It’s been a sad winter as the music scene has seemingly been on hiatus in the United States. With shows few and far between and new releases nowhere to be seen, it was not hard to forget about Ticketmaster and the record store. But as winter comes to an end, bands are springing back with new albums and embarking on tours all over the country. So when Los Angeles was added to Hot Hot Heat’s list of appearances, I got up off of that thing and found myself some tickets to their sold-out show at the Roxy.

First of all, the Roxy is one of the best places to see a band. It’s intimate and funky with a great bar. If you’re cool enough, you can make reservations to sit at one of the booths, but who wants to sit down at a Hot Hot Heat show? So I took the floor and awaited the musical lineup.

Opening bands are always hit or miss, but On the Speakers deserves honorable mention, and Louis XIV was a sight to see. Louis’ lead singer/guitarist is a reflection of the young Ozzy and embellishes his look with makeup and leather. Their music is fun, but nothing new. They did their job of building up the crowd, preparing for the main act of the evening. The anticipation for Hot Hot Heat turned minutes into hours. At 10:30, the mic tests began, the curtains pulled back, the cowbell sounded and then they sang. Hot Hot Heat pulled it off with nothing less than a perfect, dramatic entrance. “Talk to Me, Dance With Me” kicked off the set list, and the set continued with a rhythm of old song, new song, old song, new song. Their new material is incredible, and their performance never lost momentum.

The only disappointment of the night was the audience. Sold-out shows always guarantee a good crowd, but for some reason this one refused to move. There was no dancing, no singing, no pit, no pot, no surf, no smiling. I felt like I was at a funeral rather than a concert. If you’re out there to stand around and look pretty, do all of us music lovers a favor and spare us some tickets.