Motion City Soundtrack
February 20, 2014
The Complex- Salt Lake City, UT
“When you have nothing else to lose; you have everything to gain.” – Brick and Mortar
Having an album that’s been out for ten years and staying relevant isn’t the easiest thing to do; that is unless you’re Motion City Soundtrack who are on tour for their album Commit This to Memory with supporting acts William Beckett and Brick & Mortar.
The first sounds to fill the air were from Brick and Mortar. They set the stage both figuratively and literally with their song Bangs. Brandon Asraf and John Tacon are an amazingly talented duo. Their charged bass riffs and amazing drum line was one that everyone at the show enjoyed. Immediately when they came onstage you could see that there was a reason their name was synonymous with a wall. The crowd was very responsive, waving their arms and jumping up to the beat of Hollow Tune. You could feel the passion and energy that came through Asraf’s voice when he followed up with Locked In a Cage. They left you with a sensation of what was yet to come but one thing was for certain the tone for the night was set.
Going back to his days in The Academy is… William Beckett gave the crowd a nostalgic rendition of The Fever. It definitely got the crowd going and by the time he got to the chorus everyone was already singing with him. Before he started on his next song Beckett made a mention to what made him write Just You Wait- mainly his sister. “To those who are struggling with depression, anxiety and self harm, I want you to remember one thing; it gets better.” He continued with Benny & Joon and finished his set with Warriors. Before he left he let everyone know where to find him, inviting everyone to come by to take a selfie or to say hello. His 
kind disposition really comes through him both as a performer and as a person.
During the last intermission of the night the room filled up with fans. As the stage lights got lower everyone’s excitement grew higher. Not one to disappoint, Motion City Soundtrack jolted on stage starting their set with Attractive Today. Justin Pierre’s vocals charged the crowd with the same enthusiasm and excitement that he’s had throughout the years. They followed up with Everything Is Alright taking us back to the days of warped tour and the summer heat. It was exciting seeing Jesse Johnson thrash about on the keyboard, dancing and moving with band mates Joshua Cain, Matt Taylor; their interactions were definitely added to their stage presence. They continued their set with more songs from Commit This To Memory: Feel Like Rain, Make Out Kids, L.G. FUAD, Anything At All were just a few that they were rocking the house with. At the end of Motion City Soundtrack’s set William Beckett had joined them for a spectacular finish to the concert. Ending it with This is For Real and their final encore The Future Freaks Me Out. Commit this to memory; you just missed an awesome show.
Review by: Max Christopher Prada
Motion City Soundtrack
William Beckett
Brick & Mortar
