The last time Yellowcard played in State College, it was at Crowbar. Since then, there have been changes all around. The Crowbar has been converted to the Cell Block, 420 E. College Ave. -- where Saturday's show will take place -- and Yellowcard is different as well.

For one thing, the band's sound has changed. When Yellowcard was last here, its newest release was the twice-platinum Ocean Avenue. The next release, Lights and Sounds, sold only about a million copies -- fewer than half as many -- which Yellowcard singer and guitarist Ryan Key attributes to the somber, intrinsic nature of the latter compared to the optimistic attitude of the former. Key, however, in the same upbeat manner, found positives in the commercial shortcomings.

"It's a good thing we weren't selling another two million records," Key said. He said the lack of sales meant they didn't have to play as much, and after 20 consecutive months touring, the band was ready for a break.

"It allowed us to step back and look at what we wanted to do," Key said.

Another change the band has undergone in the past couple years occurred in Key's throat: The band's aggressive touring and his own singing style led to a need for vocal cord surgery. Key attributes it principally to a misuse of his own voice, but also to playing more than 300 shows in a year and to "years of playing in dive bars with no monitors."

Again, though, Key sees the good in the bad. "It was the best thing that could have happened to me," he said. "It makes you realize you have to slow down and focus."

Though the Cell Block is a decidedly different venue than Crowbar was, it is beginning to come around as a live music venue. Cell Block general manager Joe Yamma said the club is "more selective" with the acts they choose and will probably never have bands each night the way Crowbar did. He pointed to the Robert Randolph and the Family Band show from a few weeks ago, this weekend's Yellowcard performance and future concerts, featuring bands like The Bouncing Souls and Trapt as evidence that the Cell Block is becoming more prominent. "As long as they work, we're going to keep doing them," Yamma said.

Yamma said the Cell Block featured a large number of cover bands in its first year to roll with State College's cover band scene. As long as they sell tickets, he said the venue will provide $15 to $20 shows without age restrictions. "If I booked a band like Quiet Riot, I'd probably book it 21 and over," he said. "But most of the student body is under 21."

So, even though a lot has changed with both the band and the venue since Yellowcard's last appearance there, Key said they are still basically the same band, even through a few lineup changes.

"There's been handfuls of turmoil, and it's been a rocky road, but the constant has been when we get up and put on a show. Everything evaporates, " he said.

Key said the biggest part of Yellowcard has always been the band's live show, and T.J. Cornwall, singer and pianist for opening band Cloverleaf, agreed. Cloverleaf has shared the stage with Yellowcard once before, and Cornwall said it was the best show his band had ever played -- which was, thanks to Yellowcard, in front of about 1,000 people. Cornwall said Yellowcard wasn't too bad, either. "They really surprised me," he said. "They're great live. They're high energy, and they really get the crowd involved."