Jimmy Eat World @ Modified Arts

So I got a call around 2:30pm on Tuesday night... my editor at the New Times asked if I'd been following the news... that there would be a "secret" Jimmy Eat World show that night. He wanted me to photograph the show. I was happy to hop to.

When he told me they were playing at Modified Arts downtown, I was a little less than thrilled. I mean, it's a wicked idea on J.E.W.'s part... but Modified as a music venue has always failed to impress me. (No lighting, only 'ok' sound) All that aside, I knew this could be something special. I decided to take it one step further, and I pitched the idea of meeting up with Jim Adkins, lead singer, before the band went on for a quick interview... maybe a few Modified stories... as this show would be one of the last shows of live music at the venue, as it will be under new ownership soon.





We weren't able to get directly to Jim's people, so my plans for an elaborate interview on HD video didn't quite pan out. However, I did bring my 5D MkII with me to the show. My editor, Jon, and I got there early and went hunting for Jim... who was happy to oblige a quick interview. So we grabbed a semi-lit corner and I clicked my camera to video. We had only the on board mic to deal with and the mercy of the crowd that was piling through the door. (see below for video)



Needless to say, the show was not very secret... AZ Central had spilled the beans very early on... the show was meant to be secret for as long as possible because of the constraints of the venue, which only safely houses 150-160 people. When I arrived at 6:30pm, the line of people waiting was curled around the back of the building and down to the corner of the street, and nearly back to the door again. 3/4 of the people, if not more were turned away... simply not enough room.





The show itself was a lot of fun, 3 quick acoustic openers, and then a full electric set from Jimmy. I'm not the biggest 'fan' of Jimmy Eat World as it were, but I had a good time listening to the show. You can see how much they stand out from other local acts...