07/29/2015 Slipknot, Lamb Of God, Bullet For My Valentine, Motionless In White (Darien, NY @ Darien Lake Performing Arts Center)
By Eric | July 30, 2015 2:29 pm
This was the show of the summer. Hands down. Billed as the “Summer’s Last Stand” tour, it lived up to the name. I sprung for pit, as I’m way too antsy to see Slipknot and LoG in seats. The pit section was fairly empty as Motionless in White came on, but everyone that was there seemed to pay attention, and the band was pretty good. They seem like they’d have a way better go of it in a dark club as opposed to broad daylight, visually speaking, however musically they sounded good. I’m not familiar with any of their stuff, so their half hour was as entertaining as it could have been.
MIW setlist:
Break the Cycle
Devil’s Night
America
Abigail
If It’s Dead, We’ll Kill It
Unstoppable
Reincarnate
I’d seen Bullet For My Valentine in 2011 on Uproar, plus I’d spun some of their stuff in anticipation of the show, so I had an idea of what to expect. Pretty straightforward metal/metalcore, they sounded great. As with MIW, I don’t really know many of the songs, but the interest and entertainment factor was certainly there. I can see why they’re as popular as they are; they’re a really solid band.
Bullet for my Valentine setlist:
No Way Out
Your Betrayal
Raising Hell
Scream Aim Fire
Army of Noise
Tears Don’t Fall
Waking the Demon
With the openers out of the way, it was time to get down and dirty. Lamb of God had just released Sturm und Drang the Friday before, and this tour started the same day, so everything was fresh. The boys opened with Walk With Me In Hell, and that whipped everyone up from the word go. Pretty much a “greatest hits” set with two of the new tunes sprinkled in (512, Still Echoes), I was thrilled that even during a non-headlining set they throw stuff like Vigil in there! It was a figurative and literal sprint through the set. Literal, as in Randy was running and jumping all over the stage for the entirety of their time. He had more energy than most of the crowd! The rest of the band sounded fantastic, as per usual. They seemed to be having a lot of fun up there, and most of the crowd in the pit was equal to the task, if not the massive mosh pit that a LoG headliner might induce. Always too short, but a hell of a time.
Lamb of God setlist:
Walk with Me in Hell
Now You’ve Got Something to Die For
Still Echoes
512
Ghost Walking
Ruin
Hourglass
Vigil
Laid to Rest
Redneck
Walk With Me In Hell
Ghost Walking
The pit area really packed in once set change hit. It got a little darker outside, which helped the stage show immensely. There were huge curtains across the stage as they rolled tape on XIX. The curtains opened to reveal the band and the stage, they closed out XIX, launched into Sarcastrophe, and away we went. The band sounded fantastic, Corey’s screams were on point, and the stage show was the usual chaos you’d expect from a Slipknot show. Their setup was as elaborate as anything I’ve seen at Darien Lake, and they used every square inch of it. All of the band members were wandering around the entire time, Clown and Fehn were up and down on their drum rigs all night. The crowd went nuts, and just about everyone went as crazy for the new stuff (and knew all the words!) as well as the old. No worries about diehards in the pit this time around. Lots of movement, bouncing, dancing, moshing, a complete 180 from the crowd at the 2008 Mayhem Fest show (I didn’t go in 2012). We did the requisite “jumpdafuckup” during Spit It Out, and Corey, Clown and Fehn made their way to the barrier on more than one occasion to get as close as they could.
I’d be remiss if I forgot to mention the one character in the pit who presumed it was his rightful duty to be “barrier access ambassador”. No joke, this guy would keep ushering girls (and it was always girls) in front of him to get closer up front. Which is a noble act, except the pit was packed, and there was nowhere to put anybody! Didn’t matter to him though. More annoying than actually disruptive, its just one of those things that happen when you get a show that EVERYONE comes to.
No complaints about song selection, however! The new stuff was all bangers (Sarcastrophe, Devil in I, AOV, Custer, etc.) and they played all the old favorites. No one could have left unhappy either, as the encore was a perfect cap to the set and the night – they left it all out there. 742617000027 into (sic), People = Shit, and the rightful closer, Surfacing. If you’re not jacked up for those three songs, you’re not a fan. It closed out a fantastic night of metal, and as I said up top, this was the show of the summer. Worth every penny.
