Go For The Opener: The Leftovers love girls enough for themselves and The Queers
Welcome to Go For the Opener, in which The A.V. Club pleads that if you’re getting ready to see a big concert, be sure to get there early and pay attention to the opening acts.
The big show: The Queers, Friday, Dec. 11, 7 p.m., Reggie's Rock Club
The opener: The Leftovers
Why you should listen: Veteran punk-rock imps The Queers are calling their current outing a "Pop Tour" and front-loading set lists with their cheeriest, catchiest material. But the addition of Portland, Maine's The Leftovers will turn this show into a veritable avalanche of high-velocity sugar. Though just about every song on the 2009 album Eager To Please is about wanting a girlfriend, pining for your ex-girlfriend, calling your girlfriend, or getting sick of your girlfriend, it never gets boring or cynical. Bassist-singer Kurt Baker doesn't have to force the irony-free innocence in his voice, guitarist Andrew Rice plays tight little hooks between the power-chords, and drummer Adam Woronoff mixes the drive of punk and the giddy swing of early Beatles hits. Even if most boy-meets-girl pop clichés are lost on you, it's hard not to get taken in by the sheer sweetness of "The Only One."
