This past weekend, The Fillmore Campus in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania hosted The Front Bottoms’ notorious end-of-year celebration, Champagne Jam. The Front Bottoms took the stage on both Friday, December 16th, and Saturday, December 17th. They were accompanied by Emperor X, Slothrust, Joyce Manor and more.

Chad R. Matheny, aka Emperor X was second to take the stage in The Fillmore. The grace that radiates from Emperor X is pure. He managed to take his talent and passion and create such a pure connection with the audience. Emperor X’s authentic tunes not only allowed him to have the crowd share a laugh, but also connected everyone together to feel deeply. I could continue to rave about the light Emperor X radiates in such a dark world, but I’ll allow his music to speak for itself.

To follow Emperor X in The Fillmore was Joyce Manor. The band has Barry Johnson (lead vocalist/guitarist), Chase Knobbe (guitarist), and Matt Ebert (bassist/back-up vocals). Joyce Manor did an amazing job hyping the crowd for The Front Bottoms. The band played an 18-song set, providing music from every era of their career. Their third song of the night, Gotta let it Go off of their newest album – 40 oz. to Fresno – really got the crowd hyped. Fans barricaded all the way to the fans on the balcony were hyped and all ready for The Front Bottoms.

The Front Bottoms deliver such an impeccable, unique sound to all of their fans, and to be able to witness that live is nothing short of magical night. To properly kick off their set, lead singer, Brian Stella popped a bottle of champagne because after all, what’s Champagne Jam without champagne?

Fans in the crowd were completely mesmerized from the second The Front Bottoms took the stage. However, a song that really was a crowd pleaser was their most streamed song, Twin Size Mattress. With in seconds of the first chords being played, the crowd shrieked in joy. Whether you just jumped on The Front Bottoms, or have been listening since their first record in 2011, this song is everything.

Despite how amazing and fun The Front Bottoms’ performance was, the most magical part of seeing the band live is the love that radiates in the room. It’s very obvious when you’re in the crowd of The Front Bottoms fans, that not only do you all share a love for the band, but also for the love you have for one another. To coexist with a bunch of strangers brought together from a love of a band and their music, now that’s what life is all about.