Slipknot setlist:
XIX (tape as intro)
Sarcastrophe
The Heretic Anthem
Psychosocial
The Devil in I
AOV
Vermilion
Wait and Bleed
Killpop
Before I Forget
Sulfur
Duality
Disasterpiece
Spit It Out
Custer
Encore:
742617000027
(sic)
People = Shit
Surfacing
‘Til We Die (tape as outro)
XIX / Sarcastrophe
Psychosocial
Before I Forget
Duality
Some LoG and Slipknot clips from the photo pit:
Topics: Concerts | Comments Off on 07/29/2015 Slipknot, Lamb Of God, Bullet For My Valentine, Motionless In White (Darien, NY @ Darien Lake Performing Arts Center)
Tags: 2015, Bullet For My Valentine, Darien Lake Performing Arts Center, Lamb of God, Motionless In White, Slipknot
Team Sleep – 2015 – Woodstock Sessions Vol. 4
By Eric | July 27, 2015 9:25 am
Artist: Team Sleep
Title: Woodstock Sessions Vol. 4
Label: Woodstock Sessions
Released: Jul 10, 2015
Packaging: Cardboard
Pack-in DVD?
Release Type: Standard
Autographed?
Tracklist:
#Your Skull Is Red
#Formant
#Ever
#No
#O.P.
#Princeton Review
#Blvd. Nights
#Death by Plane
#Live from the Stage
Review: It’s been 10 years since Deftones singer Chino Moreno and his Team Sleep cohorts have released an album. This collection, recorded live for Woodstock Sessions, includes new material as well as new versions of older songs. It features Gil Sharone of Marilyn Manson on drums.
Topics: CD Collection | Comments Off on Team Sleep – 2015 – Woodstock Sessions Vol. 4
Tags: 2015, Cardboard, Standard, Team Sleep, Woodstock Sessions
InAeona – 2010 – Blue Sky All Day
By Eric | July 23, 2015 6:00 pm
Artist: InAeona
Title: Blue Sky All Day
Label: Radar Recordings
Released: Oct 12, 2010
Packaging: Cardboard
Pack-in DVD?
Release Type: Standard
Autographed?
Tracklist:
#Time To Go
#Leave The Lights On
#Falling
#(wait…)
#Sunshine
#Forever
Review:
Topics: CD Collection | Comments Off on InAeona – 2010 – Blue Sky All Day
Tags: 2010, Cardboard, InAeona, Radar Recordings, Standard
07/22/2015 10 Years, Nonpoint, The Family Ruin (Rochester, NY @ Montage Music Hall)
By Eric | July 23, 2015 4:42 pm
[A Vintage Year and Awaken The Empire were also on the bill, but I missed them.]
I had this date circled on the calendar for a little bit, as Nonpoint is always a good show (and I’m certainly biased from meeting them back in December at this very venue!), and I became a 10 Years fan after seeing them on Carnival of Madness back in 2010 but hadn’t seen them since. I caught the tail end of The Family Ruin’s set, and they sounded pretty decent, your standard (what I’d call) radio metal (they’re all over Octane on XM apparently). Nothing really stood out, but it wasn’t terrible by any stretch.
But up next in the direct support slot was Nonpoint. A large number of people were there to see them, and we weren’t disappointed. They opened with a song I’d never seen live before, The Wreckoning, and we also got to hear Misery, which they didn’t play in December. Beyond that it was a pretty standard Nonpoint set, full of crowd-pleasers including a bit of Jay-Z’s 99 Problems blended into the end of Hands Off. The boys were all over the stage, dreads flying everywhere, full of energy for sure. I could have used a couple more songs from them, but I always feel that way.
I was curious to see how 10 Years would be, and I came away feeling mixed about the set. Part of it was misplaced expectations, as I peeked at one setlist that had a lot of songs I really liked in it, versus the most recent setlist I’d seen, of which this show was a copy, and needless to say I was less than thrilled with the song selection. The opener was the new single, Miscellanea, which rocks hard, right into Minus The Machine and Chasing the Rapture. After that, every song seemed to have the same tempo, and while the band sounded good, lead singer Jesse Hasek has pipes, and the crowd was certainly into it, I watched and just had a feeling of “ehhhhh”. They just didn’t jive with me for whatever reason. I liked most of the songs that did get played, but there’s definitely things I would have rather heard that didn’t get played. Perhaps that’s part of it. I kinda snapped back into things at the end, as the last two songs were Wasteland and Shoot It Out, but overall, I came away with a “good but not great” feeling. I wouldn’t even classify it as a dud (after 300+ there’s bound to be a couple), just not the super-mega-awesome set I usually gush about.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the guy that FaceTimed his buddy the entire concert, or at least Nonpoint and 10 Years. Not sure how much the guy on the other end saw, as his friend couldn’t hold the phone steady amongst all his jumping around. Is this a thing now?? That’s worse than watching the show through your phone to film it.
