While the vast majority of songs filling my iPod were recorded within the four walls of a studio, the setting where most of my musical relationships are made or broken are live venues. No matter how well recorded a band’s album, if they can’t pull off the same magic live, a little asterisk noting the underwhelming experience will always taint my love for the group. Conversely, a stellar live performance can raise my appreciation for a band to a whole new level, transitioning from “like” into “love” in the span of a single set. At concerts I’ve fallen in love with long-appreciated acts all over again, and I’ve even experienced love at first sight, tumbling head over heels for bands I may have never even heard of before the night of the show.

Friday night at House of Blues on Sunset, I found myself riding the emotional rollercoaster that any good live performance should be. I experienced a little love at first sight (The Dear & Departed), found myself falling hard for a band I had previously liked but never loved (Cursive), and rekindled a relationship with a band that has so consistently impressed me over the years, I may have begun to take them for granted (Alkaline Trio). They say a picture’s worth a thousand words, so perhaps the best way to explain the evening is by letting you see for yourself. Enjoy, and please, if you were one of the many, many people in the sold-out crowd Friday night, share your experience with the rest of us in the comments.

The Dear & Departed
With an energy that never wavered during the entirety of their set and a frontman who moves around the stage like he’s itching for a mosh pit to break out around him, this four-piece from Orange County started the night off right.

Cursive
I’d been a fan for years and absolutely love frontman Tim Kasher’s side project, The Good Life, but it wasn’t until I saw the precision with which Cursive is able to recreate their signature cacophony of sound in a live setting that my mind was truly blown by these boys from Omaha. I came home from the show with four new pieces of Cursive vinyl to add to my collection, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that Kasher is one sexy mofo on stage.

Alkaline Trio
Alkaline Trio is one of those bands that joined me on my musical journey so long ago, I can’t even pinpoint when exactly I fell in love with the group. I can admit that before Friday night it had been a good five years since I last saw them on stage, and within the first few minutes of their set, I was kicking myself for allowing so much time to pass. The crowd sang along to the group’s new songs with as much fervor as the old, and the group has proven time and time again that they know who they are and that they’re more than capable of coming out with great album after great album.