On People, Posers, and Mallcore
By Eric | September 5, 2005 2:09 pm
Other people are fascinating. As we were walking around the New York State Fair on Thursday, it occured to me that people watching really is one of my favorite pastimes. And there’s really no better place to do that then at large public gatherings of people, of which fairs would be a fine example. The cross-section of the population, and more specifically their habits, just astound me. And while everyone makes snap judgements, you see various families, or groups of people, and you wonder what their home life is like, what their house looks like, etc. What possesses someone to walk out of the house looking the way they do, wearing what they’re wearing? Why the hell do you act like an imbecile in public? For once, I don’t have any concrete examples from the fair, but rather an overarching, cynical, completely baseless continuing belief that John Q. Public is still an idiot.
I’m actually very thankful that Tiffany loves to comment on the people and surroundings as much as I do, because what fun would it be to see these things and not have anyone to bounce them off of? Every time I hear Carlo speak about his psych minor, or Sara about her psych major, I wonder if I should have gone into that, because I’m just fascinated about why people do what they do, and why they act the way they act.
Along these lines, I feel like now more than ever before I’m actually paying attention to trends, especially with the glut of back to school ads on TV and in the stores. While I realize that everything is something to be marketed, and every age group is a target market, I’m just a little surprised at how subtlety has gone out the window in regards to marketing. The ad execs will latch onto anything that seems hot and exploit it for all its worth, and then some. I think the reason I’m noticing it a lot more these days is because of the rise and continuation of the “rock star”, or “vintage” fashion trend that’s currently popular. Mallcore, if you will. I’m not even talking about places like Hot Topic, although they’re part of it. I mean walking into the department stores and seeing them sell clothes with concert/band/backstage icons or slogans. Now this is probably the music snob in me coming out, but half these kids wouldn’t know a rock concert if it hit them in the face, and the other half that actually go to shows just stand there, just so they can tell their friends that they were there and had a “killer time”. You are not rock fans, you don’t rock, you’re not “with the band” as your shirt proclaims. You only know two songs (singles?) from the band whose shirt you just bought at Hot Topic (and that band probably sucks anyway. See My Chemical Romance for a wonderful example). Case in point, the two kids that were in front of us at the 3DD/Staind show. Mom and Dad brought them (which is admirable, rock on Mom and Dad!), and they were each decked out in their brand new $50 Staind hoodies, yet during Staind’s entire set, sat, SAT in their seats, and never once looked to be into the show, singing along, headbanging, nodding, dancing, ANYTHING. Nothing like paying almost $40 per ticket to keep the seat warm. Yet, they’ll go to school this week raving about how awesome the show was, and how they’re Staind’s biggest fans to their friends, who are wearing their crisp new Fall Out Boy t-shirts and gushing about how cute the lead singer is.
I know I’ve made this argument before, but it used to be a much smaller subset of kids that tried to get in on it. Mallcore has become a much bigger epidemic in the last year or so, and from my observation, this back to school fashion season is the peak of it. Makes me want to puke.
If nothing else, remember two things:
1. Nothing is any good if other people like it. And if a lot of other people like it, then it REALLY sucks. (This goes for me too, I know, I know.)
2. (and this also goes for me) “I didn’t sell out, son. I bought in. Keep that in mind.” Words to live by.
Topics: Blog | 7 Comments »
Tags: friends, house, music, Nate, NT, target, tiff
09/03/2005 3 Doors Down, Staind, Breaking Benjamin, No Address (Darien, NY @ Darien Lake Performing Arts Center)
By Eric | September 3, 2005 11:59 pm
For our second show in three days, we rolled into Darien Lake. Much like the last show, this one had three bands I was excited to see, and one dud. Thankfully, the dud was the opener this time. No Address didn’t impress me when I saw them open for Shinedown back in March, and they weren’t any better this time out. The singer still sounds like he wants to sing for Oasis. Thankfully, they only got 20 minutes and played 4 songs. I only like you when you’re gone, too.
One half-hour set change later, Breaking Benjamin was up. I was interested to see them, as I was going to see them something like 3 different times prior to this and never ended up at any of them. They came out to Natural Life, and while my order isn’t quite right, they also did Away, Breakdown, Home, Polyamorous, Break My Fall, Simple Design, Sooner or Later, and closed with So Cold. The band sounded good, although they kinda looked like 4 guys jammin in their own worlds. The crowd was decently into them as well, although they were sitting for most of the openers until 3DD came on.
