The Triangle

Issue date: 7/3/09 Section: Arts & Entertainment

Media Credit: Liam Sweeney KRT/MCT Campus

As well as "the year of the ox," 2009 is proving to be "the year of band comebacks." Many bands have reformed and returned to life on the road. No Doubt is one of these bands to head back out on tour this year. They were never officially broken up, but like many bands they were on a hiatus without a definite promise of when they would return. The announcement of a summer tour was exciting news for old and new fans alike.

The new tour did not mean a new album quite yet. The band took a risky move by booking new shows without any new material to play. Their last release "Rock Steady" was released back in 2001, but tickets for the tour sold well and fans seemed more than content with old favorites. This doesn't mean No Doubt doesn't have any plans for new music. In fact, lead vocalist Gwen Stefani told the Philadelphia Daily News that touring was a way for her to jumpstart writing for a new record.

"Writing is always really hard for me - I hate it, and hate it, and then I do it and I'm happy it's done. I was blocked and I needed to get inspired, and I thought playing live would get the creative juices flowing again."

The crowds on tour hopefully have helped to serve as some inspiration for the band's writing process. Fans have been enthusiastic and have every reason to be; No Doubt has offered a lot on this tour to ticket holders. In lieu of tough economic times, some venues offered lawn tickets as low as ten dollars (sometimes even including service fees). While other seating could cost up to about a hundred dollars per ticket, tickets in the higher price range each came with a digital copy of No Doubt's entire catalog for free. While die-hard fans probably already owned the band's collection of albums, this gave fans of Stefani's solo work, fans of opening bands and friends of fans tagging along for a show a chance to familiarize themselves with the music.

Of course the most rewarding aspect of any tour is the live performance itself and No Doubt sure knows how to perform. Philadelphia and New Jersey fans got a taste of this when the band came to the Susquehanna Bank Center in Camden on June 11th with tour guests and female fronted band, Paramore. Also performing on the date was The Sounds, yet another band with a girl lead singer. Both openers put on energetic sets that pumped up the crowd's anticipation for No Doubt.

After a curtain dropped revealing the band's stage setup, members clad in white came out with their popular song "Spiderwebs." It is sometimes expected that bands gone for too long lose their touch but from the very beginning of their set it was obvious No Doubt was as good as ever. Despite two recent pregnancies, Stefani showcased abs of steel and did pushups right on stage to prove that she's still in shape. The entire band, plus two touring performers on trumpets, keyboards, and more, were extremely lively. Lots of dancing was involved and smiles constantly graced their faces. They were happy to be back and everyone could tell.

One exceptional quality to their performance was their connection with the audience. Stefani brought two fans on stage to take a picture with them and honored another fan's birthday request to play "Let's Get Back" even though she barely remembered the words. No Doubt's years of experience shone bright in Camden and despite being old enough to have children on tour peeking out from behind the curtain, they still seem as young and vibrant as always.

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