I got to Wetlands 2 hours before the show began. I was really amazed by the diversity of the crowd. You had your hardcore kids, who were there to see Kill Your Idols; you had your punk kids, who were the to see the Arsons and Death By Stereo, and finally; you had your pop-punk kids, who were there for Good Riddance.

The first band to go on was the Arsons. I have seen the Arsons before, when they opened up for Bouncing Souls, and I think this band is slowly making a name for themselves by opening up for various big acts. The Wetlands is the first time I saw them in a small club, so that means that I was finally gonna get to see what they were made of.

Arsons were not bad. They had a melodic punk sound, which is not too bad, but can get boring sometimes. A few kids were into them, while a lot of other kids were just standing there and watching. I couldn't really get too into them, because I didn't know the songs; so it made it harder for me to enjoy the set. Ah, the curse of being the opening-unknown, band.

Death By Stereo came shortly after. I have never heard these guys before, but I've heard some good things about them, especially about their live shows, so I was excited about seeing them.

If you would look in the dictionary under "stage-presence," you would probably find a picture of DBS. DBS were really into their set, and the crowd really responded. The crowd was stage diving, crowd surfing, and singing along; all the ingredients of a good set. I left the show thinking that I should have heard their stuff before, because you can never have as much fun at a show, then a show with a band that you are really familuar with

Kill Your Idols was probably the best band of the night. KYI just had an amazing set. Most of the kids came to see them, so I knew that their set was not gonna be dull. KYI played songs like: "Funeral For a Feeling," "Young(At Heart," "Can't Take My Pride," and many, many, other songs. I got near the stage and sang along to just about every song they played. All in all, a great set that is expected of this band.

Finally, Good Riddance came on. I can't say GR was bad, but they didn't do it for me. Their music got really boring, real fast. I would have enjoyed their set more, except that they barely had any energy on stage, and I felt like I wasn't watching a punk band, but some alternative band. I think that if they would get into their set a little more, and just have more fun with their music, their sets would improve dramatically.

Alex Rud is a Staff Writer. Contact him at arud@rockzone.com.