Staind was next, and I hadn’t seen them since May of 2003 (not counting seeing Aaron Lewis solo). I really like Staind’s new album, and was hoping that since the album has a bit more up-tempo songs from their last, that the show would follow suit. And for the first two songs, I thought I was right. Opening with Falling and right into Crawl, I got my hopes up. Then it was time to play just about all the singles and midtempo stuff. So Far Away (with a tease of the Beetlejuice song they did on Howard Stern), Fade, Everything Changes, For You, Outside, Right Here, a great cover of AIC’s Nutshell, Paper Jesus, Reply, It’s Been Awhile, and then closed with Mudshovel. They sounded great, the crowd was all about them, but as a jaded original fan, I would have liked to hear more than a greatest hits collection. I guess some things just can’t be the same anymore. I wasn’t disappointed because I was excited to see them regardless, but I’d certainly be picking a different setlist.
After the set change, 3 Doors Down came out on an almost completely stainless steel stage setup, and looked like they went to the Nickelback school of pyrotechnics. And only got a C. They had the same flame-shooter type things, and a couple of bangs, but it just works better with Nickelback. I have to say that I think 3DD got progressively better as the set went on, and I had a bit more fun as the set wore on as well. They also sounded very good, and obviously the crowd was very much into them. While not necessarily in order, they played Right Where I Belong, The Better Life, Kryptonite, Away From The Sun, It’s Not Me, Duck and Run, Landing In London, Be Like That, Loser, The Real Life, Changes, Let Me Go, Behind Those Eyes, and the closer was When I’m Gone. This show was a lot of fun, and worth going to, but we certainly had more fun at the Nickelback/Seether show two nights prior.
Topics: Concerts | Comments Off on 09/03/2005 3 Doors Down, Staind, Breaking Benjamin, No Address (Darien, NY @ Darien Lake Performing Arts Center)
Tags: 2005, 3 Doors Down, Breaking Benjamin, Darien, Darien Lake Performing Arts Center, No Address, Staind
09/01/2005 Nickelback, Seether, Crossfade, Dark New Day (Syracuse, NY @ New York State Fairgrounds)
By Eric | September 1, 2005 11:59 pm
Tiffany and I hit up the New York State Fair in order to attend the big rock show. After filling up on sinfully delicious fair food, we hiked over to the grandstand and settled into our right-of-center 8th row seats. By some miracle, our seats were behind a barrier (for the handicapped seating area), so there was no one in front of us! It was a good thing I was standing for three of the four bands, because I only had use of half of the seat next to me (due to the width of the woman next to me, and I’m not talking about Tiff!). Anyway, Dark New Day came out promptly at 6:30 to kick things off. Ripping into Taking Me Alive, the boys got everyone out of their seats early, and continued with Heal In Time, Pieces, Lean, Evergreen and Bare Bones. They had everyone in the crowd jammin pretty good, and seemed to be enjoying things up on stage. For their closer, Brother, they brought out Shaun Morgan from Seether to play guitar with them, which whipped up a good portion of the crowd as well. They sounded tight, Brett was hitting everything, and since we were parked right in front of Troy, he noticed my doubleDrive shirt and played to us quite a bit!
After a half hour, it was time for Crossfade. I really gave these guys the benefit of the doubt, as I had checked out their album, and save for two of the singles, I wasn’t really impressed. The live show didn’t change my mind much. I know they’ve been on the road for awhile, and the lead singer’s voice sounded like it. He was really straining to hit some of the notes, but besides that, the songs just weren’t that interesting, and didn’t really go anywhere. The one single, Colors, sounded okay, as did the closer, Cold, but other than that, the set felt lackluster. It didn’t suck, but it certainly didn’t excite me either.
