Get off this.

Angst-ridden teens and their fun-loving parents came together Thursday night for a loud, frenzied show at the Bijou Theatre. Self and Cracker delivered impressive performances that transcended the alternative genre, not to mention generations of music fanatics.

What at first seemed like a peculiar venue for a rock show turned out to be ideal -- for great sound and comfy seating, there's no place like the Bijou. While there were a few stray dancers toward the stage, most audience members chose to happily dance in the seated position.

Self, a rising "buzz hop" band from Murfreesboro, opened the show. Knoxville was the band's third stop on a five-week tour with Cracker.

"Usually we're hooked up with bad bands that we don't have anything, like, even resembling in style at all," said 23-year-old Matt Mahaffey, Self's lead singer and creator. "Of course, Cracker's no exception, but I love Cracker, so I'm stoked to be playing with them."

Self is currently on the road promoting their debut album, Subliminal Plastic Motives. After the tour they will return to the studio to work on their second release for Spongebath Records, an independent label located in Murfreesboro.

"I like recording. I can be more creative," Matt Mahaffey said. By integrating original samples along with jazz and hip-hop influences, Self goes beyond the typical four-member rock band. At live shows they pull out all the stops, recreating the samples live and providing a harsher sound than can be heard from the studio.

"I try to incorporate everything that I love into one project instead of playing in a million different bands and spreading it real thin," Matt Mahaffey said.

Matt was originally the only member of Self, but brother Mike Mahaffey joined him on the CD. They have now expanded into a full band, with Matt on vocals and guitar, Mike on bass, Chris James on keyboards and Jason Rawlings on drums.

At the show, it seemed like there were just as many Self fans as there were Cracker -- I noticed a few audience members leaving after the opening act. Before the concert I caught a glimpse of Matt and Mike's mother, proudly sporting a Self T-shirt and holding a bag of homemade cookies for Cracker.

Highlights of Self's set were singles "Cannon" and "So Low," along with the raw and melodic "Marathon Shirt." Part of the band's greatness is their ability to mix up a song's rhythm -- just when the crowd begins to tap their feet, they realize they're completely out of time.

Matt said although he's prepared for greater success, he has no plans to leave Murfreesboro anytime soon.

"It's fun to come home to a small, tiny little town and just hang out with your friends," he said. The tour will take the band everywhere from New York to Texas.

"It's like when you're on tour, you don't really know what to expect," Matt Mahaffey said. "You could be playing a bathtub one night and the next night you're playing an outdoor festival with 20,000 people."

Self supremely set the mood with their 45-minute set and the excitement built as Cracker took the stage. Clad in a straw cowboy hat and orange denim pants, lead singer David Lowery was clearly happy to be in Tennessee.

Lowery and guitarist Johnny Hickman shined during the performance, which alternated between blocks of mellow, country-tinged songs and blaring rock anthems.

Many of the tunes were from Cracker's latest CD, The Golden Age. Few audience members were up and dancing by the middle of the set, but Lowery said he was relieved to see an older crowd.

"Kids are so square these days, aren't they?" he told the audience. "They're like our parents." The band then launched into a screaming version of "I Hate My Generation."

Old Cracker favorites were played as well: "Mr. Wrong," "Teen Angst," and "Low" were a few off their first two albums, Cracker and Kerosene Hat. Hickman got some applause and laughter from his upbeat lament "Lonesome Johnny Blues," and to appease a few shrieking fans, the band ended with the European single, "Euro-Trash Girl."

Cracker returned for a four-song encore, ending with their mega-hit from Kerosene Hat, "Get Off This." As they left the stage for the final time, everyone rose to their feet and continued to scream for more.

Even after Self's tiny tan van and Cracker's massive maroon tour bus had hit the highway Thursday night, Knoxville was still abuzz with enthusiasm. By bringing such raw energy and talent to the stage, both bands left the crowd feeling warm, enlivened and downright happy to be alive.