By Stephen Cooney

Remember, remember the 26th of September, I know a good reason why the Adams Playhouse was packed. Tyga, the Pack, Gym Class Heroes, all put on a show. The speakers were blaring. The lights were glaring. An exciting show is what will be remembered.

Before Travis McCoy ever sauntered on stage clad in a Guy Fawkes mask and bowing to the crowd like “V”, of the popular film “V for Vendetta,” the Pack charged the crowd with their single “Vans.” The Berkley based hip hop group changed shoes and walked off stage with their “vans on” before the lights dropped and Gym Class Heroes took the stage.

“I remember when I first laid eyes on you” rang through speakers as McCoy grabbed the microphone and began the set, opening with, “New Friend Request.” Fans pressed closer to the stage and reached out for a chance to touch the larger-than-life McCoy who appears more like a wide receiver with his 6’5 and 200 frame. As the night went on, it became increasingly clear that McCoy definitely belongs behind a microphone and not on an athletic field. Turning over lyrics like a well-seasoned MC and backed by his impressive band and their distinct sound, McCoy played to fans, expressing movements that wove into their lyrics.

Occasionally engaging in chit chat with the crowd, McCoy’s topics ranged from admitting to a foot fetish and his joy and surprise in winning the band’s Moon Man at the MTV Video Music Awards last month. “We will not start this song until I see four people making out,” said McCoy. When his request had been fulfilled, the Heroes’ then played what can be considered the band’s most sentimental and well-known song, “Cupid’s Chokehold.”

In “Shoot Down the Stars,” the refrain “Take a step back, take a breath in / Breath it out now, put your chin up, you can do it tiger,” seemed almost a case of life imitating art as the band stepped off stage and McCoy’s cousin Tyga took the stage. The up-and-coming hip-hop artist did the best he could to gain fans and keep the excitement level up. With his remix of the Plain White T’s summer hit “Hey There Delilah,” he grabbed the fan’s attention. Tyga ended his short stint on stage with his independent single “Wow,” which kept the fans on their feet as he bounced back and fourth across stage.

The second time the Gym Class Heroes took the stage for their anxiously awaiting crowd, they finished their set with songs from their latest album, “As Cruel as School Children,” a Beach Boys cover. McCoy appeared to be closing the show as he urged fans to show love to the other members of the band bassist Eric Roberts, guitarist Disashi Lumumba-Kasongo and drummer Matt McGinely, all of whom performed impromptu solos before exiting the stage. McCoy downplayed his own importance and focused on his band’s musical talent as he said, “I’m Travy, all I do is talk shit,” with a laugh. As the band exited stage left- as McCoy hints in the “Clothes Off,” the night’s final song-fans began chanting for an encore.

McCoy then emerged within the crowd to close the set with the song itself as Tyga stood shirtless next to his older cousin in a sea of fans. Closing what had been a very high energy set with the upbeat lyrics of their latest single, McCoy returned to a stage that was now filled with fans from the front rows, where he and the rest of the Gym Class Heroes shook hands and hugged excited students.

The show may have been over but the memories of the concert will hang in the minds of the audience like the Guy Fawkes mask McCoy left on stage.

(Stephen Cooney)