08/09/2009 Sevendust (Rochester, NY @ Riverside Festival Site)
By Eric | August 11, 2009 3:06 pm
[This was a part of The Zone 94.1’s Bonzai festival, which also featured Street Sweeper Social Club, Tantric, Sick Puppies, Framing Hanley, Smile Empty Soul and The Gay blades, none of which we saw.]
After an already full day down in Elmira winding down Pat and Jodi’s wedding, Tiff and I got home around 5:45pm, fairly tired, and promptly went right back out the door, and headed downtown to see if we could catch whatever was left of Bonzai. Why are we this demented? Because Sevendust was headlining! The one heavy band Tiff actually likes! As we’re driving by the site (in the parking lot across from Blue Cross Arena), we hear Lajon getting the crowd pumped up and announce Alpha. We hustle to a parking spot in the ramp, and back down across the bridge to the site as they’re playing Pieces (They started with Inside, and we completely missed Enemy as well). I had bought tickets at Park Ave Fest, but by now they were worthless, as we walked right in and no one said as much as “boo” to us. There didn’t seem to be a whole hell of a lot of people left, but then again, it had rained most of the day, so I’m guessing people punked out. Anyway, everyone that was left looked sufficently into the band, if not super amped up as if it was solely a 7D show. We arrived just in time to hear one of my favorites, Clueless. Tiff and I camped out on the rear edge of the crowd, in the back left. Even I was too tired to venture into the pit, which during Waffle looked pretty formidable. Suffocate and Angel’s Son slowed it down a touch, before they ramped it right back up with a Home 2-fer, Denial and Rumble Fish. The boys were working the crowd as always, probably a little more so than they would have for one of “their” shows. Nonetheless, the singalong was decent for Ugly, and even better for Praise. After a short rest, the encore was Bitch, followed by the always-a-blast closer Face To Face. Even though we missed three songs, and my tickets were pretty much useless, it was worth heading down to see the hour of tunes we saw. It’s kinda funny, because one would think it’d be the other way around, I’ve seen 7D a million times, why bother? Because I/we knew what we’d be missing, and we’d have been right. We would have missed another killer set from the Atlanta boys. Right after the set, some kid standing near us pulled my own trick and got the setlist from the soundboard, and was kind enough to let me grab a picture of it, thus the photo you see below, and how I know what we missed!
Inside
[flickr]6936097520[/flickr]
Topics: Concerts | Comments Off on 08/09/2009 Sevendust (Rochester, NY @ Riverside Festival Site)
Tags: 2009, Riverside Festival Site, rochester, Sevendust
We actually made it to Bonzai in time to catch Sev
By Eric | August 10, 2009 12:00 am
We actually made it to Bonzai in time to catch Sevendust! Naturally, they rocked the spot. Even Tiff was jammin!
Topics: Blog | Comments Off on We actually made it to Bonzai in time to catch Sev
Tags: music, twitter
07/31/2009 Hatebreed, Chimaira, Winds Of Plague, Dying Fetus, Toxic Holocaust, Caustic, Phantoms, Beyond This Day, A Thousand Shades Of Cold (Rochester, NY @ Water Street Music Hall)
By Eric | August 3, 2009 3:33 pm
The Decimation of the Nation tour kicked off in Rochester, with two stages, nine bands, and one hell of a good time. Water Street had both sides open, both stages being used, and a ton of metalheads ready to get down. The doors opened at 5:30, I got there at 6, arriving just after Adam, and during the first set of the night. Toxic Holocaust started things off on the main stage, with their old-school punk/thrash/death sound. Apparently they’ve been around since 1999, so they’re not exactly rookies. It sounded pretty cool to my unfamiliar ear, but unfortunately I only really got to see two songs. Once they were done, Adam and I followed some of the herd over to the smaller stage, where we got to see the local boys in A Thousand Shades Of Cold rip through a handful of tunes. Mostly their new stuff from the forthcoming album, but they did close with Undisputed. These guys sound better every time I see them, and it was cool to see them get this gig.
Back over to the main stage, and Rich joined us at this point to catch Dying Fetus. These guys have been around forever, through various lineup changes, and they’re mainstays of the death metal scene. Apparently death metal isn’t my thing, because while some of the riffs were cool, and the drummer was very talented, I personally get tired of nothing but double-bass drumming and mostly cookie-monster vocals. Nothing against these guys at all, the half-hour was rather entertaining, its just not my cup of tea. Up next on the “local” stage was Beyond This Day, a 5-piece from Rochester that included a female keyboard player. They were decent, the songs had a ton of breakdowns, and brought out a couple of the spin-kick kiddies. Their keyboardist added a bit of flair to the tunes, but the singer didn’t really do anything for me. Rich also remarked that their best song was the one in which there wasn’t much singing.
