Brand New Concert Review 11.10.2007

By Adam Scott, FromTheCrowd.com Contributor

Visually Brand New’s stage setup had the makings of nothing less than an explosive in your face show. Duel drum sets, a giant almost African style bass drum, and shiny instruments galore made me feel like I had A.D.D. in a Guitar Center. The show opened with a storm of beats and epic guitar riffs blindsiding concert goers with the octet we now faced due to all the excess instruments. After tumultuously bombarding our eardrums with an opening second to none, the show had just climaxed. Not saying that the show wasn’t great and musically radio quality, I just believe the crowd was looking for more of a rollercoaster ride of their past discography.

Being quite a fan of Brand New after the release of Deja Entrendu in 2003, I heard only one song I was familiar with and the rest of the show seemed to be a song by song journey through their newest album, The Devil and God are Raging Inside my Head. By the standards of hardcore fans this was probably a great thing and an insight into the freshest music recorded. However, for the rest of us I believe we were a bit confused and left a bit empty.

On the flip side, guitarist Vincent Accardi was extremely impressive with his outlandish devices he used to strum his guitar. Using what looked like a tool to vibrate his strings and a cello bow made the most original sounds come from his musical axe. Nearing the end of the set lead singer Jesse Lacey was left on stage to play an acoustic melody with a guest accordion player. Throwing everyone off with the very polka friendly instrument, the band returned to end the show with a wordless eruption of talent, musical genius, and an incredible display of Long Island rock & roll.

Although I felt a bit cheated by the song selection, the show was exactly what I was looking forward to and Brand New delivered on every aspect.  

She wants Revenge at the Marquee 11.05.2007

by Adam Scott, FromTheCrowd.com Contributor

She Wants Revenge electrified the Marquee Theatre Nov. 5^th with their amazing sound and gloomy, almost Goth feel.  Just dropping their second album This Is Forever, SWR is riding high upon the electro/darkwave scene. Most will know this powerful duo from their first single “Tear You Apart” oddly enough, directed by Joaquin Phoenix who added a sort of cinematic story to the already intoxicating hit. This song catapulted them to the public eye and absolutely put them on the map landing them tour dates with the epic Depeche Mode.

Coming into this show I have to be honest, I knew very little about this band other than their very first single. I did however know they had a small cult like following that were few, but definitely in attendance at the show. With the band’s emphasis on feeling the pubescent poetics that everyone could relate to, dancing was everyone’s first priority. Heavy bass lines and monotone cries from lead singer Justin Warfield left me with my foot tapping and hips swaying.

About midway through the set finding myself hypnotized by red lights and strobes in their one off performance of “She Will Always Be a Broken Girl” the song was cut short due to a fight in the crowd. Hands down the most exciting part of the night! After repeated comments to the “guy in the green jacket with yellow stripes” Warfield began yelling at him and others that in true Tempe fashion, tore off their shirts and began fighting. At this point Warfield had the crowd chanting to kick these people out, not to mention challenging one of them to come on stage for a scrap stating “I will take you down!” After some brief apologies from the band for getting worked up SWR finished their set with a lackadaisical piano interlude then finally ending with a few more songs that everyone could sing to. If the highlight of my night was a fight at a SWR concert this show lacked a little in the attention getting realm of a performance. Nonetheless, I still can’t stop saying, I Want To F**king Tear You Apart!

As I Lay Dying Review 10.27.2007

By B. Nixon, FromTheCrowd.com Contributor

As I Lay Dying performed a show at the Marquee Theater on Saturday October 27 that can only be described as a live-wire.  The crowd fed off of the intense energy pouring out of the amps. 

Being previously untouched by the experience that is watching a show like theirs, I had to do a little homework on their history.  In comparison to some of their earlier recordings they continue to pour out hard driving guitar riffs while, varying the tempo and delivery of some of their pieces.  But no matter what they still remain true to their blitz attack metal style.  After listening to tracks on their earlier albums the progression and technicality became much more clear when looking back on their set, it definitely reflected their variability. 

It was easy to see the connection between all four band mates and the cohesiveness between drummer, Jordan Mancno whose sheer speed on snare sets a thrashy tone for guitarists, Phil Sgrosso, and Nick Hipa.  You can tell they have developed a loyal following in the Arizona crowd, who would enthusiastically join the more melodic anthem type choruses.  I went into the show inexperienced with the genre and unfamiliar with the band and left feeling completely amped up, a feeling that I am sure everyone left with that night.

