Lifehouse Hamilton Lakes Review

Sunday, July 5, 2008
By Aaron Keker

HAMILTON LAKES PARK, Itasca – Some families spend July 4th holiday together, while others do not. One individual in particular spent time with his family but left early because Lifehouse was playing in his neck of the woods.

Sure the fireworks display afterwards was awesome but it did not compare to what transpired earlier.

Shortly after 8:15 p.m., Lifehouse entered the stage to thousands of screaming fans. As Jason Wade entered with his band mates, they commenced with “Make Me Over.” As the song concluded, they received a profusely loud July 4th ovation.

Last evening, Lifehouse not only received an Itasca ovation after each song concluded but the loudest ovation occurred after “Hanging by a Moment.”

Not only were we entertained by Lifehouse’s performance and the audience’s enthusiasm, but also we were entertained even further by the actions of Jason and Bryce Soderberg.

Jason jumped in the air and landed safely as “Spin” was nearing its conclusion. Five songs later, Bryce stood on the drums and jumped off and landed back on the stage on “Somebody Else’s Song.” Jason was right when he remarked, “we have performed the last seven years and this 4th of July takes the cake.”

In fact, Lifehouse performed several hit songs both new and old. Songs like “From Where You Are,” “Spin,” “Hanging by a Moment,” “Whatever it Takes,” “You and Me” and “First Time.” Besides those songs, Lifehouse performed “Simon” that Jason wrote for a friend. However, I hoped they would have played songs like “Walking Away,” “Come Back Down” and “Take Me Away.”

I do not feel guilty that I ditched my family to see Lifehouse’s performance at Hamilton Lakes Park in Itasca, Illinois. From Lifehouse’s flawless performance to the audience’s enthusiasm with their ovations and singing along on Lifehouse’s hit songs, Jason was right “this 4th of July takes the cake.”

There were several additional highlights of the evening. The first highlight happened when Jason played acoustically “You and Me” as the audience provided the background vocals.

The final highlights occurred, in the sky, as Lifehouse performed “Whatever it Takes,” “You and Me,” “First Time” and “Broken.”  As Lifehouse performed the last remaining songs on their set list, fireworks would explode and light up the sky in nearby cities around Itasca. No, it was not planned. It just happened.

Finally, I am looking forward to interviewing Jason Wade in the future. Guys, thanks for the awesome July 4th memories. Below is the set list for Lifehouse’s performance at Hamilton Lakes Park in Itasca, Illinois.

Hamilton Lakes Park Set List:

1.    “Make Me Over”
2.    “Spin”
3.    “Am I Ever Gonna Find Out”
4.    “Interlude-Quasi”
5.    “Simon”
6.    “Hanging by a Moment”
7.    “Somebody Else’s Song”
8.    “From Where You Are”
9.    “Bridges”
10.    “Better Luck Next Time”
11.    “Whatever it Takes”
12.    “You and Me”
13.    “First Time”

Encore:

14.    “Broken”