THE DAMAGE IS DONE

The Features
“The Way It’s Meant To Be”
Live @ Tucker Theater
January 20th, 2006

Hearing the echo of the crowd singing the first back at Matt Pelham makes it seem like the band is playing a huge stadium. I love it.

Also, if you have still not seen the band live yet, you are supposed to clap along to this song. It is the first law of Daiglenetics.

A VERSION APPEARS ON:
The Beginning, Universal EP release (2004)
Exhibit A, album release (2004)

OTHER VERSIONS 

The Features
“The Way It’s Meant To Be”
Live @ The Red Rose
February 28th, 2003

A great live version of this great song, from a great concert. This was the fourth time this song was ever played live (oddly enough, this was a very well-documented period for the Features; I have all four of those times in bootleg form).

A VERSION APPEARS ON:
The Beginning, Universal EP release (2004)
Exhibit A, album release (2004)

OTHER VERSIONS 

The Features
“The Way It’s Meant To Be”
Live @ The Exit/In
August 19th, 2005

 It’s Memorial Day. Crank this at your barbecue. That’s the way it’s meant to be.

A VERSION APPEARS ON:
The Beginning, Universal EP release (2004)
Exhibit A, album release (2004)

OTHER VERSIONS

The Features
“The Way It’s Meant To Be”
Live @ 12th & Porter
November 8th, 2003

Here it is, the biggest single in the history of the Nashville music scene. I have no stats to back it up, just memories of overwhelming BIGNESS leaping forth from the audience right back at the band as they blasted this at us. I know overwhelming bigness is quite possibly the least articulate way of describing this song, but I’m finding it hard to put into words the live energy of this song. It’s rambunctious and infectious; it’s completely punk rock musically and completely lullaby in lyrics; it’s rebellion against rebellion, finding it absolutely euphoric to admit happiness with a traditional status quo. The opening chords and handclaps giving way to the full band onslaught, Rollum busting out Keith Moon crashes, it’s a thing of beauty. This is exactly how a real rock and roll band sings about happiness. It’s gritty, fast and consistent. There’s no time to catch your breath in this song and it’s as exhilarating as new fatherhood (what the song’s about). It captures joy, holds it tight, and shares it. Experiencing this song live, with the audience doing the handclaps, is akin to seeing the Beatles in 1964 as far as I’m concerned.

“The Way It’s Meant To Be” is how all rock and roll is meant to be.

This song forever changed the Features when it debuted at the Boro on January 11th, 2003. The song stood out amongst all others due to it’s punkish nature (I believe it was called “the new Hives-esque song” by fans). It then never left rotation, found a spot as the single on the rerelease of The Beginning EP and later Exhibit A and continued to be a staple of live shows. And it still is, seven years later.

A VERSION APPEARS ON:
The Beginning, Universal EP release (2004)
Exhibit A, album release (2004)