Trace Cyrus undoubtedly knows how to command a crowd. Despite not touring for five years, the boys of Metro Station didn’t miss a beat when they electrified a packed house at Boston’s Brighton Music Hall this past Monday. And of course, Cyrus was in rare form. Opening with the percolating (and lascivious) “Control,” he played on the audience’s excitement as mostly starry-eyed teenagers dazzled in his presence. On a bill decked out with the likes of The Downtown Fiction, Against The Current, and The Ready Set, Metro Station remained the most celebrated band of the evening.
Their 2007 self-titled debut album radiated glazed contentment with a sliver of masochism–but in the most enjoyable way possible. So when they extracted gems from their arsenal like “Seventeen Forever,” “Kelsey,” and “Wish We Were Older,” onlookers mouthed lyrics with a carefree abandon. Some were even overwhelmed beyond comprehension, gasping and virtually convulsing to the point of near tears.
Cyrus even playfully remarked that there weren’t many girls in the audience over the age of 21, but that ones that did meet his age requirement should find him later and buy him a drink. He even went as far as to say that the quality of Boston’s weed rivals that of California–a statement that ought to be thoroughly researched. When giving introductions to new material, the band was weary of our skepticism. Their Gold EP, released last month, is lyrically still very Metro Station–partying, booze, and infinite trysts.
While songs like “She Likes Girls” give credence to the notion that the boys are starting to crank out testosterone-driven anthems, “Forever Young” showed that they haven’t totally abandoned their ways. And when The Ready Set frontman Jordan Witzigreuter appeared onstage to sing his part of the song, fans who thought they couldn’t get anymore bowled over were proven completely wrong. Finally, Cyrus asked us the rhetorical question of what song we’d like to hear last. As “Shake It” was winding down, fans rushed to the merchandise area to get a quick picture with Metro Station. Clearly, their time off the road only made their most devoted fans that much more supportive.