« 07/06/2005 The Tea Party, Woke Up In Vegas, Deep Water Daze (Rochester, NY @ Water Street Music Hall) | Home | 07/22/2005 Killswitch Engage, As I Lay Dying, Soilwork (Johnson City, NY @ Magic City Music Hall) »
07/16/2005 KRockathon 10: Shinedown, Cake, Seven Mary Three, Lit, Tsar, Boy Hits Car, Ra, Rock and Roll Soldiers (Weedsport, NY @ Cayuga County Fairgrounds)
By Eric | July 16, 2005 11:50 pm
I made my way down the 90 to Weedsport for the 10th annual Krockathon, and my first since 2001 at Vernon Downs. This time (like last year I guess) it was held at the Caygua County Speedway / Fairgrounds. Parking was suprisingly well organized, and the tailgate parties were in full effect. I really should have brought a case of beer and some ice, I would have made a killing! I rolled in at about 10:30, and the line to get in was snaking around the parking lot, but they opened the doors right at 11, and it only took a half hour to get in. Good thing, because it was hot and muggy all day. So I positioned myself down front on the right side of the stage. The music started right at 11:30, and they kept to schedule pretty much all day.
First up, Rock and Roll Soldiers. They reminded me a lot of the “The” bands, garage-type bands. They weren’t great, but they certainly weren’t awful either. They held my attention for their half hour set, and the lead singer tore apart the drummer’s kit during the last song. The singer also mentioned that they hadn’t been up that early in forever.
Ra was next, and I was excited to see these guys again. They opened with Rectifier, then Only, Fallen Angels, Tell Me, Every Little Thing, and closed with Do You Call My Name. The band sounded great. Sahaj said he was a little sick, and you could tell, as he missed a couple notes. He did get better as the set wore on though, and it didn’t really hamper the performance any. Plenty of people seemed to be into their set, which was nice.
Next was one of the most anticipated bands of the day, Boy Hits Car. They played the 2001 Krockation, and the lead singer, Cregg, did a 40 foot stage dive from the top of one of the speaker stacks. That, coupled with their energetic performance made them a hit with the crowd. So they were back, and according to Scott, were up for 24 hours and barely made their plane from L.A. to get here, as this was a one-off show for them. But get here they did, and rocked the place again. Opening with The Rebirth, they got the crowd into a frenzy early, then All The Love That We Hold Inside was next, followed by I’m A Cloud, which the crowd knew and went nuts again. During the set, some guy in a wheelchair went crowdsurfing… IN HIS WHEELCHAIR! It’s the damndest thing I’ve ever seen. Scott mentioned that the doctors probably told him he couldn’t walk, but he’s flying right now! The band continued with Forever and a Day, and then closed with Benkei. And the anticipation mounted… would Cregg jump again? He climbed up to the top of the stage, across the scaffolding, and on the top of one of the speaker stacks. And looked out. He hesitated at first, because he was concerned about the people he’d land on. He reconsidered as the band kept playing, and from a height of 67 feet, jumped into the crowd. And lived to tell about it! A dynamite finish to a dynamite set!
I got out of the crowd at this point, as I needed water and food. So I caught part of Tsar’s set, they struck me as a band in the vein of Franz Ferdinand and The Killers, but didn’t quite pull it off. They were okay, but nothing to write home about. Lit was after them, and while it helps that I knew a couple songs, they were more energetic, as their lead singer was running all over the place.
Seven Mary Three was next, and for as much as I like their music, they just always seem to disappoint me live. I don’t know what it is. They sound good, and they’re into their performance, but it always ends up blah. In any event, they sounded fine this time out, and the setlist didn’t have anything from Rock Crown or Orange Ave. at all. Just about in order, their set was: My My, wait, Water’s Edge, Headstrong, Bark No Bite, Dislocated, Subway Tunnel Microphones, Sleepwalking, Cumbersome.
Time for Cake!! They put on a great set, and the crowd was really into them. And heavy on Motorcade songs!! They started with Comfort Eagle, then Is This Love?, Comanche, Rock and Roll Lifestyle (!!!), a lot of crowd participation on Sheep Go To Heaven, The Guitar Man, a soliloquy about the horrors of cell phones during No Phone, and closed with the crowd pleaser The Distance. I was certainly glad to see Cake again, and they seemed to be having a lot of fun playing as well.
And now for the band that disappointed me greatly the last time I saw them, Shinedown. They’ve been off the road for 4 months preparing their new album, so they should have been fresh, and they were, to a degree. I still think their lead singer sells out some of the high notes and takes them down the octave with alarming regularity, but he sounded much better this time than in February at Tundra. They came out to In Memory, then Stranger Inside, Fly From The Inside, Better Version, Burning Bright, then slowed it down. They dedicated Simple Man to Dimebag Darrell, and kept it slow for 45, before closing it out with Left Out. They ultimately were better than the last time, but still not as great as the first time I saw them.
At this point, I’m tired, I don’t really care to stay for Trapt or Zakk Wylde’s Black Label Society, and I wanted to beat the traffic, so I headed out. It started raining at this point, so it was just as well. I hit the bathroom in the parking lot before I left, and a girl asked me if I had a cell phone so she could call her brother. No prob. Here. So that was dandy. Why mention this? Because no sooner did I get back to the car, and the remote entry doesn’t work. Okay, I’ll use my key. Try to turn it over…. CLICK. AAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH. Left the lights on, killed the battery. I just get done cursing myself out, and out of this entire parking lot, the guy in the spot next to me just walks up to his car. And I believe in karma, so I wasn’t stuck in this parking lot forever. I got a jump, and got out of there in a reasonable amount of time. It’s always an adventure with these things, and usually a good time, which this was!
Topics: Concerts | Tags: 2005, Boy Hits Car, Cake, Cayuga County Fairgrounds, KROCKathon, Lit, Ra, Rock and Roll Soldiers, Seven Mary Three, Shinedown, Tsar, Weedsport | 3 Comments »
July 19th, 2005 at 3:35 pm
I have to disagree with you on Seven Mary Three’s performance. Those boys kick butt live! I’d have to say they were the tightest sounding band there. They chose a great set for the krockathon.
Lit sounded okay as usual, but Cake did not impress me one bit. I know about 7 or 8 of their songs and they only sang one that I really liked. That lead singer needs to shave his beard as well. Looks like a grandpa.
I too left when the ran came. Took a vote from the girls to see if they wanted to wait for Trapt. They said no, so we rode off into the sunset.
July 19th, 2005 at 7:54 pm
Hi Dan, thanks for checking out the site…
Anyway, as far as 7m3 goes, like I said,
They sound good, and they’re into their performance, but it always ends up blah. In any event, they sounded fine this time out…
I have no issue with the quality of their performance, I just never get an excited vibe when I see them. Perhaps I need to see them in a club setting.
Cake is a band you either love or hate. I’m guessing you’re in the latter category. They’re quirky, kitschy, and I think they’re fun. John McCrea’s beard and avaitor sunglasses are part of the charm. To each their own.
July 20th, 2005 at 7:13 am
McCrea always reminded me of Tom Green for some reason…