On March 28, 2008, the Majestic Theatre in Madison, WI would be filled with fans eager to enjoy some great music by bands such as Mae and The Honorary Title with support from Between The Trees and Far Less. I went to this show not sure what to expect as I had never seen any of these bands live, but I was impressed.

The first band to play was Far Less. I was finally let in the show about halfway through their set. I hadn’t heard of them before and by the response of the crowd, I’d guess not too many people had either. There was only about 50 people there at this time. The music itself was enjoyable, but I for one did not enjoy the band’s stage presence. They didn’t look like they had much desire to be performing and the crowd response may have had something to do with it. It also may have been the lack of space on the stage, with 6 band members and a small stage. Despite the poor stage presence, I thought they performed very well.

Orlando natives, Between the Trees, followed Far Less. I was very excited to see them perform. I’d heard plenty good things about them and that made me far more excited to see them then I previously was. The crowd, which was probably up to about 75 people now, still didn’t look like they had any desire to be there. Finally, by the 3rd song, “The Way She Feels,” the crowd showed emotion. In the middle of that song, Ryan, the lead singer’s, guitar string broke, yet they kept going. After that song, they talked to the crowd a little bit about an organization that I strongly support, To Write Love On Her Arms. The continued their set with a new song called “Story of a Boy” which was followed by “Words.” As I was looking over the crowd, I saw dancing, which leads me to believe that they were enjoying the show. They played one more song to complete their set.

The Honorary Title was next to take the stage. The usual four piece was recently made into a five piece with the addition of Mike Schey, the guitarist from The Format. They seemed to grab the crowd’s attention as there was rarely a still person, except for songs like “Stay Away” and “Revealing Too Much” which were a little slower and more difficult to dance to. In my opinion, the crowd reacted the best to the song, “This City’s Summer” which was more upbeat. They played a total of 10 songs and they were loved by most everyone that was there.

Mae closed the show. They opened their set with what seemed like a very long intro. They had a constantly moving backdrop which a lot of people seemed to enjoy. I personally did not enjoy it and I started feeling a little sick. I was hoping that it would not go on the entire show, but it did. I had never really listened to Mae prior to this show, so I am very unfamiliar with their music and song titles. They played a total of 12 songs before leaving the stage. After exiting, the crowd attempted the ever popular “ONE MORE SONG” and failed miserably. Despite the failed attempt, they came out and played 2 more songs for a total of 14 songs. Despite the nauseating background, their set was very enjoyable.

After all four bands had played, The Honorary Title was hands down my favorite part of the night. All four bands were very entertaining, though, and I would recommend that you see them. They all put on a show experience that you may never find anywhere else.