"You gotta have hope, 'cause nothing else will save the day."
For many, these Five for Fighting lyrics symbolize years of struggle, hardship, and the survival of loved ones.
On Thursday night, Hard Rock Café Niagara Falls celebrated the very first International Pinktober Living Ribbon Ceremony. Over 300 people from both Canada and the U.S. joined together to celebrate breast cancer awareness.
"This was very successful for the first time out. We were able to make a human pink ribbon across the entire border," said Sue Swiatkowski, the sales and marketing manager for the U.S. Niagara Falls Hard Rock Café. "Eventually, we'd love to have two or three lines on the border, and we're hoping this will grow year after year."
Following the ribbon ceremony, Star 102.5 and the American Cancer Society hosted a free indoor concert at the Hard Rock Café. The show featured Hard Rock National Battle of the Bands winner More Than Me and headliner Five For Fighting.
The acoustic set and pink lighting made for an intimate show, and there was standing room only. The floor was crowded with music lovers of all ages.
More Than Me, a native Buffalo band, was more than happy to return to the Hard Rock. Last June, these "Ambassadors of Rock" went to London to perform at Hyde Park, opening for music legends Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, and Pearl Jam.
Although opening for Five For Fighting may seem anticlimactic, it didn't get to their heads.
"Each and every set we gotta celebrate and enjoy and appreciate," said Ryan Doyle, More Than Me's lead singer. "No matter how small, no matter how big. Sometimes you're in the major leagues and you go to London and play for Paul McCartney. Sometimes you're playing for the two new people that enjoy it. You've got to be appreciative."
After 10 years of promoting themselves nationwide, More Than Me is swiftly moving into the spotlight. In addition to winning Ambassadors of Rock Battle of the Bands, their song "Unconditional Truth" received VH1's Save the Music Foundation "SongoftheYear.com" award.
The pop-rock band was recently nominated for the 2010 Buffalo Music Awards, with lead guitarist Joey Nicastro nominated for "best original guitarist." According to Doyle, the boys will perform in the Hard Rock headliner announcement festival in the Dominican Republic in 2011.
On Thursday night, More Than Me wowed the crowd with their songs, such as "Drag," "You Make Me," and "Shoelace."
"More Than Me's performance last night was great," said 19 year-old Garrett Shea, a freshman at Villa Maria College. "I had only seen one other show of theirs before. It was cool to get to hear an acoustic set rather than an electric. It's a cool way of getting a different feel of the music."
While people enjoyed the opening act, they loved the main attraction even more. Five For Fighting took the stage to a roar of applause from the wall-to-wall audience.
John Ondrasik, who uses Five For Fighting as his stage name, opened his performance on the piano, singing "World." Switching to his guitar, he sang hit songs such as " Superman" and "Chances" before returning back to the piano for "100 Years."
In between songs, Ondrasik took time to interact with the crowd. From talking about the Sabres and cars – specifically Mustangs in reference to his song "'65 Mustang" – to cracking jokes about his songs slipping into the oldies category, Five For Fighting easily won the hearts of the crowd.
Near the end of his show, Ondrasik took the time to dedicate a song to the troops and their family members. He sang "Freedom Never Cries" before ending the night a cappella.
"Pinktober, lots of survivors here, thought this would be good," Ondrasik said. "[Hope] is not just a bumper sticker. Thanks for all the supporters here tonight."
"Hope" was the perfect end to the night, combining music and the feeling that pushed so many to celebrate breast cancer awareness.
