Being that Set Your Goals is from San Francisco, I had high hopes for their show in the Bay Area on Friday, August 21st. Along with friends Four Year Strong, Polar Bear Club, and Fireworks, they did not disappoint.

Before the show, my girlfriend and I met up with a friend to have a drink. We weren’t in any particular rush to get to Slim’s since we were unaware of whom the opening acts were going to be, and well, we wanted a drink. Naturally, we arrived a little late, but were still able to catch the last half of the opening act, Fireworks. Suffice it to say, I’m glad we got there when we did.

After making our way through the crowd and settling in to a beverage-friendly location, I was able to relax and take a closer listen. In doing so, I was captivated by the energy and upbeat tempo Fireworks was putting on display. After hearing about four songs, they inspired me to purchase their new album All I Have To Offer Is My Own Confusion. Expect a review very soon.

Next up was Polar Bear Club. While this band did not catch my attention in the same way that Fireworks did, they put on a solid performance and the crowd definitely stayed locked in. It is fair to say that the anticipation of Four Year Strong and Set Your Goals played into my lower level of interest. However, they certainly left me intrigued by the end of their set. Even though I haven’t had a chance to do so yet, I will be checking out their 2008 release Sometimes Things Just Disappear in the near future, and frankly, you should to.

About 20 minutes later, Four Year Strong took the stage and I was noticeably stoked. I am a huge fan of their breakthrough album Rise or Die Trying and knew that we were in for a treat after seeing them live once before. I was even more psyched about hearing them perform some 90’s covers off of their recently released Explains It All disc. In case you missed it, here was their set list:

Bada Bing! Wit’ A Pipe!
Catastrophe
Abandon Ship or Abandon All Hope
Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Hell
Semi-Charmed Life
Prepare To Be Digitally Manipulated
Beatdown in the Key of Happy
She Really Loved You
Maniac (R.O.D.)
Heroes Get Remembered, Legends Never Die

If you are familiar with FYS, you can see that most of the songs they played were off of Rise or Die Trying. While this was definitely worth the price of admission, I was disappointed they did not play more songs from Explains It All. While I understand it is a cover album, I was expecting them to promote it a little heavier given that it dropped only a month ago and they don’t have any other new material out. They only played two from this disc; Third Eye Blind’s “Semi-Charmed Life” and Reach The Sky’s “She Really Loved You.” Truth be told, I am a sucker for punk covers and was looking forward to hearing more. Even so, FYS performed with the energy I am accustomed to seeing and kept the crowd pumped and wanting more.

Finally, it was time for the darlings of the evening to rock the house. Opening with their new single “This Will Be the Death of Us”, Set Your Goals captivated its audience and was spot-on all night. There was definitely no shortage of songs, as SYG played a total of 17! Take a look:

This Will Be the Death of Us
The Fallen…
Flight of the Navigator
Work In Progress
With Hoffman Lenses We Will See the Truth
Look Closer
Summer Jam
Echoes
Goonies Never Say Die
To Be Continued…
Gaia Bleeds (Make Way for Man)
The Few That Remain
This Song Is Definitely Not About a Girl
This Very Moment
Our Ethos: A Legacy to Pass On
Dead Men Tell No Tales
Mutiny!

Even though it was one of the longer sets in recent memory, at no point did the act get tiresome. In fact, it only got more enticing with each tune as SYG kept everyone guessing on what the next song would be. They played a decent amount from both Mutiny and This Will Be The Death Of Us, and even reached back to their 2005 debut album to play fan favorite “Goonies Never Say Die.”

There were a few highlights for me from their performance. During one consecutive stretch, they played tracks 2-4 from their new release, including my personal favorite, “Look Closer.” During “The Few That Remain,” Polar Bear Club’s lead vocalist Jimmy Stadt played the part of Hayley Williams and filled in nicely. Finally, SYG closed with their trademark jam, “Mutiny!” and completed an awesome night.

Check out our Set Your Goals review and look for reviews of other bands in the concert Matthew went to in the near future!

Below are some videos and links to the above artist’s music via iTunes and Amazon – for Set Your Goals’ songs and albums please visit the above link to our review of the band. Enjoy!

Four Year Strong’s ‘Bada Bing! Wit’ A Pipe!’ from Rise or Die Trying:

Four Year Strong – Bada Bing! Wit’ a Pipe

Fireworks’ ‘From Mountain Movers to Lazy Losers’ from We Are Everything:

Fireworks – From Mountain Movers to Lazy Losers

Polar Bear Club’s ‘Parked in the Parking Lot of Your Heart’ from Sometimes Things Just Disappear:

Polar Bear Club – Parked in the Parking Lot of Your Heart

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All photos, music, and videos copyright of their respective owners. Used only for promotional purposes and to gain notoriety for the artists featured.

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