Rooney. They're on the "OC" entertaining little girls everywhere. And here I am, along with four pre-teen girls at their show at the 9:30 club. This California power-pop band, named after the principal from "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," seems to have gotten a big push from Geffen Records.
A few weeks prior to the show, my good friend Erie asked me to help her escort her cousin, who would be turning 13, to the show. Of course, I agreed; it seemed innocent enough. But then she dropped the bombshell on me that we would be joined by her cousin's three friends and, to top it off, dropped off at the 9:30 club by her aunt and uncle in a minivan. What more appropriate way is there to make my Rooney show debut? I felt like Dian Fossey, only without the gorillas.
We arrived at the June 11 concert and piled out of the minivan. "Now you girls mind Erie and Dan." I feel so old. It doesn't seem that long ago when my mom was dropping me and my friend off at the Sum-41 show. Oh man, that's right. I did go to the Sum-41 show. Well, there goes my scene cred. Although Hoobastank did open - before they had hit it big - and I thought they sucked.
But, swallowing my indie-pride, I entered the 9:30 club. The crowd seemed to be overwhelmingly young and absolutely female. So many braces. Orthodontists must have a vested interest in Rooney. I found myself drifting toward the back with the rest of the parents.
A few years ago, I would have been all about this show. My undying love for Weezer demands that I also listen to Ozma, so it was nice to see them. Their songs are getting better, but it seemed like nobody there knew who they were. When Rooney came on, however, I wasn't surprised by the shrieks of the little girls.
The shaggy-haired frontman causing all the howls is Robert Carmine, who changed his name from Robert Schwartzman to, I guess, not be connected with his family fame. He is the little brother of Phantom Planet's Jason Schwartzman and his relatives include Francis Ford Coppola, Sofia and Roman Coppola and Nicholas Cage, although Robert changed his name after Rooney got a record deal. He seems a little bit too into being in Rooney.
Despite the fact Rooney has some decent pop songs like "Blueside" and "If It Were Up To Me," Carmine's constant strutting and finger-wagging can be a pretty irritating schtick. Also, singing a song called "Pop Stars" that insults mainstream pop artists as "unsophisticated money machines" without ironic intent may cause cynics to raise an eyebrow. Rooney, however, didn't seem to outstay their welcome with their fans, and played that "Shakin'" song.
As we walked outside of the show in the rain to wait for our minivan to pull up, the four pre-teen girls were still buzzing about the show. They then informed me that they yelled at the band, "Show us your tits!" The girls enjoyed themselves immensely and I felt even older. At least it's better for these girls to see Rooney who, despite their flaws, are a real band, rather than some lip-synch fest.
And with Hilary Duff's July 22 Patriot Center performance, which is going to be amazingly awesome, it looks like I'll have another reason to hop in the minivan.
