Band makes ‘Great Escape’ to Orlando

Despite being without guitarist Paul DiGiovanni on Saturday night, Boys Like Girls didn't miss a beat.

Jamel Hawke, who has performed on a number of the band's tracks in the past, played guitar in DiGiovanni's absence at Universal Studios' Summer Concert series.

Ashley Erickson, a local Universal pass-holder and Boys Like Girls fan, enjoyed the band's emergency fill-in, but also wished DiGiovanni a speedy recovery.

"I hope he gets better very soon. The show was great but would have been even better with Paul," Erickson said.

The band, which formed in 2005 and also features vocalist Martin Johnson, bassist Bryan Donahue and drummer John Keefe, opened the show with the song "Love Drunk," their hit that climbed to No. 8 on the U.S. Billboard Chart in 2009.

The band also performed "Two Is Better Than One," a song that features country music singer Taylor Swift on their 2009 album Love Drunk.

During one of their set exchanges, Johnson announced the band is currently working on their third album, causing the crowd to go wild.

Johnson showed an inclination to be close to his fans, often walkng off the stage to get as close to the crowd as possible, while also signing several posters during the show.

He lent his microphone to the audience so they could sing along to hits like "Thunder" and "The Great Escape" off of the band's self-titled debut album.

The crowd's awareness of Boys Like Girls' new music impressed Johnson.

"This was a song that was never released, but everyone here knows all the words," Johnson said. "Thank you, Internet."

The crowd, including local Universal pass-holder Caitlyn McElyea, begged for an encore, causing the band to go over their one-hour time allotment.

"I became a Boys Like Girls fan because their music is music that you can connect with and understand," McElyea said. "You can feel their songs and the meaning behind them."

Boys Like Girls made history by playing at the first MTV World Stage Live concert in Malaysia, and have shared the stage with other music heavyweights, such as Cobra Starship, Good Charlotte, Metro Station and Avril Lavigne.

The band also took part in the Vans Warped Tour in 2007, which also included Avenged Sevefold, Paramore and Straylight Run.

Many of the concert attendees expressed their gratitude that Boys Like Girls added Universal's Concert Series to their busy tour.

John Malone, a film major at UCF, was excited to attend his second live Boys Like Girls show.

"I came to see them again because they always put on a great concert. They are very entertaining, charismatic and talented individuals," Malone said.