Justin Nava Benefit Numbers June 19, 2011
All day Sunday, a few hundred people came went from Numbers, in support of The Last Place You Look vocalist Justin Nava, who broke his collarbone a few months back and was without insurance.
The night was filled with good tunes, good people and plenty of smiling faces onstage, all of whom gave a shout-out to the man of the evening, who admitted in turn he thought it a little weird that the night was all about him.
Don't misunderstand that, though. Nava was grateful for everything going on, but have you ever been the center of attention for nine straight hours? It can be a bit nerve-racking, which is why Aftermath (and everyone else) made sure Nava always had a drink in his hand.
Beginning the long evening's entertainment, Atlantes surprised and enthralled us with their melodic, somewhat heavy prog-rock. There weren't any vocals, and the song names weren't the most creative, but the lead singer admitted it, saying, "I'm lazy." Nonetheless, the music itself was fantastic. And isn't that what music is about, anyway?
Later, Nava took the stage by himself, aided only by an acoustic guitar. He performed three songs from a solo project he's been working on, finishing his set with an acoustic version of The Last Place You Look's "Band to Save Me," which has been getting played on 94.5 The Buzz pretty frequently and has become the band's biggest hit to date.
"If you guys want to hear this song done right, come see us Friday at Warehouse Live," he said from the stage, promoting his band's upcoming show, which he and his band mates hope will give them a jumpstart in funds to finance their next album.
As the evening continued, more bands got onstage, plenty of drinks were consumed, and we even saw a few people at the door donate more than the $10 asked for for entry. It was, after all, for a good cause, and Nava seemed more than appreciative.
Unfortunately, we missed A-dream Asleep's set, as we had to leave and eat dinner with our dad (pesky Father's Day), but we made it back in time to catch Another Run and Floorbound, and both bands put on quite the show.