By Mark Zurlo

Remember that time Tigers Jaw were going to break up, prescription and then didn’t follow through with it? They kind of treated their musical career like that minimum wage job you tell everyone you’re going to quit, health and then never do because you realize it’s not all that bad. Of course, hospital your minimum wage job probably includes salting fries or folding clothes, and not touring the world and playing music. From that perspective, it seems like the decision should have been a no-brainer.

In reality, the choice to split or stay together when half the band decides to call it quits isn’t that simple. The fact that Tigers Jaw went so far as to announce a farewell tour before putting out a brand new album less than a year later is a testament to that.

The Scranton, PA five-piece was making their first trip to Boston since playing two sold out “farewell” shows at the Sinclair last June. Original members/vocalists/masterminds Ben Walsh and Brianna Collins were joined on stage by three new members, who really hit the jackpot when they got the opportunity to join a band that has quietly built as strong a following as Tigers Jaw has.

Another sold out crowd packed the Middle East downstairs for the show, and they showed up early to witness a decent set from opener Pity Sex. Like Tigers Jaw, the band has the male/female co-lead singer dynamic going on, although Brennan Greaves and Britty Drake seemed to split their vocal duties more evenly than the Walsh-dominated headliners. The standout tracks where the final two, “Fold” and “Dogwalk”, both of which allowed Drake to show off her impressively strong voice.

Even before Tigers Jaw took the stage, it became apparent that the weather was going to be a factor. That’s not something you normally say about an indoor show, but man was it hot. The future of the Middle East is very much in doubt due to a possible ownership change, and while you never want to say goodbye to a local venue, I definitely wouldn’t miss sweating though my shirt at shows there in the summer.

Heat or no heat, the crowd went nuts when Walsh, Collins, and crew took the stage and kicked things off with “The Sun”. There was crowd surfing, and stage driving, and singing along, and all of the standard things that make you say “hey, this band has something pretty good going, don’t they?”

And this would continue for a while. By the time the band hit the middle of their set however, it became clear that everyone was starting to feel the effects of the heat. Throughout the rest of the night, the energy would come and go in waves. Tigers Jaw would play an old favorite and everyone would go nuts, and then they would play a new song from Charmer and everyone would wilt like a tomato plant in a neglected garden.

Luckily, the set ended on a high note with “Never Saw It Coming” and “Chemicals”. By this point there was condensation dripping off of the pipes than line the basement’s low ceilings, and most of those on stage looked like they had taken a wrong turn into the Charles on their way to the show.

Unfortunately for us, it’s only going to get hotter in the next few months. And if you were a bad writer like myself, you would say the same thing about the headliners. Their new album is sure to win over new fans, and with their status as a band no longer in doubt, it’s going to be a pretty good summer for Tigers Jaw.