July 21st, 2014 
Dana Reandelar 
There’s a certain sense of pride that comes with singing along to every single song at a show. Coming out of The Early November‘s set last Wednesday night made me wish I were a bigger fan who vicariously sang along to every word like everyone else in the room did. The good vibes were irrevocable, and the sense of familiarity was uncanny.
The show started with openers, The Color and Sound. This five-piece indie/folk-punk band blew me away with their undeniable charm. Myself being the biggest sucker for pretty harmonies, I enjoyed their entire set and was won over instantly. Lead singer, Chris LaRoque, was also quite the comic, cracking jokes throughout their set. This was my first time hearing their music, and the acoustic set was the perfect introduction to the show. I went back home and listened to the studio versions of their songs and I definitely was not disappointed. The charisma these guys and gal brought sucked the humidity out of New York City that night.
Empire! Empire! (I Was A Lonely Estate) came next. Adding a little emo to what the openers had set up to be a chipper atmosphere, their frontman, Keith managed to deliver his songs powerfully. Although unable to capture the entire audience’s attention, the fans that came for them were visibly having a nice time. The band topped their set off by playing a new song off their upcoming LP as the closer.
Following E!E!, Ace Enders nonchalantly graced the stage with his acoustic guitar along with the rest of The Early November. “So, we’ve been winging this thing all along. I’m gonna need you guys to shout out what you want to hear.” Enders slowly regrets this decision as he realizes it was a bad call for his and his bandmates’ in-ears. The crowd exclaims different songs multiple times. “We’re bringing it back to 2002,” Enders finally says. The band opens with “For All of This” and sent everyone down memory lane. The ball continued to roll as the band played songs like “Decoration” and “Mountain Range.” The audience finally yelled enough for them to play “1000 Times A Day.” The band played different songs throughout their catalog like “Sunday Drive” and “Goldrush.” They also played “Baby Blue” and “Ever So Sweet” for the encore. The ongoing banter in between songs made me feel a lot closer to the band. Watching them talk about writing songs at eighteen felt a lot like high school. An acoustic show is definitely the best way to bond with fans who know your music inside and out, and that’s exactly what happened. The quirky mandolin solos were a solid addition, too.
The show was very intimate and it genuinely felt like hanging out in your eighteen-year-old friends’ basement, singing along to all their songs; except no one was eighteen anymore and we were out of their basement. There they were, well over a decade after they put out most of the music they played, giving the most dedicated fans a show for the books.
The Color and Sound
Empire! Empire! (I Was a Lonely Estate)
The Early November
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