Lifehouse “Who We Are” Tour 10.22.2007

By D. Marcher, FromTheCrowd.com Contributor

As many of you did not know, judging by the size of the crowd, Lifehouse performed at the Marquee Theater on October 22^nd.  Even though the Marquee was only filled to about half capacity, Lifehouse performed as though they were entertaining an arena full of their biggest fans.  Unfortunately the same can not be said for their opening acts, luckily, the fans realized that there was light, in this case Lifehouse, at the end of the tunnel.

HoneyHoney, kicked the show off with their unique folk take on rock, perhaps their sound is best describe by their MySpace, calling it backyard rhythm.  The duo, comprised of Suzanne Santo, the singer and violinist and Ben Jaffe, rhythm guitar and bass drum, charmed the small audience.  Santo, while small in stature wowed the audience with her strong vocals.  She looked sweet and innocent; however, this was all dispelled when she began singing a playful song dedicated to all of the couples in attendance.  While their music was heavily based upon prose, it was lighthearted and fun, something that is often not found in the music of today.  As the crowd slowly trickled in, everyone in attendance seemed to enjoy the performance, which was actually their last with the Lifehouse tour

Unfortunately, the same can not be said for the next band, Midway State a quartet from Toronto, that just joined the tour the day before.  With that said, perhaps it is this lack of experience on the stage, which made this performance so disappointing.  Midway State provided easy pop rock melodies that seemed to fall upon deaf ears, as they were unable to capture that audience with their performance.  The crowd, which was now about quarter capacity, freely walked around in and out of the theater, with little interest in the performance.

For the fans that had come for Lifehouse, this was just not their type of music and I would say a poor selection for the tour to compliment Lifehouse.  Perhaps it was best said by Amber, 18 from Phoenix, “I didn’t leave because I wanted to save my spot (in the crowd) for Lifehouse, otherwise I would have.”  Amber, was not alone in her sentiment, Mike, 30 of Goodyear, said “I would have come later, had I known.”    Midway States’ lead singer was full of dramatic movements and obvious angst, but it seemed self absorbed.  To be honest, I would have been just as happy to have listened to elevator music, while waiting for Lifehouse, and those in the audience that were listening to their mp3 players, must have felt the same way.

Finally, Lifehouse, the trio comprised of Jason Wade, Rick Woolstenhulme, Bryce Soderberg, came on stage to the delight of all of those in attendance.  Jason Wade erupted into “Make Me Over”, followed by “Spin” and the crowd couldn’t have been happier.  The audience ate up the high energy level that Lifehouse emitted.  You could instantly tell that this crowd was in for a great evening of music.  Not letting the size of the crowd place a damper on the evening, couples danced together freely, almost as if this is the way the audience should have been.  The boys of Lifehouse made full use of the large stage, Bryce, the bassist, even leaped onto the speakers to the surprise of the crowd.  There were plenty of other surprises too, such as Bryce taking on lead vocals for a cover of  Badfingers’, “No Matter What”.  Jason Wade’s vocals were as impeccable as ever as he commanded the stage, leading the crowd through seven songs from “Who We Are”, the latest Lifehouse release.  Jason and company, of course, also played fan favorites such as their mega hit, “Hanging by a Moment” and even dedicated “You and Me” to all of the fans in attendance.  Overall, Lifehouse managed to salvage a somewhat disappointing night of music, into one of my favorite concerts this year.

Cary Brothers at the Rhythm Room 08.21.2007

By Steve Shugg, FromTheCrowd.com Contributor

For going to shows over and over again at the bigger venues where the artists simply play their songs and get off stage, it’s refreshing to see an artist that takes the time to get to know his fans and put on a show that he cares about. This was the case when it came to seeing Cary Brothers at the Rhythm Room. It was a show that makes me look forward to going to those more intimate shows, and when there is an artist like Cary Brothers that is going to perform, the show has potential to be that much greater.

From beginning to end, the show was amazing. Not only did Brothers and his band put on an amazing show, but the opening acts provided the support that makes one think this collaboration of artists was a little more thought out than simply calling up your friends asking if they wanted to go on tour with you. First up was William Fitzsimmons, who after seeing him live for the first time, went out, bought the album, and cannot get over the sound that Fitzsimmons produces.

