There are few
shows lately that I have been as excited to check out as
this one. Despite the ridiculous (yet arguably true) tour
title this is a great lineup on paper. Not only is it a
more diverse lineup than most current tours, every single
one of these bands most recent albums are flat out great…and
we all know that when it comes to hard music, live shows
are generally better than albums.
The End Records artists Stolen Babies were up first and
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I enjoy their
album a lot but translating it to a live arena seemed
like it may be a challenging task. Apparently I was entirely
wrong as the band delivered a solid set that was equal
parts freaky theatrics and talented musicianship. The
crowd seemed a little stunned at the band’s look
(and the singer’s accordion) at first but adjusted
quickly and by the third song Stolen Babies firmly had
the audience in hand.
Century Media recording artists In This Moment were up
next. After listening non-stop to the band’s debut
offering I was really excited to see how they compared
live. As I had hoped, they were a giant mass of energy
exploding on stage as vocalist Maria Brink sang every
song as if she’d never get the chance again. The
band sounded road tested and ready to impress the hell
out of the stops on this tour and they certainly did that
here. Ripping through the best songs from Beautiful Tragedy,
the band wowed the audience again and again by sheer brute
force. I felt they were a band to watch but after seeing
them live I can unquestionably say they are THE band to
watch. Those who catch In This Moment on this tour will
no doubt agree that we are witnessing the birth of the
next big thing!
Up next was The Gathering, longtime favorites of mine
who rarely tour in the United States for any length of
time. The band had replaced Roadrunner Records’
Within Temptation a couple of nights before this and I’m
humbled to have seen them live. Although they have received
much criticism over the years for embracing a lighter,
more experimental sound, they proved that their music
has to be taken in live to truly understand it. The band
delved into a set of favorites, a good deal of which came
from the band’s latest album Home. The band beat
their instruments like a death metal band with small amps
as their music swirled around the audience, invitations
signed, sealed, and delivered by the sweet and sultry
vocals.
Lacuna Coil headlined the strong bill, of course, continuing
their quest to be the biggest band in the world. I have
seen Lacuna Coil live probably eight times and this was
easily one of the best shows from them I have attended.
The last two times that I have seen them were on Ozzfest
stages and I had nearly forgotten how much better they
are in their own environment. The crowd was rabid for
their heroes and Lacuna Coil delivered. Playing for nearly
an hour and a half the band offered songs from nearly
the entirety of their discography. It was great to hear
songs from In a Reverie and Unleashed Memories live again
and it was nice to see a band that was willing to dig
deep for the longtime fans in the audience.