Another half-hour set change, and we’re ready for Seether. They opened with Gasoline, and while it sounded good, I think they were having problems with the bass, because there wasn’t a lot of bottom end. They got it straightened out, and continued with Needles, and then into Burrito. And holy crap have these guys gotten better live. They were good before, but they sounded great this time around. Pat, the other guitarist was putting all kinds of little solos and notes in places that weren’t there on the album, and it all fit nicely. Continuing with Driven Under, Truth, and dedicating Fine Again to Dave Williams and Dimebag Darrell, Seether continued to rock the place. Next up was Because Of Me, and after the song, Shaun apologized to Nickelback (for some remarks he’d made in an interview on Australian TV) and said that the Nickelback camp had been good to them all day, at which point Chad Kroeger came out and gave Shaun a hug. So that all seems like it’s water under the bridge, and they kicked into Remedy, before closing the set with an acoustic Broken.
Another wait, and time for Nickelback! While the set was good, sounded great, and everything else, it was almost the exact same setlist as the Darien Lake show last year, and they still talked way too much in between songs. But it was certainly fun, as they ripped into Flat on the Floor, then kicked off the pyro with Woke Up This Morning. Then it was onto the new single, Photograph, Leader of Men, Feeling Way Too Damn Good, and Because of You. Drummer Daniel Adair did a monster drum solo, and then they did another new song called Follow You Home, which rocked pretty hard. I hope the rest of the album is as good as that song. Then they did the Beer’o’clock thing, throwing cups of beer into the crowd, along with firing t-shirts out of an air cannon. While all this was going on, Chad and Daniel jammed on Cowboys From Hell, and Seek and Destroy. Back to their songs, they did Someday, Never Again, and then stopped for a beer chugging contest, as Daniel can down ’em pretty fast. The one kid they brought up almost beat him though! Back to the music, they did Too Bad, How You Remind Me, and the encore was Figured You Out. Good pyro, fireworks, etc, and the crowd was really into it. I just want a new setlist! 🙂 Being 8th row certainly helped out with the fun factor on this show, and we definately had a good time.
Topics: Concerts | Comments Off on 09/01/2005 Nickelback, Seether, Crossfade, Dark New Day (Syracuse, NY @ New York State Fairgrounds)
Tags: 2005, Crossfade, Dark New Day, New York State Fairgrounds, Nickelback, Seether, Syracuse
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!
Topics: Concerts | Comments Off on 07/22/2005 Killswitch Engage, As I Lay Dying, Soilwork (Johnson City, NY @ Magic City Music Hall)
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.
Topics: Concerts | Comments Off on 07/06/2005 The Tea Party, Woke Up In Vegas, Deep Water Daze (Rochester, NY @ Water Street Music Hall)
Tags: 2005, Deep Water Daze, rochester, The Tea Party, Water Street Music Hall, Woke Up In Vegas
06/27/2005 Opeth, Chimaira, Strapping Young Lad, All That Remains (Rochester, NY @ The Penny Arcade)
By Eric | June 27, 2005 11:59 pm
The “Sounds of the Underground” tour made an off-date stop in Rochacha, with four of the bands hitting the small stage at the Arcade. The place was like an oven on this night, and getting a couple hundred sweaty bodies in there didn’t help it one bit. All That Remains opened up, and rocked themselves pretty hard. Since they’re cut from the same mold as Killswitch, and I had just picked up the CD 2 days earlier, I kinda knew what to expect. They sounded good, but I can’t say I was blown away. One interesting thing is that they had two guitar players, but no bass player, as the one they had quit a while ago. The sound actually didn’t suffer all that much.
Strapping Young Lad was up next, and these Vancouver natives were certainly metal in every sense of the word. The band is made up of 5 guys that all look like they’re in their 40’s, but they still rocked! Lead singer Devin Townsend had long straggly hair, but was completely bald on top, which made him look that much more ugly. ha. Their sound was extreme, just flailing away on the instruments, and the lyrics were cheesy and over the top, but certainly entertaining. I’m thankful that I’m over 21, because in-between each set, I got to go outside and cool off a bit, and it was definately needed on this night.
