Submitted by DDCHEese:

As the opening act on the summerland tour, 7YB proves once again that they are the fucking real thing. Although they only got about 45 minutes of stage time, it was the best 45 minutes of the whole night. THe band opened with 'history' and blasted through many gato negro favorites including 2nd hand and crying shame. They also touched on some of the 'viva' material like the stratch (the closer of the night) and hip like junk. This was my second time seeing 7Yb, they were just as amazing as when I caught them in vermont last april during their headling club tour. I really cant believe that this band could ever give a 'dull' or bad show. Both times I saw the band the crowd really sucked, but that doesnt stop 7yb from giving a shitty show (note: I think they meant to say "an amazing show..." ) to a shitty audience. The pit at the strand was too rough for me (not that it stopped me from entering). It was filled with basically football jocks on steriods (possible ec fans?). But I guess that is the price that must be paid for this type of show. Anyways just go see 7Yb, they fucking rule.

Submitted by Jenny:

Ah, where to begin? Well, first of all, let me describe what the Strand was like that lovely evening. It was raining outside, and as soon as the doors opened, about 5 million soaked little mallrats (most under age 16) poured into this old opera-house -type-thing. I guess I should have expected as much, what with Everclear headlining and all. At any rate, the sight of Elisabeth walking around backstage caused the few die-hard 7YB fans (myself included) to begin to scream. Unfortunately for us, we still had an hour to wait before the wonderful womyn would begin their set.

So as you might guess, when the MC announced that 7YB was coming on, we began to really get rolling. Elisabeth began slapping the bass, and Valerie pounded the drums...and we were OFF! By the time Selene started to sing "24,900 miles per hour" (probably the second or third song in the set), even the little Everclear fans had realized that 7YB is no ordinary band. Some little preppie-jocks were moshing...

Anyways, back to the band. I was actually surprised at how calm Roisin seemed as she played. I guess that after hearing all those incredible sheer-energy (no pun intended) riffs, I expected her to be the type of guitarist who jumps around. I want to make it clear, though, that I was in no way disappointed. Roisin is a complete professional. Selene really got into the music - she looked absolutely beautiful as she writhed around the stage.

After playing a couple of songs from "Gato Negro," 7YB played some from "Viva Zapata." When the crowd was relatively quiet between songs, I yelled "Play 'Hip Like Junk'!" After I did this a couple of times, guess what song they played? I was estatic, and sang along with Selene at the top of my lungs. The energy and emotion that came through when they played 'HLJ' was INCREDIBLE.

Elisabeth said before they played 'HLJ' that that was their last song. I yelled for them to play "The Scratch." Now, I know I was yelling very loud, but I also know that it is practically impossible to hear when you are up onstage. But at any rate, Elisabeth and Selene had a little conference, and decided to play one more song. And so Selene began, "I want it, give it to me.."

I wish I could say they played it for me, but I can't. Elisabeth dedicated the song to Mackenzie, a young womyn (maybe 11 or 12) that had been watching the show backstage.

All in all, the 7YB set was great. I was a little annoyed by the trendy kids around me, but at least they got exposed to some really talented female musicians that night. The sound was good overall, but the vocals were a little quiet. Perhaps that had something to do with the noise from the crowd. My experience was definitely colored by the emotions I felt as I saw Roisin, Valerie, Selene, and Elisabeth perform.