Second up were The Stars of Track and Field, and for a trio that don’t even have a bassist, going from a solo acoustic artist to this three piece rock group, I couldn’t wait for Cary to take the stage; I think everyone else in the room was probably thinking the same thing. Well we were all in luck, because within a matter of time, Cary and his band were taking the stage ready to go.

Cary Brothers is one of those artists that just get the crowd into his show. I’m sure it helps that everyone there knew all the words to his songs, and that the mixture of the crowd that night was simply there to have fun and enjoy his music. Singing out some of his more popular songs, like “Ride”, “Blue Eyes”, and his new single “Who You Are”, the feeling inside was electric, and when the show had reached its climax, everyone was a little bummed, because we all just wanted to listen to more music and share the experience. However that’s one of the great things about an artist like Cary Brothers, because just because the music has finished, does not mean that the experience is. A little while after his set, Cary always takes the time to come outside and talk to his fans and get to know that people that his music effects so much. As a fan, that really means a lot to me to know that just because the artist may be growing in popularity and getting national exposure, they still take the time to listen to their fan’s stories.

The cool thing about Brothers fans is, they always seem to go to numerous shows in a row, letting the artist get to see those certain fans over and over again, and establish those relationships with their fans. It’s also cool to hang out after the show, and to see Cary Brothers, a national artist who has been seen on movie soundtracks and TV shows, walk right up to you after their show, and go “Hey Steve, glad you made it out today, what did you think of the show?” It’s moments like this that make me appreciate music, and happy to be a fan of artists like this.

The One and only muse at Mesa Amphitheatre 09.19.2007

By Steve Shugg, FromTheCrowd.com Contributor

There are certain bands that simply listening to their albums do not do justice to the musicianship and talent that the members have. This is due to the fact that so many bands these days have so much production done on their albums, that you can’t tell what’s real and what’s computer work; this could not be more false to the British trio Muse. They recently played at the Mesa Amphitheatre and to all the skeptics that thought they could not reproduce the sound that they create on their records; well all they had to do was listen.

Now I’ve seen Muse before, however it was during a festival so I did not get the full experience that I had heard so much about; that’s what made this show so exciting for me. From the instance the lights went down, introducing Muse to the stage, my mind was made up that these were some of the most talented musicians out there today. They ripped into songs like “Time is Running Out”, “Hysteria”, and “Stockholm Syndrome”. Matthew Bellamy hit all those high notes that were created on the records, and that one thought he would not be able to. He struck every note on guitar during the solos, and he had some amazing help. Dominic Howard was mesmerizing on drums, keeping up with the intensity of the crowd, and the energy from the songs. Then there was Chris Wolstenholme on bass, who kept up with everyone, and although there aren’t many bass solo’s in Muse songs, no one else would have been able to finish off an already incredible group. The fact that all three musicians are classically trained in their craft definitely shined through during this set.

As amazing as this show was, there were some things that made it a little different than others. For instance, right before they came back for their encore there was a reading or a speech if you will. The speech was one from John F. Kennedy during his time in office. It was about taking pride in our country, and not wanting to go to war because it wasn’t our war to fight. Now being a British band, this did seem a little out of place, especially since Muse has never really been known to speak out much against the war or politics. You could definitely see the tension in the air of the people that agreed with the message, and those that thought it was not their place and should not have been brought up at the concert. Either way, it was an impressive sight to see a crowd of a few thousand standing in awe listening to John F. Kennedy speak to us, even if it was a recorded message.

This combined with the music made for a memory that will not soon be forgotten. This show proved to the concertgoers that Muse isn’t going anywhere, and that their music and talent is going to be around for a while to come. Any opportunity to experience one of their shows, I would absolutely recommend taking that chance and having the chance to see what a rock show should be like.

A Night with H.I.M 08.07.2007

By Steve Shugg, FromTheCrowd.com Contributor
 

If you were one of the few thousand people that attended the Projekt Revolution tour recently, you might have had the pleasure of seeing His Infernal Majesty, or more commonly known as H.I.M.; Well ‘pleasure’ might be an overstatement. The groups that they were playing with and the grandeur of this tour should have gotten the band a little more excited to be on stage than they seemed. In fact it was hard to tell if the band even felt like playing that night. It wasn’t so much a concert as it was just the band standing on stage playing their songs.

I’m sure if you are a big H.I.M. fan then it must have been pretty cool seeing your band on stage playing some of your favorite songs, however if you were like me and went into the concert sort of on the fence about how you felt about the band, they pushed you the wrong direction. It was nice to see that they played their hits like “Wings of a Butterfly” and “Killing Loneliness”, however it would have been nice to see them put some effort into their presence. Lead singer Ville Valo didn’t even talk until about 4 songs in, which was only to introduce the new song they were going to play, in between taking drags from his cigarette.

