The combination of a wide spectrum of musics and large turnouts created four fun and entertaining nights at the opening of the Emergenza shows in Philadelphia. The venue for the four nights was a club called The Five Spot in the section of Philly known as Old City. It's a place were hipsters, Jersey girls looking for men, 20 somethings, 30 something's, & business men all go to play. In any case, The Five Spot and its location accommodated the festival well. Thursday January 22nd was the first show. There were several good bands this night, but it was obvious by the crowds reaction as to the ones that stood out. The 722’Sarguably ruled the evening. They were a four piece consisting of a female vocalist, bass, drums and guitar. They were very rehearsed but yet somewhat spontaneous. All of their songs and actions had a theatrical quality to them. You may or may not like this band, but either way they are sure to keep your attention. Other bands that had the crowd going were latin rock band TRIBAL SCREAM and 200 PROOF. Tribal Scream had a very heavy Santanna feel to it. The percussion was right on. The entire band just had an infectious rhythm. 200 Proof was mix of metal and rap. It seems as though this genre has been watered down in the past few years but 200 Proof brought something somewhat fresh to it. All in all, this night was a great warm up for the following night. Friday 23rd was completely packed. The Five Spot was sold out and the bands brought some serious energy. There was only one bartender. Before the show started I asked him "are you the only bartender???....you know this place is going be packed tonight." He responded with a simple, "...yeah I got it." Later that night I saw him running around like a mad man with two other bartenders the Five Spot had to bring in. Needless to say, Philly came to get their groove and drink on. There were many great bands that night but CENSUS and THE PO-POS stole the night. They jammed out first a powerful rock (with the astounding Census’s drummer who is considered as one of the 10 best USA drummers!), and then a bunch of reggae and rock that set the room on fire. Their fans were nuts. It looked like I was at a rock concert in Madison Square Garden!!!! I mean this band was giving it their all and so were their crowd. Another great band that certainly got some attention was TEA. These guys were jamming out on classic style rock with a modern edge. Guitarist Joe Giuffrida was ripping the thing apart along with violinist Eleanor Chodroff. They whaled like they had been jamming together for 15 years. But that isn't possible because they are only 14 and 15 years old!!!!!!! Watch out for these guys, they are going to be lethal in their 20's & 30's. Saturday night carried on as Friday night. Another packed show and more entertaining bands. We had a bit of shock rock in the house that night. The winning band PHILLYTOBOGGAN really brought down the house with hits catching fusion of blues and jazz with hip hop and jungle. A band by the name of P.T.LOVECRAFT had the buzz going that night. They dressed up as cross dressers and sang very odd songs with lyrics you wouldn't want your grandmother to hear. Other impressive bands were IMPRINT and TINGLER, both with a rock edge. The last night of our opening weekend was Sunday. There was a snow storm but bands peeps still marched out in the wicked weather. MACH 22 had the crowd going that night. They were a mix of heavy rock and melodic melodies. BREAK THE SEAL also had the crowd going or maybe it was the crowd had them going. Members of the crowd actually picked up members of the band and carried them around as they played. It was quite an interesting spectacle. The show went very well without any hitches except for the snow. In conclusion, the opening weekend in Philadelphia was a great success for Emergenza. It was a great introduction to the bands and the crowds as to what E