Strapping Young Lad – Skeksis
Next up was the almighty Chimaira. They came out to “Pure Hatred”, and whipped everyone into a frenzy right away. Unfortunately, as the show went on, the frenzy dissipated, at least in the front couple rows, as the Opeth fans seemed less than impressed. Didn’t quite stop me from rockin out though! “Severed” was next, followed by the 1-2 punch of “Cleansation” and “The Impossibility of Reason”. Time for two new songs, “Nothing Remains” (which the die-hards already downloaded) and “Inside The Horror”, which has a really cool outro. “The Dehumanizing Process” was up next, and then completely dehydrated and exhausted from the heat at this point, “Eyes of a Criminal” was cut from the set, and the band closed with “Power Trip”. I managed to snag the setlist that Chris threw out, and took that and my sweat-drenched self out to the car. I threw on the shirt I just bought, and headed out back behind the venue to catch some autographs. All of the Chimaira guys were quite gracious and cool to talk to. Feeling satisfied, I decided I wasn’t quite interested enough to stick around for Opeth, and as such, my night was completed. A great night of metal entertainment, and the two new songs merely whet my appetite for the new Chimaira record coming out in August.
[flickr]7082246957[/flickr]
The awesome Underground Video Television site has two Chimaira clips from this show (Pure Hatred and Severed) and a clip of Strapping Young Lad’s “In The Rainy Season”.
Topics: Concerts | Comments Off on 06/27/2005 Opeth, Chimaira, Strapping Young Lad, All That Remains (Rochester, NY @ The Penny Arcade)
Tags: 2005, All That Remains, Chimaira, Opeth, rochester, Strapping Young Lad, The Penny Arcade
Upcoming Concert Calendar
By Eric | June 27, 2005 11:53 am
Ripping off Sara, here’s the upcoming concert calendar. Shows in bold are things I either already have tickets for, or plan to have tickets fairly soon.
# 06/29/05 – Opeth, Chimaira, Strapping Young Lad, All That Remains – Penny Arcade – Rochester, NY
# 06/30/05 – Thornley, Hurst – Arizona’s – Thorold, ONT
# 07/06/05 – Tea Party – Water Street – Rochester, NY
# 07/07/05 – Tea Party – Sphere – Buffalo, NY
# 07/08/05 – Tea Party – Sphere – Buffalo, NY
# 07/10/05 – Def Leppard, Bryan Adams – Frontier Field – Rochester, NY
# 07/16/05 – KROCK-athon: Seven Mary Three, Cake, Shinedown, Trapt, Ra, Boyhitscar, and Zakk Wylde’s Black Label Society – Cayuga County Fairgrounds – Weedsport, NY
# 07/21/05 – Ozzfest – Darien Lake PAC – Darien, NY
# 07/22/05 – The Allman Brothers, Gavin DeGraw – Finger Lakes PAC – Canandaigua,NY
# 07/22/05 – Killswitch Engage, As I Lay Dying, Soilwork – Magic City Music Hall – Binghamton, NY
# 07/26/05 – Warped Tour – Darien Lake PAC – Darien, NY
# 07/30/05 – George Thorogood – Fallsview Casino – Niagara Falls, ONT
# 07/31/05 – George Thorogood – Fallsview Casino – Niagara Falls, ONT
# 08/11/05 – ZZ Top – Erie County Fairgrounds – Hamburg, NY
# 08/11/05 – Cinderella, Firehouse, Quiet Riot, Ratt – Shea’s – Buffalo, NY
# 08/13/05 – Green Day, Jimmy Eat World – HSBC Arena – Buffalo, NY
# 08/20/05 – Buddy Guy – Buffalo Bikefest – Buffalo, NY
# 08/21/05 – The Fabulous Thunderbirds – Niagara Square – Buffalo, NY
# 08/27/05 – ZZ Top – Finger Lakes PAC – Canandaigua,NY
# 09/01/05 – Nickelback, Seether, Crossfade, Dark New Day – New York State Fairgrounds – Syracuse, NY
# 09/02/05 – Motley Crue – Darien Lake PAC – Darien, NY
# 09/03/05 – 3 Doors Down, Staind, Breaking Benjamin, No Address – Darien Lake PAC – Darien, NY
# 09/04/05 – 3 Doors Down, Staind, Breaking Benjamin, No Address – New York State Fairgrounds – Syracuse, NY
# 12/09/05 – U2 – HSBC Arena – Buffalo, NY
Topics: Blog | Comments Off on Upcoming Concert Calendar
Tags: Buffalo, casino, house, music, NT, rochester, Work
06/02/2005 Theory Of A Deadman (Buffalo, NY @ Thursday In The Square)
By Eric | June 2, 2005 11:59 pm
