A crowd of at least 200 people received a welcome break from school on Tuesday in the Memorial Union. Authority Zero, a band from Mesa who recently signed a major label record contract, played a 45-minute set presented by Hoodlum's in the basement.
As the band took the stage, the audience cheered loudly. Lead singer Jason DeVore encouraged the crowd to move closer to the stage with the vehement exclamation of "Get your asses over here," before asking if anyone was ditching class, a question eagerly answered by the raising of countless hands.
Early in the set, some people began moshing, seemingly led by one avid fan who probably initiated it. It didn't catch on with full force, but he kept at it, inciting a slightly larger mosh at mid-concert and ultimately bringing the MU crowd in front of the stage to a level of mayhem that would have made Korn proud. At one point the fan came up to the stage and was embraced.
It is difficult to draw a comparison of Authority Zero to any other bands out there, which is refreshing. Although much of the lyrics were difficult to hear, the guitarist Bill Marcks and bassist Jeremy Wood were energetic enough to make an enjoyable show, and the drumming by Jim Wilcox had so much force behind it that he needed to by cooled down by having water poured over him.
For the most part, the songs sound like rock, but there are also elements of reggae in some of them. They even performed their rendition of an Irish drinking song, which oddly enough, received the biggest response from the crowd.
Another favorite was "F--- You," during which people raised their middle fingers and waved them in the air. The songs themselves did not contain the only profanity, since the crowd happily exchanged expletives as well as chanting "F-You" in unison.
"Very well said," DeVore told the crowd afterwards. He had earlier told the crowd, after a particularly raucous song, "You guys might not be ready for that yet, but your kids are gonna love it," in the words of Marty from "Back to the Future."
The four band members don't just form a group with tons of energy onstage, but also tons of affection for their fans. The group, whose latest album, A Passage in Time, is in stores now, also took the time after the show to sign autographs for their many fans.
