Marvelous3 Goes to the Ball, And Runs Away With It

The line outside the Paradise did not look happy. The masses that arrived to hear the pop-driven sounds of the overplayed radio hit "Inside Out" would not be hearing any Top 40 rock that night. Headliner Eve6 was flaking, apologetically citing the illness of lead singer and bassist Max Collins as their reason for the sudden cancellation. But the show must go on, especially when Nick Carter and the WBCN crew are broadcasting the concert live. So Marvelous3 was bumped up to the headliner and lived up to the title and much more in a truly incredible live show experience.

It was not going to be easy with an unforgiving, suddenly betrayed crowd, as the other opener Stretch Princess found out. An obscure pop rock band out of Britain with a new self-titled record release, SP hit the stage first in the typically boring fashion of opening bands. They invariably touted their new album and their appearance on the She's All That soundtrack with their opening song "Sugar" to a thoroughly unimpressed crowd. Lead singer Jo Lloyd constituted the only bright spot in the repetitious repertoire with her wispy vocals, but the crowd's only reaction was the occasional crude whistling from some of the men in appreciation of Lloyd's tight clothing.

The concert seemed doomed to utter disaster without the mainstream appeal of Eve6. The remaining healthy members of Eve6, guitarist Jon Siebels and drummer Tony Fagenson, bravely faced a bitter crowd and apologized for Collins' sickness and promised to redeem all tickets for passes to their April 20 show at either Karma or the Avalon. They then introduced Marvelous3 as "the greatest live band around," a compliment that this Atlanta-based power pop trio live up to.

The unknowns, lead singer and guitarist Butch Walker, bassist Jayce Fincher, and drummer Slug, strolled on stage with their leather jackets and tight black pants to be met by the blank stares of the many attending that had never heard of Marvelous3. Nonetheless, they opened with a blast of pop energy with "You're So Yesterday." A few fans immediately bounced to the rollicking sound and cheery vocals, but most were skeptical at best. But this skepticism soon faded away, as the crowd became mesmerized and invigorated by Marvelous3's crazy stage antics and contagious energy.

Although drummer Slug flooded the club with adrenaline-filled beats and Fincher's bass remained integral to every song throughout the set, their role was minimal compared to the unavoidable, enthralling and unique stage personality of Walker. At first, Walker just appears to be a very strange and eccentric rock star, but it soon becomes apparent that his twisted, emotional facial expressions are part of his wonderfully energetic stage performance. The crowd went quiet when he started whimpering a sad story about walking in on his mother with a gun in his hand. He then hilariously broke the silence with "Mama, just killed a man/Put a gun against his head/Pulled my trigger now he's dead," the opening lyrics of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody." A testament to Walker's odd charisma: he immediately entertained even the cold and inattentive audience in the Paradise that night.

In one of the strangest moments of the concert, the band and the crowd joyfully flipped each other off during "Over Your Head," inspired by the lines "He gave you the castle, baby/You gave me the bird."

With the infectious pop of "Every Monday," the crowd was bumping and jumping into one another, as sweat-drenched Walker, Fincher and Slug continued to thrash and prance around the stage. Before one of the last songs, in one of the only serious, sincere moments of the concert, Walker told about the rigorous, endless, draining work filled with shady bars, rickety old vans and cheap motels that Marvelous3 endured just to hear one of their songs on the radio. With this, they played, to the excitement of the crowd, "Freak of the Week," a semi-popular radio hit that is a WBCN staple. Marvelous3 finished on an emotional high with the passionate "Lemonade," which drove some to rush the stage to high-five the band.

Marvelous3 admittedly do not get a chance to headline often, especially live on the radio. But they came through with a show worthy of the name of their band. So Eve6's Max Collins should be thanked for his illness, because a live headlined performance by Marvelous3 is an event that should be seen and enjoyed by all. The trendy pop rock of Eve6 would have only gotten in the way.