To the main stage yet again, this time for Winds Of Plague. Labeled as “deathcore”, they immediately seemed to be what Beyond This Day was going for, only these guys (and gal, keyboard player again) had the chops to pull it off. There were a sizeable amount of people into them, and the show was definitely energetic. Some pretty decent riffs, decent songs, and a bit of the keyboardist screaming her lungs out made this set worth watching too. After their set, it was back to the other side again, for a band we knew nothing about, Phantoms. A check of their MySpace page says they hail from New Haven, CT, so I’m guessing there’s a Hatebreed connection somewhere that landed them the gig. They were alright, straight up metal, with an interesting cover of Elenor Rigby, but admittedly we didn’t pay a whole lot of attention to them. We were too busy getting prepared for Round 1 of the main event, that being Chimaira.
We filtered over to the main stage, and I wandered up pretty much into the middle. As soon as Chimaira came out, that middle became two behind the barrier. The album intro gave way to the band slamming into The Venom Inside (with the cool slow down/speed up guitar riff!), and the place went nuts. As far as I could tell, a pretty decent pit erupted behind me, and it got even bigger with Resurrection. As if that wasn’t crowd pleasing enough, Power Trip was next, and the show was _on_. Everyone in the front of the venue at least, was jumping, moshing, screaming along, having a great time. The band continued with Empire, and The Disappearing Sun, before getting everyone bouncing with Severed. Lead singer Mark Hunter commented a couple of times on how surprised and elated the band was at the crowd response, and he was right, the crowd was definitely alive. The band was too, with all of the guys looking seriously into their parts and into the crowd as well. Chugging ahead with Everything You Love, Secrets of the Dead, and The Flame, neither the band nor the crowd showed any signs of slowing down. Alas, there was only one more song, and it ended the already high set on an even higher note. Pure Hatred always does the trick, and tonight was no exception. The crowd went bonkers. Although this was the first night of this particular tour, the band has been on the road for a bit behind The Infection, and one could tell. They sounded great, seemed to really be in the groove, and put on an awesome performance. Chimaira is always a treat to see live, and this night was no exception. The new songs sounded great, the old ones were just as good as I remembered, and the set only served to whet our appetite for what was to come.
Secrets of the Dead
The Flame
It would have been enough to call it a night right there, but we were only getting started. Caustic was the last band on the local stage, and having seen them twice before, I knew what kind of nu-metal stuff we were in for, and they delivered. We were catching our breath after Chimaira, and actually got to sit at a table set up at the back of the small side. The bit of rest came in handy, because what came next required all the energy we had.
The band just about everyone there came to see, Hatebreed, were up next. I thought the place went crazy for Chimaira (and they did), but the pop for Jamey and the guys was incredible! After all the guys came out on stage, Jamey followed, and they wasted no time, opening with Doomsayer. The crowd literally erupted. During only the first song, the ebb and flow of the crowd was such that I covered pretty much the entire width of the stage! This continued through the next couple of songs, including Conceived…, Proven, Perseverance, and Defeatist.
[ASIDE]
Somewhere around this point, Rich lost his glasses. In the pit. Off to my right, a decent size hole formed in the crowd, and who’s in the center? Rich, down on all fours, searching for his specs. And everyone around him busted out the cell phone lights and HELPED LOOK. DURING A SONG. *AND SOMEONE FOUND HIS GLASSES, INTACT!* Rich popped back up, held up his glasses in a “I got ’em!” type move, and even Jamey acknowledged him! Needless to say, the glasses got tucked away in a pocket for the rest of the set. I swear, I’ve never seen that on that sort of scale at a show before, especially not at something like a Hatebreed show! Truly a testament to the crowd at this show, because there were no idiots whatsoever. Everyone jumped, everyone moshed, lotsa people in the pit, but everyone helped everyone else back up, no fights, no crap, just a great time.
