Matt and Kim conquer the heat at The Trocadero

It was the first hot and humid night in the city of Philadelphia. The Trocadero was brimming with sweaty, voracious concert goers for a sold-out show. All were willing to risk their lack of stamina and body fluids to see the pop punk Brooklyn-duo, Matt & Kim.

As the lights went low, the crowd erupted with excitement. They knew what they were in for. Matt & Kim swarmed the stage as the "The Rocky Theme" pounded through the speakers. High fiving the front row and climbing on their equipment, they encouraged the crowd to get ready for an evening of wild entertainment. After they introduced themselves (as if it were needed), they kicked off their set with "Block After Block", an energetic tune off of their most recent album Sidewalks.

If you've seen a Matt and Kim show before, you know they are notorious for playing awesome renditions of popular songs. As the first song commenced, they paid homage to our great city by playing "Let Me Clear My Throat". The crowd jumped up and down in unison as they bounced to the Philly classic. At this point, everyone within the venue was soaking wet, whether you were dancing like a maniac or just sitting back and watching. Only a few songs in, the show felt like it was already in full swing. They selected a crowd favorite and played "Good Ol' Fashioned Nightmare" which transitioned into another cover: "Apache, (Jump On It)".

"This show is hotter than the church. And by the church, we mean the First Unitarian Church. We had our first show there!" The show they were referring to dates back to July of 2009, and it was also sold out. It's incredible seeing how popular the two have gotten in just a few years, selling out shows from church basements to larger venues. It's obvious why they've become such an indie phenomenon. Matt & Kim are some of the most enthusiastic, passionate, and grateful artists in the music industry. Kim makes a point to smile and make eye contact with the fans in the crowd all while playing her heart out on the drums. Matt high-fives the front row and splashes the parched concert goers with water. The duo are all about making sure the whole concert experience is thoroughly awesome and enjoyable.

Still playing off of the fact that it was boiling hot, Matt pulled out a treat for the perspiring crowd. "I mean I know it's hot out, but when we shot the video for this song, it was freezing cold… and we took all of our clothes off." Kim asked everyone to join in and sing 'da da da da' for "Lessons Learned". Matt rapidly declared "This really feels like summer now!"

The entire show felt like an awesome basement party. For "It's A Fact (Printed Stained)" they handed out balloons and asked everyone to blow them up. "On the count of '1234' I want you to let them rip!". As soon as the song activated, the air was filled with a spectrum of colorful balloons. They would continually transition their songs into covers. This included Biz Markie's "Just A Friend", in which Matt told the crowd "this room has got everything I need". They also covered Ludacris' "Move (Bitch)", Alice DeeJay's "Better Off Alone", and "The Final Countdown" by Europe. Kim even asked the crowd to hold her up so she could booty dance to Major Lazer's "Pon De Floor". She only lasted 10 seconds before the already exhausted crowd weakened their hold and she had no choice but to come down.

The rest of the set included "Good for Great", "Lightspeed" (which they dedicated to the Phillies), "Silver Tiles" (the first song they ever wrote which they dedicated to the fans who have been there since the beginning), "The Wire", and they ended off the night with "Daylight". Matt & Kim take the cake for hottest show of the year, in terms of both temperature and overall live show.

----

Reptar, a rambunctious five-piece band from Georgia, opened up the show. The group has a very spacey, worldly, pop sound that stands unique among today's artists. They could very well be compared to the likes of MGMT, Passion Pit, and even Matt & Kim. Noteable songs included "Stuck In My Id" and "Houseboat Babies". I've got to give major props to lead singer, Graham Ulicny, for his insane on stage dance moves. Also, an honorable mention goes to keyboardist, William Kennedy, for his equally wild maneuvers.