White Light Riot CD Release at The Fine Line

White Light Riot's CD Release Party for their long-awaited album Atomism was such a blowout of a rock show and so packed that the band sent out an apology via MySpace bulletin to fans who were turned away at the door.

The stellar bill at the Fine Line Saturday night, June 22nd, also featured The Alarmists and Chicago's Villains of Verona, who both put staged killer opening sets, making this a night to remember.

WLR's encore featured Jessy Greene on violin. And the show stopper, a cover of The Who's "My Generation" which featured front man Mike Schwandt stage diving into the crowd. "I almost hit the floor," he told me after the show. But this was no Jack Black splat. This was the real thing, and something you don't often see from relatively new local bands.

White Light Riot has been dubbed "commercial sounding" by some, but their musical integrity remains entirely intact as they seem both determined break the mold even while somehow still fitting into it perfectly.

See my full photo set from the show here, that include's Schwandt's leap into the crowd. Also, see Stacy Sandstrom's photos from the entire night.