Domingo 10 Oct 2010, 2:00
I have had the privilege to see more live shows this year than in any year prior,and all of them were satisfying in different ways and to much different extents.So i figured why not write this little thing about them? Here they are,in Chronological order:
Show one:Coheed and Cambria at Royal Oak Music Theatre
Support Acts:Circa Survive
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JxuYvFZE8c
This show was an absolute doozy. After some really stupid black card line related shenanigans which i really would rather not go into,we somehow still got into the front row in front of the bassist,which was really cool. After an exceptionally long wait(about an hour and 15 minutes),Circa Survive came out finally.To be kind,i was not impressed with them.Sure they had stage presence,but each song was nearly indistinguishable from the next,and some of their fans got a little too aggressive and created some sketchy situations.
All was forgiven once Coheed and Cambria came out to play.Taking the stage with the intro to their fantastic new album Year of the Black Rainbow,and going right into the brilliant proto-metallic song The Broken,the band was on fire.I have seen them many times and this was on a whole different level.Highlights include the ridiculously technical Guns of Summer,Crowd favorite In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth:3,and as always the towering Welcome Home.
People walking out of the show had this look of absolute enthrallment,as if they had just witnessed something truly incredible.Indeed they did:they witnessed one of the best live bands in the world at the peak of its powers.
Coheed Gets an:A+,Opening act Circa Survive gets a D+.
Show Two:Silversun Pickups at The Fillmore Detroit
Support Acts:Against Me! and The Henry Clay People
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRoBxkaHCMo
In the words of Monty Python,now for something completely different.Silversun Pickups made an early July stop in Detroit and the show was as good as you think it would be,with the support acts not disappointing at all.
Up first was The Henry Clay people,who i hate to admit i knew nothing about beforehand.I walked away quite impressed with their sound,which is quite bluesy.Their set even included a Springsteen cover!
Up next were Florida punk rockers Against Me!,admittedly an odd fit on the bill.Their live show was undoubtedly impressive,and the small army of fans that had come to see them got the place pretty rowdy,which i wasn't expecting.Overall they had a pretty impressive set,and no could have walked away disappointed.
After that,the headlining Silversun Pickups played.Watching them was like what I imagine an acid trip to be like.With absolutely the most psychedelic light show i have ever had the pleasure to witness,they pounded through hits like The Royal We,Three Seed,and Panic Switch.I was very impressed with how they reproduced the songs from their album,including the signature weird random noises.
Overall a fantastic show from all three bands: SSPU get a B+,Against Me a B+,and the Henry Clay people get a B-.
Show Three:Green Day at DTE Energy Music theatre
Support Acts:AFI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKd9IlxZzsM
In late August,Diamond selling Pop punkers Green Day came to town,and having been really impressed the last time i saw them,i was excited to see them again.They certainly did not disappoint.
Up first were the opening act,AFI,very popular in their own right.I wouldn't say they were bad,just completely and utterly outclassed by the headliner.
After a surprisingly short wait,Green Day come out to a thunderous roar from all 19,000 people at the clearly sold-out concert.They played a marathon set(3 hours total),including a ton of their numerous hits: Longview,Basket Case,Boulevard of Broken Dreams,21 Guns,the list literally goes on and on and on (They played 35 songs).
The bands connection with the crowd was incredible,and the light show and pyrotechnics were very impressive.Billie Joe Armstrong is one of the best rock frontmen around,and he almost never stopped moving for all of the ridiculously long show.
Green Day gets an absolutely earned A,and AFI struggled to keep pace,earning a C-.
Show Four:Coheed and Cambria and Porcupine Tree at the Orbit room
Support Acts:The Dear Hunter
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ki9BRHs4vWw
This was indeed a highly anticipated show for me.I am always excited to see Coheed,and they never disappoint.I was also told that Porcupine Tree was a special live band.One half of that turned out to be true i guess…..
First up were The Dear Hunter,and WOW. I was blown away by this band.They had me riveted for all of their regretfully pretty short half-hour set.Consider me a new fan.
Up next were the first of the Co-headliners,Porcupine Tree,What can i say? If you have to tell the people up front to "Not look so fucking bored" then perhaps you are playing to the wrong crowd.The crowd energy during their set was practically non-existent.Im not saying they are bad band,just not one i enjoy and certainly not a good fit on this bill,
Coheed and Cambria came out to a very restless crowd,and the energy that they put out was astounding.Coheed played a very tight set,and the crowd ate it up.my one and only problem with their set was some of the setlist choices,but that is more a matter of personal preference,i guess.
Overall,Coheed gets an A-,PT gets a C,and TDH gets an A-. A satisfying,if uneven show.
I still have one live event left this year,but i figured that one warranted a review all its own,so look for my review of the Tim and Eric awesome tour much later this year.