07/22/2005 Killswitch Engage, As I Lay Dying, Soilwork (Johnson City, NY @ Magic City Music Hall)
By Eric | July 22, 2005 11:53 pm
This was an Ozzfest off-date, as all three of the bands are on the second stage. I drove down right after work, and hit the door just as Soilwork was starting. They were entertaining, and seemed really happy to be up on stage and playing. They had a metalcore vibe to them, and also had a DJ/Effects guy in addition to two guitarists. They got a half-hour, as did As I Lay Dying. I cannot figure this band out, nor why they’re so popular. The songs were practically all breakdowns, hardly any riffs, hardly any singing. The songs went nowhere, no rise and fall, no nothing. Just flat. But the kids went ape for them. Color me not impressed. Anyway, after their half-hour, it was KSE time! They came out and launched right into A Bid Farewell. I don’t know the exact order after that, but it was a good mix of both albums, including Numbered Days, Fixation on the Darkness, My Last Serenade, Life To Lifeless, Take This Oath, When Darkness Falls, Breathe Life, End Of Heartache, Hope Is, and the closer was Rose Of Sharyn. The band sounded great, Howard Jones’ singing and screaming was spot on, and Adam D, the guitarist, is one of the goofiest people I’ve ever seen on stage. The crowd was certainly into the band as well, with a ton of people singing all the words. And it was a healthy crowd, lots of people in the place. Which brings me to the only complaint about this show, and its got nothing to do with the music or the venue.
It seems moshing isn’t good enough anymore, maybe one doesn’t get hurt enough. Whatever the reason, hardcore “dancing” is now the “in” thing. This dancing consists of kids standing inside the circle, and flailing their arms and legs with reckless abandon, whilst crashing into each other and the people forming the circle. Flailing with fists and elbows, and doing kicks and crap like that. Couple this with a technique known as “floorpunching”, which looks just like that, and you have the possibility of getting way more injured than simply moshing. To sum up, it’s incredibly stupid, and impairs everyone around them from enjoying the show. Just freakin mosh like normal concertgoers!
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Tags: 2005, As I Lay Dying, Johnson City, Killswitch Engage, Magic City Music Hall, Soilwork
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 | 3 Comments »
Tags: 2005, Boy Hits Car, Cake, Cayuga County Fairgrounds, KROCKathon, Lit, Ra, Rock and Roll Soldiers, Seven Mary Three, Shinedown, Tsar, Weedsport
07/06/2005 The Tea Party, Woke Up In Vegas, Deep Water Daze (Rochester, NY @ Water Street Music Hall)
By Eric | July 6, 2005 11:59 pm
I made my way down to Water Street from work, and met up with Sara and her friend Kate. The first openers were a duo called Deep Water Daze, just a singer and acoustic guitarist. They were ok, something to pass the time really. Next up was a Buffalo band called Woke Up In Vegas. They reminded me of Greenwheel a little bit, with their melody and hard rock sound. The singer was decent, he could really belt out the tunes. After their set was up, it was time for Tea. Returning to Rochester for the first time since August of 2002, they still sounded great, as always. But save for the 4 new songs off of Seven Circles, it was the same setlist, as always. Therein lies my only pet peeve with this band, setlist selection. They have seven albums… PLAY SOME DIFFERENT SONGS!! Roughly in order, last night it was: Overload,
Writing’s On the Wall (which is much better live!), Lullaby, Fire In The Head, Psychopomp, Stargazer, Oceans, Zahira/Halcyon Days, Heaven Coming Down (All Along the Watchtower), Release, Psychopomp, and Temptation. And then the encore was The Messenger, Save Me w/ bow solo, Winter Solstice/Sister Awake/Paint it Black. I almost hate complaining, because they always sound great. But there’s just something unfulfilling about seeing almost the exact same setlist every time.
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Tags: 2005, Deep Water Daze, rochester, The Tea Party, Water Street Music Hall, Woke Up In Vegas