This was upsetting because they have a rather large following, and their sound onstage was pretty impressive, if they were just able to have some fun while they are playing, they could be considered a great band to go see live. Now only having experienced the band once, I will give them the benefit of the doubt and say that this was just the Phoenix stop where they were hard to watch on stage; I’m hoping anyway.

Overall I will have to see H.I.M. again so that I can at least compare this performance with others, however after this show I’m not going to be running out to get my tickets if they decide to come through the valley again.

Hot Hot Heat Dodge Theatre 07.18.2007

By Carl Stephens, FromTheCrowd.com Contributor

I should have known what I was in for upon reading the name of their band, but I am not one to judge someone on name alone, so I sat down cold beer in hand to listen to Hot Hot Heat.  This was the name of the band opening for Snow Patrol last night at the quite comfortable Dodge Theatre.

At first I thought it was just something in one or two of their songs, but the pattern carried through their entire performance.  I love a good chorus just as much as the next guy, but seriously, please don’t make an entire CD from your last  game of Scrabble, one single word score at a time.  In the middle of their performance, I for some reason imagined the bobble-headed mini-Bob Dylan looking front man as a smurf trying to jump-start his synthesizer.  Believe me, I was just as curious as you may be as to how this image catapulted into my brain.   A few more songs later I realized, it was because it was like listening to what would possibly be the result of four smurfs starting a garage band in their mom’s mushroom.  But instead of repeating the word smurf over and over again, they picked a new word or phrase for each song.  Oh and instead of wearing white pants and a hat, they wore cool headbands.  Well at least one of them did, the others may live in hot hot envy.

I must give them credit for one incredibly creative twist though.  In their song “Talk to Me Dance with Me”, they sang the line “you are my only girl”, but then shook things up by following that with “but you’re not my owner girl”, and repeated both about a dozen times.  I haven’t seen that kind of clever since I last picked the petals off a flower one at a time in a childish attempt to contemplate hypothetical affections… incredible stuff really. 

Apparently they are releasing their next album in the middle of September.  It’s called “Happiness”, which I can only assume to them involves getting paid to write three sentences put to repetitive music.  I think they originally wanted to call themselves “Hot Hot Hot Hot Hot Heat”, but someone one cowbell short of being Bruce Dickinson slapped them with a three word limit.  Or perhaps a thesaurus is not in their budget, and they think “hot hot” means the same thing as “crash and burn” or perhaps “flaming”.

So many questions so little time, but the one question I’m not asking myself, is do I want to hear them perform again… now where did I smurf my smurfing smurf?

The Fray Dodge Theatre 07.16.2007 Review II

From the Crowd will have two staff reviews of this show. One, from a long time Fray concert follower and another from someone who saw The Fray for the first time with last nights show.   If you’d like to contribute a fan review of the show, please visit our contribute page.

By K. Mac, FromTheCrowd.com Contributor

 

The lights go out and the crowd starts making noise in anticipation of the headlining act. A green line jets across the stage’s digital backdrop. One by one, the silhouettes of the band members can be seen walking onto the stage. The traveling green line transforms into a heart monitor, showing a pulse right at center stage and the crowd erupts.  The Fray begin to play their set with the only the lighting from the digital screen illuminating their silhouettes.  As they continue to play “She Is”, the stage begins to be lit.

After their stellar entrance, their light show proved to be a slightly overwhelming.  The strobe lights being used were a bit blinding and the fan on my left, Carrie, commented that, “You almost needed sunglasses just to watch.” The early light show was a little excessive, and took attention away from the true talent of the band. However, the colors on the digital backdrop did work very well as the show progressed.  The production utilized colors that created excitement, such as red, yellow, a barcode pattern that moved horizontally compressing and decompressing in such a fashion that it was interesting to glance at but did not steal notice away from the performers.

The light show did become softer for the gentler songs. Lanterns lowered from the ceiling and hung at various levels, the white lights inside blinking intermittently. The lightshow switched to the cooler colors of purple and blue, fitting of the sound being generated on the stage. With the song, “Vienna” the lanterns turned into 3-D screens, and reverted back to the red and yellow color scheme with a varying pattern this time.

