Heartthrobs and hipsters have been an integral part of rock
since its inception. It’s hard to separate one from the other,
especially when examining studs from the early days, like Elvis,
the Beatles and the Stones. These men made it tolerable for both
lyrics and leather pants to determine a singer’s credibility. The
happy balance between fa�ade and musicianship existed then
because these men were sexy and revolutionary.

Pete Yorn sought to strike this balance when he played the
Pageant on Nov. 17 , wielding his arsenal of pop rock and a hint of
alt-country charm. His Casanova stylings didn’t seem apparent at
first.

He’s a grungy looking guy with dark hair that hung in front of
his face for the first several songs. The 16-21 year-old female
demographic in the audience begged to differ, with shrill screams
of “Peeeeeeeete!” filling the cavernous venue.

The line between Yorn’s credibility and the potential of his mug
gracing the cover of Seventeen seemed thin only for these
few awkward moments, before he began to rock over the squealing. He
blasted through a satisfying set, but included only a sampling of
songs from his new album, Day I Forgot. He opened solo on
the guitar bringing out the best his voice has to offer: a raw plea
to his baby to come back home as he wailed into the balconies with
the most country-laden vocals of the night.

The highlight of the show came pretty early on with “Black,” a
hit from Musicforthemorningafter. Most of songs of the night
were from this album, and perhaps with good reason. Yorn seemed
most comfortable with these tunes, and he added the jolt and nuance
that made the live show worthwhile. “Sleep Better” was high energy,
and Yorn smiled as he rollicked through the most pop-sensible songs
of the set, such as “Closet.” The ethereal quality that comes
through on his albums was often lost live, however, during songs
like “Just Another.”

There’s not that much about Yorn that is revolutionary, however,
which makes the experience of clawing through the pit with groupies
even less savory. He puts on a solid popular rock show though,
bringing in just enough country flavor to please the hoosiers and
appease the hipsters.