Coachella 2011: Jimmy Eat World throws a bro-down

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Jimmy Eat World let loose its optimistic, self-affirming brand of mainstream, college-friendly alt-radio rock Sunday at Coachella to a surprisingly large crowd that seemed to grow every minute.

And in the course of its nearly 50-minute set the group proved that, if you were alive in the late ‘90s -- no matter how cool and impenetrable you thought you were -- you’re still vulnerable to the siren call of candy-coated early emo rock. The Mesa, Ariz.-based quartet doesn’t make music that blows your mind, but when it comes on the radio, you always sing along.

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The world has Green Day to thank for the sugary birth of Jimmy Eat World, and bands like the latter to thank for the chafingly infantile emergence of bands like Blink 182. These newcomers have universal appeal to so-called “super bros,” the brand of testosterone-fueled males that have come to dominate Coachella in place of disheveled hipster troglodytes that once played king of the polo field.

It’s a backward devolution, but one that will remain at home in America’s dorm rooms for years to come.

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–- Jessica Gelt