The Fray introduced one of their new songs, called “Dixie” with a light-hearted warning that it was “country.” Not being a fan of country music, I was apprehensive. However, “Dixie” is just The Fray with a bit of a country influence. As the song played, a semi-blurred view of blue skies, puffy white clouds and greenery displayed on the digital backdrop, emulating a car as it travels down the highway, adding to the charm of this track and getting smiles out of the audience.

Isaac Slade, the lead singer, then treated the crowd to an anecdote of his childhood, and then threw a bunch of Polaroid pictures into the pit, accidentally hitting a girl in the face with one of the pictures.  Apologizing, he dedicated the next song to her and the band began playing the mega hit, “How to Save a Life.” Old family videos played on the digital backdrop once again adding to the performance as the lanterns were lowered adding even more ambiance to the performance.

On a side note, I’ve always been saddened by the way; the drummer of band is tucked away, hard to see behind the percussion instruments of his choice.  It was a treat when Fray drummer Ben Wysocki came to the front of the stage with conga drums. Isaac rallied all of the audience members to their feet, stating he had to introduce a special guest to the crowd.  He then announced that Ben was going to treat them with some vocals.   The crowd applauded and the band began to play a cover song, as they traditionally do in concert, however, rather than the typical Beetle song; it was Shakira “Hips Don’t Lie”. The crowd ate up the spoofed cover, singing, smiling and laughing hysterically.

Having never seen The Fray in concert before today, I cannot say how it compares to the other shows they have put on here in the Valley. However, I can say that these guys know how to perform and please a crowd. As was heard backstage, they have “flawlessly balanced sound.” They have stage presence and charisma. These four guys put on a show that should not be missed for anything

The Fray ‘How to Save a Life” Tour 07.16.2007

From the Crowd will have two staff reviews of this show. One, from a long time Fray concert follower and another from someone who saw The Fray for the first time with last nights show.   If you’d like to contribute a fan review of the show, please visit our contribute page.

By Stephanie Baldwin

As an obvious ode to their association with medical shows… ha just kidding.  The Fray show, at the Dodge Theater on July 16, demonstrated that The Fray do not take themselves too seriously, poking fun at their own success of their insanely popular “How to Save a Life”, in relation to medical shows, but more importantly showed their fans that they have completely matured into their role as a headlining act.  Ladies and gentleman, The Fray have learned to entertain.

Armed with fabulous lighting, improved set list and stage production such as film clips to accompany their songs, The Fray, skyrocketed their entertainment value and performed one of the best shows Phoenix has seen, not only from them, but all artists in some time.    If you have been a long time Fray fan and been to any number of their shows, you have known in the past that, you would always hear great live music, however, the stage presence and performance factor might be on… or off and this often had to do with the crowd themselves. 

Last night, while the pit and selected areas, stood for the entire show and really seemed to be “in” to the performance, a great deal of people remained seated for a good deal of the performance.  I know that this can be interpreted as the crowd, not being “into it” (which was not the case), and this is when, from prior experience, the performance aspect of The Fray would retreat, however, this was not the case last night.  The Fray entertained the entire 90 minutes of their set, often yelling out to the crowd to encourage them to stand up… in some cases, it was effective; however, it didn’t deter The Fray, it only enhanced their performance.  Isaac Slade, the lead singer of The Fray, who is usually seated at his piano for an entire performance, was up and active, walking around the stage, playing to the crowd.  Trust me, the crowd was soaking it up, but they I am certain they appeared a bit lifeless to the stage. 

One of the highlights of the night came from a lighthearted cover performance.  The Fray typically features a cover song every performance, and for this show, they performed “Shakira Shakira”, which had Ben Wysocki, their drummer performing many of the vocals.  It was perhaps one of the most entertaining moments that the Dodge Theater has seen.  Everyone was standing as Isaac had requested, calling our sections that had not stood.  Walla, the crowd became active participants, laughing, singing along and enjoying the moment, that countless fans ensured would be on YouTube by midnight as they filmed the performance.  After it was over, well, the crowd all sat down again… what is with Arizona crowds?

The show was concluded with a three song encore, in which Isaac paid tribute to their humble beginnings with shows here in Phoenix, six in total, and thanked the fans that been there from the start. He let the crowd know that The Fray would be taking a year off, and hopefully recording a new CD in that time frame, which of course, the audience roared with delight.  At the conclusion of the show, the fans were abuzz with the entertaining performance, many proclaiming it was the best show they’d seen in a long time in the Valley.

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