Show Recap: Lost Tape Collective Holiday Show at First Unitarian Church, Philadelphia, PA

On December 31, the world welcomed the new year, and the first of the second decade of the 21st century. This obviously meant a serious amount of partying to be had, and deservedly so: 2010 was a crazy year, if the 12 Days of Christmas special was any indication. However, for a few hundred kids crammed into a church basement in Philly, the New Years' festivities started a little early, as a who's-who of up and coming pop-punk acts rang, belted, shouted, and screamed in 2011 in a big, big way at the Lost Tape Collective Holiday Show.

Starting off the festivities was Hostage Calm, a five-piece who earned the right to open for the prolific acts to follow. The crowd was able to use the band's slightly mellowed out set to defrost after a long wait on line in the middle of winter, but their set seemed to be over just as soon as it began.

Fresh off of their signing to Rise Records, Transit proved to do a much better job at warming the crowd up than Hostage Calm did. Blazing the stage through a short-but-sweet six song set, the band proved their worth and inventiveness they provide in pop-punk, which will hopefully lead to a high sales mark on their Rise debut due out in 2011. Led by frontman Joe Boyton's stage dive to close out the set, passion and emotion overflowed from the stage into the crowd, and Philadelphia was shaking from all of the fans rushing to the front of the stage.

Armed with a plethora of guitars and a flair for the dramatic, PA natives Balance and Composure followed, and the hometown crowd treated them very kindly. Many of the band's songs were sung back at them louder than vocalist Jonathan Simmons (who admitted to being sick during the set) could muster. While the band displayed a rather stoic and shy demeanor (something Transit certainly did not struggle with), the crowd created its own energy for the band, creating a chaotic set to celebrate the recent success B&C have enjoyed this year, headlined by a coveted spot opening for Senses Fail and Bayside last fall. If you enjoy The Devil and God-era Brand New, you need to check out this band right now.

There are very few people who can stop such a high-energy show with an acoustic set and do it affectively, but one of them undoubtedly is Vinnie Caruana. Lead singer of two beloved bands (The Movielife, I Am the Avalanche), Caruana commanded the crowd's attention despite the abrupt break from the action, but judging by all of the voices that carried his songs throughout his set, Caruana was more than welcome to the First Unitarian Church stage. "Brooklyn Dodgers" and "I Took a Beating" were certainly highlights, and Caruana's dry humor and news on what his bands will be doing at the 2011 Bamboozle Festival were more than enough to keep things moving along toward the night's biggest acts.

Defending the once-dying genre of pop-punk is no easy task, but if any band has the attitude to do it and the songs to back it up, its New Jersey natives Man Overboard. Critics and fans alike have been gushing over their debut full-length Real Talk, and the band's extended setlist featured almost every track off of the sterling album and a few old cuts that are clearly fan favorites. Even taking time to honor a member who left the band, MOb brought their breakout 2010 year to a close by showing how far they can go now with the backing of new label Rise Records.

"Who's not sad anymore?" Man Overboard guitarist/vocalist Zac Eisenstein asked the crowd before MOb played their last song. As the crowd erupted, the guitarist could barely hold back his own excitement as he told the crowd that Philadelphia natives The Wonder Years were playing a surprise three-song set to ring in the new year. The band took the stage for a little under fifteen minutes, and the energy was unmatched by any show I'd been to this year, and with good reason. TWY are still touring off of their wildly successful Hopeless Records debut The Upsides, and show no signs of slowing, with a new album due out in 2011 and a slot on the upcoming Warped Tour. If frontman Dan "Soupy" Campbell's stage dive off of the speaker system should signify anything, let it be this: The Wonder Years are so clearly on the rise that their fans will be there to lift them up should they ever fall (here's hoping they won't), screaming the lyrics back at the band all the while.

With so many great bands and energetic sets before them, it was easy to forget that Detroit-based Fireworks headlined the show. However, about three songs into the band's set, the crowd was made fully aware of the headliner's intentions: end the show and the year in an energetic, awe-inspiring fashion. While some fatigued fans left the show after The Wonder Years finished their set, but those who stayed were given a treat as Fireworks ripped through around 12 songs spanning their full-length All I Have to Offer is My Own Confusion and the recently-released EP Bonfires. Both the full-length and EP sounded crystal clear, and the band's one-two punch of "If We Stand on Each Other's Heads We Block Out the Sun" and "Detroit" ended the night with just as much energy as it was started with, and sustained throughout.

Someone must have been really, really good this year to get this show as a gift, and I'd like to personally thank them for it, as this was by far the best show in the tri-state area in 2010. Simply hearing the bands praising those who they shared the stage with that night displayed a camaraderie so rare in music today that it should not only be described, but praised as much as possible. The pop-punk Renaissance is under way, and it seems that each act from the Lost Tape Collective Holiday Show will have a hand in restoring the genre to its glory days.