Nonpoint setlist
—————-
Wreckoning
Alive and Kicking
Hands off / 99 Problems
Breaking Skin
Your Signs
That Day
What a Day
Misery
Bullet With A Name
Breaking Skin
10 Years setlist
—————-
Miscellanea
Minus the Machine
Chasing the Rapture
Dancing with the dead
Fix Me
Russian Roulette
11:00am (Daydreamer)
Fade Into (The Ocean)
Luna
From Birth to Burial
Triggers and Tripwires
Actions and Motives
Wasteland
Shoot It Out
Shoot It Out (pt 1)
Shoot It Out (pt 2)
Topics: Concerts | Comments Off on 07/22/2015 10 Years, Nonpoint, The Family Ruin (Rochester, NY @ Montage Music Hall)
Tags: 10 Years, 2015, Montage Music Hall, Nonpoint, rochester, The Family Ruin
Lamb of God – 2015 – VII – Sturm Und Drang
By Eric | July 22, 2015 9:00 am
Artist: Lamb of God
Title: VII – Sturm Und Drang
Label: Epic
Released: Jul 24, 2015
Packaging: Cardboard
Pack-in DVD?
Release Type: Deluxe Version
Autographed?
Tracklist:
#Still Echoes
#Erase This
#512
#Embers
#Footprints
#Overlord
#Anthropoid
#Engage the Fear Machine
#Delusion Pandemic
#Torches
#Wine & Piss
#Nightmare Seeker (The Little Red House)
Review: Deluxe version with two bonus tracks (Wine & Piss, Nightmare Seeker)
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Tags: 2015, Cardboard, Deluxe Version, Epic, Lamb of God
07/16/2015 The Tea Party, Big Wreck (Lewiston, NY @ Artpark)
By Eric | July 20, 2015 9:37 am
Ah yes, another Tea Party show, another instance of getting “our” band back together as well. Mostly. As we had all assumed that there would be lawn seats available, no one bought tickets right away. So naturally, Artpark *didn’t* sell lawn for this one, meaning we all had to get seats. Due to my own ineptitude, I didn’t get tickets with either Jon and Art, nor Sara’s group with Jason, Mary and Adrienne (in from Las Vegas!). I did literally split the difference though, getting one seat a couple rows behind Sara and crew, and one section across from Jon. As the Labatt commercial goes, “Close Enough!”
I rolled into Sara’s house (Jason and Adrienne were already there), Mary showed up not long after, and after some quick pizza we headed up to Lewiston. Eric dumbass moment #2 ensued, as I forgot that Artpark charges $10 cash to park no matter what, and of course I had zero cash on me. Thankfully there wasn’t a huge rush to get in, so one quick trip to the ATM later I was parked and in line with the crew. We shuffled in almost immediately, and killed time with some beverages before sliding into our seats right before Big Wreck started.
Big Wreck kicked things off with Inhale, and while the band sounded great, we have no idea what Ian Thornley sounded like, as for the first 2/3 of the song his mic wasn’t working. They finally got that straightened out, and I moved down to sit with Jason and the girls. That didn’t last long either, as the only two guys in the second level that wanted to stand up happened to be directly in front of us. So I retreated to sit with Jon and Art so I could actually see the rest of the performance. And it was a very good performance. Big Wreck went even older-school with That Song (one of my favorites) before a run of stuff off the newer two albums, including both title tracks, the SRV-influenced Ghosts, and Albatross. They then closed out old-school again, with Ladylike, Blown Wide Open, and the always crowd-pleasing (and usually only song anyone knows) The Oaf. Barring the mic mishap, the band sounded great, Thornley was hitting all the notes, and it was nice to see Big Wreck again for sure.
