Photos By: Ed Hannigan

After a month-long hiatus, L.A.’s After Midnight Project returned to headline KROQ’s Local Heroes showcase @ The Roxy.

This may have been AMP’s first L.A. headlining show since June’s performance at the Key Club, but it felt surprisingly similar to their 2006 residency at the Key Club where I first became a die-hard fan. Back in ’06, After Midnight Project were unsigned, and relatively unknown nationally, but regionally, they were the biggest and most exciting rock band to come out of L.A…. At least in my humble opinion. What had impressed me initially about the After Midnight Project was that (a.) They managed to pack the Key Club on a Tuesday night – a difficult feat for Los Angeles, and (b.) The droves of teenagers in the audience knew every word to every song.

As a band, they were killer, and it was one of those history-making moments in rock in which you’re not sure that what you saw actually happened; I knew these guys were going to be huge! I was mostly right… 6 months later, they were signed to Universal/Motown and 30 months later, they released Let’s Build Something to Break. AMP began to tour incessantly on last summer’s Warped Tour, and this fall’s Chevelle and Papa Roach tours – They left droves of shocked and amazed fans in their wake.

That was then… Last Saturday, they reminded me yet again why they’re one of my favorite bands of all time. Similar to 311, in that you never know what they’re going to do next musically, AMP threw out a few shockers at their headlining performance at the Roxy. The set started off with the band playing the first 30 seconds with the goddamn stage curtain still down, I’m not sure whether this was a dramatic effect or a mistake, but it worked! By the time the plush blue curtain rose, the audience was in a frenzy, as was singer Jason Evigan.

The main highlight was when AMP did that thing they do (I wont explain it in words, just watch this video). Anyhow, they did that, and it whipped the audience into a frenzy. The Roxy exploded into movement not usually seen in Los Angeles, as the audience leapt towards the ceiling.

Towards the end of the set, the band brought out a cellist, violinist, and the world’s smallest piano.

“We’ve never played this song live before,” Jason began, sitting down at the piano, his knees hitting his shoulders (as Jason is the world’s tallest vocalist, and this, as I said, was the world’s tiniest piano). As the house lights went down, they played “Gone Too Long,” Let’s Build Something To Break’s token ballad, in an “Unplugged in New York” fashion. Then, they played “The Criminal” – an epic song that never seems to end.

They of course closed the show with “Take Me Home,” but… instead of doing it the way they normally do, Jason started off alone on the stage playing the song on acoustic. Halfway through the song, the rest of the band rushed back to their instruments and erupted into power ballad insanity.

If you haven’t seen this band live, you haven’t lived. See After Midnight Project on tour, and pick up a copy of Let’s Build Something to Break.