Hey Monday vocalist, Cassadee Pope’s first ever solo tour came to the Baltimore Soundstage in Maryland this past weekend. Opening acts included Darling Parade & Stephen Jerzak, each bringing a unique show to warm the crowd up for Cassadee Pope. Darling Parade brought an electric rock and roll show to the stage with front-woman Kristen Kearns’ impressive stage presence & vocal range; also she could play the guitar quite well. What really got the crowd moving was when Cassadee Pope ran on stage to perform with Darling Parade, each trading off vocal duties.
Once Darling Parade had finished their performance, it was a quick ten-minute switchover from a full band setup, to Stephen Jerzak setting up his acoustic guitar & microphone. Enthusiastically greeting the crowd, he dove right into his set. Jerzak’s forty minute set contained a variety of songs such as “Party Girl”, to covering other artists material such as “It Girl” by Jason Derulo, “American Idiot” by Green Day, & even “Crazy Train” by Ozzy Osbourne! The set, unfortunately, was cut short due to Jerzak running over his time. Nonetheless, he delivered an excellent performance & had the crowd warmed up for Cassadee Pope to take the stage.
With a guitarist, violinist & a box drummer accompanying her; Cassadee Pope took the stage & welcomed the crowd to her first solo show in the Baltimore area. Wasting no time, Cassadee & her band went into the “Beneath It All” hit “Wish You Were Here. Comparing this to the full electric band performance, I must say that this version with just acoustic instruments sounded superior & phenomenal. More of her set mostly consisted of Hey Monday hits such as “Hangover”, “Candles” & “How You Love Me Now” to name a few. Cassadee also debuted a few solo songs as well, and from what was witnessed, they sounded very catchy & excellent. It should also be noted; Cassadee (with help from Kristen Kearns of Darling Parade) performed an amazing rendition of the Natalie Imbruglia hit “Torn”, showcasing her talented vocal range. Cassadee ended her set with a new song entitled “My Best Friend Hates You” & a fan requested fantastic accapella performance of “Obvious”.
Torn (Featuring Kristen Kearns Of Darling Parade)
Cassadee Pope proved two things this past Sunday night, she can hold her own on stage and 2012 will be a big year for the singer, from hearing her in Hey Monday to her new solo endeavors, it’s obvious (pun intended) she is here to stay. The way she interacted with the crowd, and also taking requests at the end of the main set was commendable. Not even five minutes after she finished her set, she went into the crowd to take pictures and sign autographs. A class act, humble and friendly, if she continues on like this, Cassadee Pope will go far and her solo album, when it does come out, will be one for the books.
http://www.facebook.com/CassadeePopeMusic
RichardThinks.Org 
Stephen Jerzak was great. The way he interacts with his fans is awesome. Not to mention his talent. I hope Baltimore Soundstage has him back again. He is was well worth the wait in the cold.