We all milled around during the set change, and Jon, Art and I headed up to the near-empty 300 level to have some room for the Tea Party’s set. Compared to the November show at the Town Ballroom, they played even less off of the new album; we only got Ocean at the End and Water’s On Fire this time, along with a tease of Cypher before The Bazaar. Beyond the new songs it was the standard issue Tea set, and as always, they sounded damn good performing it. Psychopomp was a highlight as always, and the crowd didn’t disappoint during Temptation.
The crowd was raucous almost all night for the Tea, but curiously not a sell out. It was plain to see why they didn’t sell lawn seats, as the covered section wasn’t even close to full. Artpark holds 2400 seats, and like I said, the 300 section was practically empty. The Ballroom show sold out really quickly, and that place only holds 1000, so something in-between would seem to be the magic number for them. Regardless, it was a great night to see some old friends, hear some old friends, and put another Tea Party show in the books. This was Tea show #16 for me, which as of this writing ties them with Our Lady Peace, both of them one behind Sevendust (17 times!!) for the title of “band seen most often”.
Big Wreck
—-
Inhale
That Song
Wolves
I Digress
Hey Mama
Albatross
Ghosts
Ladylike
Blown Wide Open
The Oaf
Tea Party
—
The River
the Bazaar (Cypher intro)
Lullaby
Psychopomp
Fire in the Head
Ocean at the End
Winter Solstice (tease)
Water’s on Fire (Release outro)
Writings on the Wall
Heaven Coming Down
Save Me (Kashmir insert)
Temptation
Encore:
Sister Awake (Paint It Black insert)
Ocean at the End (clip)
Heaven Coming Down
Save Me (clip)
Topics: Concerts | Comments Off on 07/16/2015 The Tea Party, Big Wreck (Lewiston, NY @ Artpark)
Tags: 2015, Artpark, Big Wreck, Lewiston, The Tea Party
Train – 2003 – My Private Nation
By Eric | July 17, 2015 6:00 pm
Artist: Train
Title: My Private Nation
Label: Columbia
Released: Jun 3, 2003
Packaging: Jewel Case
Pack-in DVD?
Release Type: Standard
Autographed?
Tracklist:
#Calling All Angels
#All American Girls
#When I Look To The Sky
#Save The Day
#My Private Nation
#Get To Me
#Counting Airplanes
#Following Rita
#Your Every Color
#Lincoln Avenue
#I’m About To Come Alive
Review:
Topics: CD Collection | Comments Off on Train – 2003 – My Private Nation
Tags: 2003, Columbia, Jewel Case, Standard, Train
Train – 2006 – For Me It’s You
By Eric | July 17, 2015 6:00 pm
Artist: Train
Title: For Me It’s You
Label: Columbia
Released: Jan 31, 2006
Packaging: Jewel Case
Pack-in DVD?
Release Type: Standard
Autographed?
Tracklist:
#All I Ever Wanted
#Get Out
#Cab
#Give Myself to You
#Am I Reaching You Now
#If I Can’t Change Your Mind
#All I Hear
#Shelter Me
#Explanation
#Always Remember
#I’m Not Waiting in Line
#Skyscraper
#For Me, It’s You
Review:
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Tags: 2006, Columbia, Jewel Case, Standard, Train
Train – 1998 – Train
By Eric | July 17, 2015 6:00 pm
Artist: Train
Title: Train
Label: Aware / Columbia
Released: Feb 24, 1998
Packaging: Jewel Case
Pack-in DVD?
Release Type: Standard
Autographed?
Tracklist:
#Meet Virginia
#I Am
#If You Leave
#Homesick
#Free
#Blind
#Eggplant
#Idaho
#Days
#Rat
#Swaying
Review:
Topics: CD Collection | Comments Off on Train – 1998 – Train
Tags: 1998, Aware / Columbia, Jewel Case, Standard, Train
Train – 2001 – Drops of Jupiter
By Eric | July 17, 2015 6:00 pm
Artist: Train
Title: Drops of Jupiter
Label: Columbia
Released: Mar 27, 2001
Packaging: Jewel Case
Pack-in DVD?
Release Type: Standard
Autographed?
Tracklist:
#She’s On Fire
#I Wish You Would
#Drops Of Jupiter
#It’s About You
#Hopeless
#Respect
#Let It Roll
#Something More
#Whipping Boy
#Get Away
#Mississippi
Review:
Topics: CD Collection | Comments Off on Train – 2001 – Drops of Jupiter
Tags: 2001, Columbia, Jewel Case, Standard, Train