Pop Goes the Big City

It's been a while since the feel-good pop-rockers and American Idols took the caged animal known as arena rock captive. And listening to a band like Big City Rock, it's obvious they're aware of this fact. Sure, the Los Angeles-based five-piece chose a name straight out of the Monsters of Rock tour, but its sound is heavier on the pop than the punch, full of anthemic tunes and hefty ambition. BCR's hook-driven melodies may not have the balls of stadium legends of yore, but what the band lacks in raw furor it makes up for in infectiousness. Big City's rock is pop-infused but guttural, with Killers-style keyboards and colossal riffs that plant two-on-the-floor with an assured stomp. All the while, singer Nate Bott belts out positive, life-affirming lyrics like a young Bono. The resultant sound transcends danceability into something more instinctive — sing-a-long, stadium-style rock 'n' roll, proving that you can have your pop and rock it too.

When did the Riddler join Big City Rock?

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More About

• Nate Bott
• Bono (Musician)
• Morningwood

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Big City Rock performs with Morningwood at 8 p.m. Tuesday, June 13, at the Culture Room, 3045 N. Federal Hwy., Fort Lauderdale. Tickets cost $12 to $15. Call 954-564-1074, or visit www.cultureroom.net.