The Cab cover Queen

Rain couldn't stop the rock this past weekend, when thousands of pop-punk fans flocked to the Meadowlands for the Bamboozle Festival. Before headliners No Doubt and Fall Out Boy took the stage, bands started the festivities with an all-covers concert Friday night. While most bands opted for covers of bands of their own genre, a few stepped out to impersonate greater musical legends.

The Cab, a Fueled By Ramen 5-piece that is heavier on the pop than it is on the punk, settled on the rock legends Queen's catalog, and while some doubted a pop-punk band's ability to do the epic songs justice, The Cab surprised with a competent set that had the crowd transported to a stadium instead of just the parking lot of one. Starting with "We Are The Champions" the band was a little shaky, but once they hit "Another One Bites the Dust" they settled into a groove. Lead singer Alex DeLeon (who previously spilled all the dirt on the habits of his boy bandmates to Out) climbed the rafters and commanded his stage and audience with as much Freddie Mercury flare as he could muster. Guitarist Ian Crawford, decked out in a very 70s ensemble, impressed with Brian May-esque rifs. Fans began crowdsurfing during "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" and by the time the band closed with "Bohemian Rhapsody" the band had accomplished what they needed -- to get the crowd singing and to get them to forget about the rain coming down.

At the end of the set DeLeon urged the crowd to "Give it up for Queen, they couldn't be here today!" The screaming teenagers didn't seem to mind.

-- RAE VOTTA

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