jeans and one of his signature hats, it became apparent why he has so many enthusiastic fans; this down-to-earth guy has great stage presence, but above all things, he has soul. Launching into "Relative," a track off his latest self-titled album, it was evident DeGraw has gained a rock edge, singing less about Mother Earth, yet staying true to his popular sound. Switching back and forth between electric guitar and piano, there was no doubt DeGraw has a natural talent. The party really got started with "Chemical Party," which gradually led into a bluesy rendition of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Proud Mary." DeGraw also covered the Ronettes' "Be My Baby" before belting out his hit single "In Love with a Girl."

At one point during the 90-minute set, DeGraw serenaded an overwhelmed fan, finishing by saying, "I'd kiss your hand, but it's too far away." However, the best moment of the night came when DeGraw stood on top of his glittering silver piano, telling the audience to keep it down so that he could sing without a microphone. While several audience members remained quiet, others screamed in order to disrupt the calmness. After commenting on the intimate moment, DeGraw joked, "That's why I like playing in small places, if only those few motherfuckers would shut up," leading to an uproar of approval from the audience. There's just something about rock stars and swearing; fans love it. After ending things with "I Don't Want to Be" and "Chariot," DeGraw stuck out his tongue in excitement and made sure to touch everyone's hand in the front row before leaving. On the way out, one of the few men in attendance shouted, "I may have been only one of 10 guys here, but that was awesome!"

Marie Digby opened the show, starting things off with her upcoming single "Stupid for You." Although Digby looked ever so gleeful, swaying her glistening locks back and forth to the melody of the keyboard, her bandmates seemed less than thrilled to be sharing the stage. After singing her current single "Say It Again," Digby aroused attention with her controversial YouTube hit "Umbrella" following a series of technical difficulties. While several members of the audience seemed confused with this acoustic version of the successful Rihanna song, others sang along happily, though it was DeGraw whom the crowd eagerly anticipated. — Lauren Yusko

Three Doors Down
Blossom Music Center, Friday, July 11

The mood at the Three Doors Down show at Blossom verged on obnoxious. Liquored-up frat boys sat side by side with bikers and teenage girls all with a common goal: to hear every radio single Staind and Three Doors Down have ever put out. They definitely achieved their goal. Three Doors Down didn't disappoint the fans who came for the hit songs we've all heard a million times. They played them all, from "Kryptonite" to "Duck and Run." The crowd was treated to polished, album-worthy renditions of their favorite songs. Three Doors Down even threw in the proverbial sing-alongs, arm waves and generic in-between-song banter. They made an attempt to be visually appealing by playing some of their videos as backdrops to several songs but, unfortunately, this only upped the cheese factor and made the band look trite. One song blended into the next to form a weird commercial slush of sound and the pseudo-sentimentality expressed in their lyrics was so generic, it usurped any hope of it coming across as genuine.

Staind opened the evening with a set that was bland and uninspired. It gave the crowd exactly what it wanted as it played single after single. Standing as if he was glued to the spot, frontman Aaron Lewis delivered note-for-note vocals that replicated the sound on the CD, and he simultaneously managed to not move an inch for the entire show. I wondered if he was actually alive up there, because he certainly looked like a mannequin with a mic. Staind even tried its hand at a cover song, Bob Seger's "Turn The Page." This was just as unoriginal and overplayed as the rest of the songs. You could have gotten the same result by turning your radio on and staring at a picture of the band. — Lois Elswick