Dave Hause of The Loved Ones (photo: Lily Szabo)
For a show that sold out in a half hour (and only took that long because the ticket website had issues with all of the traffic), the first couple hours of it were pretty mellow. While there were many people out for Hound and Restorations, the crowd, by and large, were there for the headliner, The Loved Ones, and it showed. It’s too bad because both openers put on shows that were worth much more than what they were given by the crowd. Restorations were at least fairly well received, with some sing-alongs happening toward the end of their set.
That said, this show was all about the reunion of Philadelphia’s finest. Their best and brightest. Something people have been clamouring for ever since The Loved Ones played their last shows in 2011. I was lucky enough to see them that year with the Bouncing Souls, but not really knowing who they were or that they would be going on a hiatus almost immediately after. That hiatus was the reason that the now-packed venue buzzed with anticipation.
The Loved Ones (photo: Lily Szabo)
Never have I seen so many bodies packed into Asbury Lanes; from the stage to the bar and wrapped around, standing in the actual bowling lanes. When The Loved Ones hit the stage to start the night off with “Suture Self,” the room blew apart into an incredible fury, replete with hundreds of voices screaming out all the words.
Frontman Dave Hause is a born entertainer and I love watching him. Acoustic or electric is irrelevant; it’s always incredible fun and this night was no different. I should thank him, though. He reminded me that as much as I love his acoustic stuff, he’s at his best with a loud band blasting behind him and throwing himself into the crowd with reckless abandon. Double thanks to him for apologizing when he landed on my head… twice.
Unfortunately, the future of The Loved Ones is uncertain, as Hause pointed out at the end of the show with the very depressing sentence, “We are The Loved Ones, and we will not be back soon!” But if there’s a loving and benevolent god, then the future is filled with more The Loved Ones shows.
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