What do you get when you have four bands from all areas of the country together in one building, sharing one stage? You get one amazing show. I had the privilege of being at the opening show in Milwaukee, WI for the nameless tour featuring Ludo as headliner, with supporting acts Sing It Loud, This Providence, and The Morning Light.

I arrived at the venue an hour before doors and there were only about ten people there before me. Doors opened promptly at 7 and we were let into the venue, which was really just a bar with a stage. I’d figure the capacity to be around 200 people. The show was supposed to start at 8, but it started half an hour early.

The Morning Light was the first band to take the stage. Only weeks before, Harrison (piano, vocals) left the band, so I wasn’t sure how it was going to turn out. I’ve seen all the bands play before and I was very nervous to see how their set was going to be. Their guitarist, Matt, stepped in and played keys when necessary and Bobby, lead vocals, played guitar when Matt couldn’t. I was impressed with how they sounded after the change. Harrison was a very big part of the band and the songs definitely sound different without him, but not in a bad way. Their set ended up being about six or seven songs, including “Clouds” and “Honest (Apologies Endless).” The crowd didn’t seem to know too much by The Morning Light. I expected a little more crowd reaction considering this wasn’t the first time they played in Milwaukee, the last time being in November with All Time Low. They played a great set though and I didn’t see a single person in the crowd that wasn’t pleased with their performance.

Next to take the stage was This Providence. They too were in Milwaukee a few months prior, on tour with Ludo and Relient K. They always put on such an amazing show. This tour, a friend of their’s named Jake toured with them to fill in on guitar and keys. With their new CD being released in just over a month, they added some new songs to their set, but still played some of their older favorites. They opened their set with “A Wolf In Sheep’s Clothing” which is a good song to open with. It’s upbeat and immediately draws the crowd in. They proceeded to play another old song, but changed it up a little bit with a new song called, “That Girl’s A Trick” which was released on their MySpace page only days before. Following the new song, they played another old song, and then they played “My Beautiful Rescue.” I was expecting them to play the newly renovated version of the song, but they didn’t. They played the original version and it was great. The next two songs they played were from the EP they released towards the end of last year, followed by another old song. Then they played a new song called “Let Down.” It’s the first time they played it in front of an audience and they announced that they just got done shooting a video for it. One more song was all they had left and their set was finished. As always, it was terrific. I’ve never seen This Providence play anything less than an awesome set. The crowd still didn’t seem to know much by them, but they were still entertained and had a good time.

Sing It Loud played next and that’s when the crowd started to get hyped up. The rising success in Sing It Loud led me to believe that there would be a lot of excitement in the crowd. I couldn’t have been more right. For the first time all night, I felt awkward not being the only one singing along to the songs, but I couldn’t have been more happy. The energy that Sing It Loud brought to the room was outstanding and they did everything that a supporting act should. They got the crowd on their feet and pumped for what was to follow. They played their singles, “No One Can Touch Us” and “Come Around” along with others like “Bite Your Lip” and “Best Beating Heart.” In total, they played 8 excellent songs. It’s understandable how they are becoming so successful and so well known.

The moment everyone was waiting for had finally come and Ludo was about ready to take the stage. You could sense the excitement and energy in the room. When they took the stage, the room erupted with screaming and cheering. This was my sixth time having the opportunity to see Ludo and this was by far my favorite set of theirs. Not once were there people sitting still. There were always people singing along to every song. One of the fan favorites was “Save Our City” which was also a personal favorite. They hadn’t played it on their last two tours because their fill in bassist, Tommy, hadn’t learned it. This tour, they had a new fill in bassist named Adam, who knew the song and happened to be playing his first Ludo show that night. He did a tremendous job and played as if he had been a member of Ludo for years. In addition to “Save Our City,” they played other favorites including “Girls on Trampolines,” “Go-Getter Greg,” “Lake Pontchartrain,” and of course, “Love Me Dead.” They also did a great cover of the song “Epic” originally by the band Faith No More. After they played their last song, they exited the stage, which prompted the fans to chant “ONE MORE SONG.” Ludo returned to the stage, picked up their instruments and began to play “Good Will Hunting By Myself.” Every person I could see was singing along and having a great time. That was their final song and it was a great one. While they may have some unique stage presence, they always put on an awesome live show, and you just can’t help but get into the music.

This was the first tour of 2009 for all of the bands, and it was the first tour I went to this year. The stage presence of all the bands was terrific. They all did a phenomenal job and I suggest that you check out this tour if it comes near you. You will not be disappointed.


Amy Walker is a staff writer in the Midwest region for Musiqtone.com. You can reach her at amywalker@musiqtone.com.