Motion City Soundtrack Giveaway

By Lauren Charles

Starland Ballroom is a venue that I often forgot about. It’s sort of like the middle child stuck between the cool older sister venues in NYC and the fun younger brother venues in Philadelphia. It can put on a good show on its own just fine, but somehow you know it’s trying to be just like it’s brother or sister. On January 10th, 2020 I headed there to see Motion City Soundtrack play a sold show out.

I never go to Starland Ballroom without buying the “Star Parking” ticket first. This ticket basically guarantees you preferred parking and expedited entry into the show. The pass costs about $23 with taxes and fees and it was worth every penny since the weather was freezing and the line to get in was wrapped around the building. Again though since I was dealing with the middle child here, there was no signage indicating where to go for the Expedited entry so I had to walk to the front and awkwardly proclaim to the staff that I did not need to wait in line since I had Expedited Entry.

Once I made it inside the show, I found myself standing at the bar. It’s actually pretty impossible to not be standing at the bar though, since there is a bar in just about every room of the place. I looked at the drink specials for the night and was pleasantly surprised to see the drink specials were in theme with the songs from the headlining band, Motion City Soundtrack. It was such a small and simple gesture, but it warmed my pop-punk heart.

The other thing I forgot about Starland Ballroom is all the ads that play on the projector screen between sets. It’s usually just ads about future performances at Starland Ballroom and other events happening in the area. There is one ad for IHOP though that always receives a stand ovation from the crowd every time it’s displayed. The ad is nothing special, so I’m not sure why people do it. It’s one of the charming things that makes you say “Only at Starland Ballroom.”

The opening act, The Rites of Springfield, were a self-described “dad punk band” hailing from Maplewood, New Jersey. Most of their songs consisted of “dad things” ranging from paying the bills to sump pumps. It was their 8th live show and the lead singer even pulled his own child onto the stage during one of the songs. It was a wild time. The next band was The Sidekicks who were from Columbus, Ohio. They had a very indie vibe and it seemed like a lot of people were there to see them.

Motion City Soundtrack came on fast and strong, opening with classics like “Attractive Today” and “Everything Is Alright.” Their whole set was like seeing a friend you haven’t seen in awhile, but you pick it up right where you left off. We checked in to see if “everything’s alright.” We headed for the hills cause “the kitchens on fire.” The make-out kids still never had a chance to be best friends and after all these years the future still freaks me out.

Overall rating 8/10.