Cobra Starship

On their 2006 debut, While the City Sleeps, We Rule the Streets, Cobra Starship's lead man Gabe Saporta smugly sings, "Success has its price;" but success also has a few perks — like becoming pals with Pete Wentz and Patrick Stump and winning a spot on the 2007 Honda Civic Tour. Since we're name-dropping, Stump also produced the band's sophomore album, ¡Viva la Cobra! so the price of fame obviously has its share of sweet payoffs. The band originally started as one of Saporta's side projects from the now-defunct Midtown, but it has turned into a raging phenomenon — complete with a cult-like hand signal. There's even a trippy, longwinded pseudo-myth to explain the group's origin, with Saporta supposedly being visited by a talking cobra in the Arizona desert. If you're looking for more humor, this New York quintet's initial brush with fame came when their "Snakes On a Plane (Bring It)" tune became a hit on the soundtrack for the film. All this silliness may be eccentric and cool, but the dance pop rock they crank out is serious and hugely popular with the emo teens of today. Unlike other bands on the Decaydance label (Panic! At the Disco, The Academy Is..., Gym Class Heroes), Cobra Starship is blatantly out to have fun — taking jabs at other artists ("I'm bringing sassy back.") and cracking plenty of jokes along the way. Unfortunately this show is already sold out, so you'll need to know a scalper to get in.