[/ASIDE]
The band soldiered right on with Smash Your Enemies, Burn The Lies, To The Threshold, and Hollow Ground, never really letting up, pausing only briefly between songs so both the band and the crowd could catch their breath. A couple of my favorites came up in a row next, with Tear It Down, Last Breath, Never Let It Die and A Call For Blood. I actually found my way back to both Rich and Adam at this point, (or as close as I could reasonably get!), before Empty Promises kicked in and everyone went every which way again. Next was the only track off For The Lions (the covers album), Slayer’s Ghosts Of War. From here on out, it was a race to the finish, with a couple of the heaviest, hardest, and most fun tracks I think I’ve ever experienced at any show, let alone a metal show. Starting with Live For This, into This Is Now, and closing the main set with Destroy Everything, these guys know how to end a show. Jamey made the comment that no matter what’s going on, when you leave a show, you want to feel invincible. You want that post-concert high. Hatebreed delivered that in spades. They left the stage briefly, but came right back to send us off with one of the best concert closers in my recent memory, I Will Be Heard. Hatebreed was certainly heard.
Hatebreed Taking The Stage
To The Threshold
This Is Now
Ghosts Of War
It’s a rare show when at the end of it, just about *everyone* was congratulating each other down front and in the pit, and *everyone* had a smile on their face. Needless to say, the band was spot-on, heavy, loud, Jamey’s screaming was as throaty as ever, and I’ll say it again, the crowd was phenomenal. For all the pits, moshing, and everything else, I didn’t see one fight, no one got pissy, everyone was into the music, everyone screaming along with every word, and it was like everyone was into everyone else being into the music! It’s hard to describe, you truly “had to be there”. And I say this as someone that enjoys listening to Hatebreed, someone that can get pumped up by them, but not as someone who has dedicated years of my life to the band, as there’s no doubt some people have (and I have with other bands). I can see why they would though. None of that mattered at this show, as long as you were into it, and everyone in the front half of the venue certainly was.
As I told both Jamey and Mark on Twitter, I haven’t had that much fun at a show in a *long* time, and I always have fun at shows. That’s how great this show was. In recent memory, for pure energy (and release thereof!), only a Sevendust show even comes close.
Topics: Concerts | Comments Off on 07/31/2009 Hatebreed, Chimaira, Winds Of Plague, Dying Fetus, Toxic Holocaust, Caustic, Phantoms, Beyond This Day, A Thousand Shades Of Cold (Rochester, NY @ Water Street Music Hall)
Tags: 2009, A Thousand Shades Of Cold, Beyond This Day, Caustic, Chimaira, Dying Fetus, Hatebreed, Phantoms, rochester, Toxic Holocaust, Water Street Music Hall, Winds Of Plague
Got the @hatebreed / @chimairaband Rochester revie
By Eric | August 3, 2009 12:00 am
Got the @hatebreed / @chimairaband Rochester review up! http://tinyurl.com/mxbzn3
Topics: Blog | Comments Off on Got the @hatebreed / @chimairaband Rochester revie
Tags: music, twitter
Just got home from Hatebreed / Chimaira. Raged wit
By Eric | August 1, 2009 12:00 am
Just got home from Hatebreed / Chimaira. Raged with Adam and Rich, show was AWESOME. Haven’t had that much fun at a show in a *long* time!
Topics: Blog | Comments Off on Just got home from Hatebreed / Chimaira. Raged wit
Tags: music, twitter
07/30/2009 Rancid, Billy Talent, Killswitch Engage, All That Remains, Whitechapel (Hamburg, NY @ The Agri-Center)
By Eric | July 31, 2009 5:13 pm
[I didn’t stay for Rise Against.]
I was able to swing working a day at the Fairgrounds, thus ensuring I was already at the venue, would be there in plenty of time, and had great parking! I strolled in line and walked in within 10 minutes, grabbed a hot dog and an overpriced beer, and chilled for a half hour while the stages were prepared. Stages plural, as this was the combination of two tours in one, so they simply set up one stage at either end of the Agri-Center. Plently of room, and the plan was to go two bands on one stage, two on the other, then the “headliners” on each opposite stage once again, in a 2-2-1-1 type arrangement. It didn’t quite work out that way, as we were about to find out. I commenced watching Whitechapel, the first band on the right hand stage. These heavy dudes from Knoxville, Tennessee were no-nonsense death metal, and while I’m sure they’re great within their genre, it ain’t for me. No harm, no foul. During the set change, Adam and Kristen walked in, and their timing was impeccable, as 5 minutes after their arrival, it was time for All That Remains. A short, sweet, half-hour set, in which the band had the crowd riled up the entire time. Opening with This Calling right into Chiron, everyone got down and dirty right away. Forever in Your Hands, Six, and Become the Catalyst followed, and they closed up with Two Weeks. The band sounded tight, Phil was nailing the vocals, and the crowd was into it the whole time. Tons of people were either there for them, or at least somewhat familiar; they got quite the crowd pop.
