By Matthew Monroy
Correspondent
The Rathskeller erupted this weekend as a noise-filled set list tore up the stage with two equally energetic acts on Friday, Nov. 30.
Hailing from Boston, Mass., the five-man indie/emo/punk band Transit and supporting act Coming Clean, took the stage and performed their hardcore hearts out to the audience, which consisted of die-hard fans who knew every word.
As miniature mosh-pits, stage diving and crowd surfing formed, lead singer Joe Boynton stirred them on, performing tracks such as “Please Head North,” “Stays the Same” and “Over Your Head” to the audience’s delight.
Coming Clean lead singer Brandon Rosenberg, who spoke softly and shyly between his roaring vocal performances, did an apt job introducing Transit.
During his performance, Rosenberg advised patrons to support Transit more than his own group. Boynton seemed appreciative, sharing the microphone with Rosenberg during select vocals, while Rosenberg crowd surfed inches away from Boynton’s face.
One part coffee house performance and two parts underground punk concert, the emotional energy emanating from the stage complimented the usually calm café atmosphere quite well.
The sounds satisfied the music junkie and the casual listener alike.
Sophomore journalism major Kris Alvarez was riveted when he learned of Transit’s performance on campus.
“Transit has always been one of my favorite bands. When I found out they were playing here, I almost collapsed at the knees,” he said.
The audience of the show was far from homogenous, ranging from quiet and mild-mannered students to major punk fans, both of which seemed to genuinely enjoy the act.
Alex Matteson, senior mechanical engineering major, spoke highly of the performance, recalling a show of theirs in Long Island, he said, “They were just as good then.”
The high-energy kineticism of hard rock concerts is not something one usually expects to find in a small on-campus restaurant, but Transit and Coming Clean did just that. Their drums and guitars poured unto the audience a sound that would be equally at home in any popular music venue.
Friday night served as an opportunity for the punk-rocker in everyone to enjoy a little flavor of the emotion and power found in this genre lamentations of love lost and stewing sadness being released in fervent cries for help, for malice, or simply for a return to the way things used to be.
Boynton’s lyrics ring true for this sentiment, even for an audience as small as that of The Rat, professing passionately into his microphone, “I hope you find your way back home.”
It exemplified the feeling of what turned out to be a successfully entertaining show.
