Concert Review/Photos: Modern Baseball @ The Barbary
Please note: This article is published as an archive copy from Philadelphia City Paper. My City Paper is not affiliated with Philadelphia City Paper. Philadelphia City Paper was an alternative weekly newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The last edition was published on October 8, 2015.
The spirit of high school lethargy.
[ 6/1 ] After returning home to Philadelphia from their European tour with Real Friends just a few days ago, pop punk darlings Modern Baseball celebrated with an all-ages, middle-of-the-day show at The Barbary. Considering the last time these guys were in Philly in April they played a sold out Electric Factory, it’s no surprise the Barbary was packed. (The Electric Factory’s capacity is literally 15 times larger than the Barbary’s.) Singer/guitarist Jacob Ewald asked the audience if anyone had seen the band last time they rolled through the Barbary and the crowd went crazy; he asked if anyone had seen them on their Wonder Years tour and the crowd went crazy; he asked if anyone had never seen the band before and the crowd cracked up; it was that kind of show.
The 3 p.m. show marked the first stop on Modern Baseball’s June tour with The Hotelier, Sorority Noise and Tiny Moving Parts. The second stop on the tour was also The Barbary, later that night. Both sold out without a hiccup. It was odd hitting a show in a dark little bar during the day; every time someone opened the door, a blinding blast of light startled everyone, band members included.
The band played mostly older songs with a few off their polished sophomore album, October’s You’re Gonna Miss It All. People crowd-surfed and screamed lyrics, and on the band’s first “last” song, drummer Sean Huber stole a mic and jumped into the crowd to deliver his verse.
When I escaped upstairs to the air-conditioned bar in between acts, it hit me how few people in the audience were probably 21+. Downstairs I did notice people trying to ignore their dads/rides home, but Modern Baseball’s lyrics, with that flair of sarcasm, perfectly embody the angst and awkwardness of being young and lonely. It’s that spirit of high school lethargy that actual high schoolers cherish and relate to and older people like me ironically (or maybe masochistically) love to remember through pop punk.