Two Weeks
At this point Adam and I got our breath back, met back up with Kristen and wandered around as Billy Talent started on the opposite stage. Started. About 2 or 3 songs into their punky, Green Day-ish set, they stopped playing, because the barricade in front of the stage broke. As in, split apart (see Staind @ The Sideshow, circa 2000). At first it was announced that they’d need a half-hour to fix it, and bear with them. Five minutes after that, the promoter got up and said that Killswitch Engage agreed to go on early, and they’d be up next, back on the other stage! Needless to say, there was a mad rush over to that stage, as we got geared up for KsE. It was actually better this way, because Adam and I got all of our bands out of the way right off the hop! No pun intended, Killswitch came out, and, well, killed. Coming out to the recorded intro to My Last Serenade, they then kicked into the song proper, and the place went nuts. People jumping, moshing, a couple pits, pandemonium. And they sounded *great*. Next was Starting Over, Fixation on the Darkness, Reckoning, and my favorite b-side, This Fire Burns. Already drenched with sweat, they didn’t let up on us at all, despite all of the guys rocking sleeveless t-shirt tuxedos (which they were also selling!). Continuing with Take This Oath and Rose of Sharyn, we finally got somewhat of a respite with Light In A Darkened World. A huge singalong ensued with A Bid Farewell, and then during Life To Lifeless, I swore I was about to lose a contact lens. I cut straight across the front of the stage with one hand over my eye, got to the edge of the crowd, blinked a million times, and didn’t lose it. A helpful security guard double-checked for me with his flashlight, confirmed it somehow stayed in, and I went right back into the center of the pit where I was! Just in time for My Curse, and the 2nd biggest crowd frenzy of the night in The End Of Heartache. The closer, and BIGGEST mosh of the night, belonged to Holy Diver. As I said, the guys killed. Had a better time than at Water Street a year or two ago, just in sound, song selection, the crowd, all of it. Speaking of the crowd, not one idiot around me at all, everyone was awesome, helping people up, not throwing random elbows, etc. Just having a good time.
This Fire Burns
Adam and I found Kristen *again*, caught our breath just as Billy Talent was re-starting their set on the other side. They got to finish this time, and the three of us hung towards the back for Rancid’s set as well.
Rancid is not a band I would probably ever see if not for a package deal like this one. Punk’s not my thing, but I know these guys are pretty much respected and have been around since 1991, so they have to be doing something right. I’m guessing Tim Armstrong isn’t heralded for his vocal prowess, but I’m also guessing that no one cares. It’s punk, it simply doesn’t matter. The band seemed to be enjoying themselves up on the stage, and the crowd reaction was strong for them as well. They played the handful of singles I’d heard of (Salvation, Roots Radicals, Time Bomb, Ruby Soho) and a bunch of other tunes that the crowd ate up. Still not my scene, but I was impressed. After this, I was beat, and since the show was going long due to the barricade situation, and since it was 11pm, we cut out, not staying for Rise Against. We got our money’s worth for the bands we came for, and had a great time.
Time Bomb
Topics: Concerts | Comments Off on 07/30/2009 Rancid, Billy Talent, Killswitch Engage, All That Remains, Whitechapel (Hamburg, NY @ The Agri-Center)
Tags: 2009, All That Remains, Billy Talent, Hamburg, Killswitch Engage, Rancid, The Agri-Center, Whitechapel
It’s metal time! Hot as balls in here already, and
By Eric | July 31, 2009 12:00 am
It’s metal time! Hot as balls in here already, and it’s only gonna get worse. Awaiting A Thousand Shades of Cold!
Topics: Blog | Comments Off on It’s metal time! Hot as balls in here already, and
Tags: music, twitter
Woke up sore from last nights show, and I get to d
By Eric | July 31, 2009 12:00 am
Woke up sore from last nights show, and I get to do it all over again tonight… @Hatebreed / @Chimairaband at Water Street!
Topics: Blog | Comments Off on Woke up sore from last nights show, and I get to d
Tags: music, twitter
Due to the barricade thing, kse went on next. Good
By Eric | July 31, 2009 12:00 am
Due to the barricade thing, kse went on next. Good thing, I had more energy! They rocked! m/
Topics: Blog | Comments Off on Due to the barricade thing, kse went on next. Good
Tags: music, twitter
Billy Talent just broke the barricade. Half hour d
By Eric | July 30, 2009 12:00 am
Billy Talent just broke the barricade. Half hour delay. @philthatremains & crew killed!
Topics: Blog | Comments Off on Billy Talent just broke the barricade. Half hour d
Tags: music, twitter