From The Audience: Watching Hoobastank @Everblastfest 2023 in SCATTERED THOUGHTS AND BUSY SCHEDULES

Okay, so who attended Everblastfest 2023 from March 4 – 5 last weekend? I hope you did and you got the chance to see my favourite band, Hoobastank, who performed at 10 pm last night.
I know. I have to put the word ‘favourite’ there, so you know this is a review from a fan. I’ve been following them since the early 2000s and I’m amazed to see that they’re still going strong. I know that because I’ve attended their previous three concerts every time they visited Jakarta.
Their performance last night was no different. Singer Doug Robb was still cheerful, energetic, and funny. I cracked up when he made a joke about girls not wearing the right shoes for the concert. (“Ahem, excuse me, Mr Robb. I’m not on my stilettos tonight!” Hehe.) By the way, I love the pink hair colour!
Guitar player Dan Estrin was still cool. Drummer Chris Hesse was still powerful (and this time, I could take a little better snapshot of him while they were on stage.) Doug announced the happy news: Their bass player Jesse Charland couldn’t play for the show, because he’s back home to be present for the birth of his child. Congratulations, Jesse. I hope you, your wife, and your baby are all healthy and well. You are still missed, though.
The bass player filling in for Jesse is Dave Amezcua. Thank you for filling in for Jesse and it was a job well done.
They started the show with “Same Direction”, from their second album “The Reason”. Then Doug greeted us the audience for a while before they went on with “Born To Lead”, one of my favourite songs from their third album “Every Man For Himself”.
It was also the very first time for me to see them perform “No Destination” live. I nearly cried with joy! That song is from their album “Fight Or Flight”. “No Destination” has a personal meaning to me, reminding me of my past struggles and my lonely late night out on the road so many times before.
I instantly recognised Dan’s guitar intro even before “Running Away” started. This song is from their self-titled album. I could hear the whole crowd chant in unison: “So, why are you running awaaay … ?”
After that, they cranked up our energy once again with “Just One”, followed by “Let It Out” and “Never There” (all from the album “The Reason”). As if we weren’t hyped enough, Hoobastank continued with “My Turn” (from their album “For(N)Ever”).
I felt like returning to my 20s when they played “Remember Me” (also from their self-titled album). They went on with “Inside Of You” (from the “Every Man For Himself” album) and “Pieces” (from their self-titled album). After that, they played “Out Of Control” (from their “The Reason” album).
“The Reason” – of course – was the song that many had waited for. Doug asked all of us the audience to turn on the flashlight of our phones and raised them up. We all sang along with him throughout this beautiful, timeless ballad.
Hoobastank ended their part of the show with “Crawling In The Dark” (also from their self-titled) album. All in all, the playlist was perfect to crank up our energy. The vibe was just right.
Thanks so much, guys, for playing for us once again. I hope to see you on your next shows … some other time …
R.