Tiff and I headed out after work to wonderful downtown Buffalo for the Thursday night show, featuring Theory of a Deadman. We never make it in time to see the openers, but considering that said openers were Breaking Point and Submersed, we didn’t miss much. Anyhoo, we got into a decent spot about 20 people back, dead center. The guys came out and ripped into Hating Hollywood, then into Quiver and Invisible Man. Some talking with the crowd, Amanda calling me to try to figure out my location, and then Nothing Could Come Between Us, Last Song, Any Other Way, and Say Goodbye. Another little break, another aborted phone call, and then Hello Lonely, Better Off, What You Deserve, and the main set was closed with Make Up Your Mind. After a couple minutes, Tyler came out by himself to do Santa Monica acoustically, then everyone came back for No Surprise, and the closer, Leg To Stand On. The band sounded good overall, there were a couple times where the mix wasn’t so hot, but outdoor and free, whaddya want? It had a typical Square crowd for a harder rock show… that is, a bunch of drunk idiots that will mosh to anything. Just more entertainment for us, I guess. As far as the setlist goes, I would have played some different tunes off of the new album, but I wasn’t disappointed either.
Topics: Concerts | 4 Comments »
Tags: 2005, Buffalo, Theory of a Deadman, Thursday In The Square
05/12/2005 Chevelle, Dark New Day (Rochester, NY @ Water Street Music Hall)
By Eric | May 12, 2005 11:59 pm
I had been salivating over this show for a little while, mainly due to the fact that Dark New Day was the opening band. For the unintiated, DnD is a “supergroup” of sorts, with Brett Hestla (Virgos, touring bass player for Creed) on vocals, Clint Lowery (Sevendust) on guitar, Troy McLawhorn (doubleDrive) on guitar, Corey Lowery (Stereomud, Stuck Mojo) on bass, and Will Hunt (Skrape) on drums. Anyway, their new album isn’t out yet, but about 5 songs have been previewed on the website. I was about three people back, and when they came out and opened with Taking Me Alive, I immediately started rockin out, and since I was right in front of Corey and Troy, they noticed me almost right away. (I’m sure wearing a doubleDrive shirt didn’t hurt!). Brett was all over the stage, and I think the crowd warmed up to them as the show went along. My order is probably off, but they also played Brother, Heal In Time, Pieces, one I didn’t catch the name of (“Free” maybe?), and closed with Bare Bones (which oughta be the next single!). At one point Corey was rockin so hard he nearly fell off the front of the stage! After the set I ran back and bought the 3-song sampler they had at the merch booth, and headed outside to find the guys. After a bit, Corey and Brett came off the bus and started meeting people. Corey instantly recognized me from being in front of him, and goes “Damn dude, you knew all the words already!” Brett pretty much said the same thing, and after getting some autographs I chatted briefly with them about the album coming out. I went back inside, met Clint and Will, and then after meandering about, got to talk to Troy for a little bit, told him how awesome the new stuff was, and asked him and Corey if they’d let Brett sing any Still Rain stuff (ha! Wouldn’t that be awesome!). I headed up to the balcony to check out Chevelle, who put on a good show in their own right. Their set list was as follows: Another Know It All, Vitamin R, Still Running, Emotional Drought, Get Some, Forfeit, Send the Pain Below, Grab Thy Hand, Liars & Thieves (Ministry Cover), Comfortable Liar, The Red, Closure, Wonder What’s Next. Encore: Panic Prone, The Clincher. I was kinda surprised that they didn’t play anything from Point #1, but so be it. With a sparse setup and only 3 guys, they had a lot of room to move around. The crowd got a little louder as the show went on, and predictably everyone went nuts for the singles, especially The Clincher. Chevelle was impressive, but I primarily went for Dark New Day, and certainly wasn’t disappointed. Can’t wait for the Buffalo show!
Topics: Concerts | Comments Off on 05/12/2005 Chevelle, Dark New Day (Rochester, NY @ Water Street Music Hall)
Tags: 2005, Chevelle, Dark New Day, rochester, Water Street Music Hall