|
|
From Autumn To Ashes, Taking Back Sunday, Open Hand
Klub Phenomenon, Freeport, IL
6/11/2002
Reviewer: Andrew
|
I really do enjoy shows with a wide variety of music, and this show was no exception. The pop-punk influences of the first band (their name slips my mind), the technical music of Open Hand, the rock influenced pop-punk of Taking Back Sunday, and the metal tendencies of From Autumn To Ashes made for one diverse lineup, and though From Autumn To Ashes got no respect from the rude crowd, the show was still really satisfying, even though the venue was in a town of 25,000 people and didn't necessarily draw a gigantic crowd.
Starting off the night was a local pop-punk act. The band's sound wasn't anything that I hadn't heard before, but luckily there was some originality in the music. These guys weren't just a New Found Glory clone, they used their own creativity to include some additional tempo shifts and vocals that were a bit different from so many other pop-punk bands. The singer's microphone was at a pretty high level, which was nice, because we could actually hear the singing over the rest of the music. I believe that they had just recruited a new drummer, who performed pretty well. I'm not sure what the future might hold for this band, and I wish I knew their name, but with some extra originality to make this music something new, we could hear more from them.
Next to take the stage was California-based Open Hand, who play a style of music that is somewhat hard to describe. The most noticable attribute to their music are the odd time signatures and common tempo shifts. It doesn't take too much for these guys to throw the music into different gears, especially thanks to the very talented drummer, who is able to keep some odd beats. The guitar work has a sort of spacey feel to it at times, remeniscent to today's Cave In or Codeseven, while the vocals have a raspy sound to them, while not being screamed at all. They are generally quiet and tend to allow the music to hold most of the listener's attention. That aside, the band sounded really tight in a live setting. The guitars were played with loads of skill, and the bassist really got things going with some background screaming that added some intensity. Open Hand got the crowd's head bouncing, and I must say that I think this band has a positive future. Their musical talent has allowed them to create some music that sounds original and creative, and I urge you to give them a listen.
Following Open Hand was Taking Back Sunday, who seemed to be local favorites as I listened to the anxious chatter of nearby fans. After taking the stage, the band broke right into material from their awesome debut full-length, "Tell All Your Friends." The band members played with a lot of intensity, and from the very beginning, the crowd was singing along to all of the lyrics. The chorus of "Tell All Your Friends" had everyone throwing hands in the air, while the intensity of "Timberwolves At New Jersey" inspired a lot of screaming and head banging. Taking Back Sunday also played through "You Know How I Do," "Head Club," and their track off of the recent Victory Style 5, "The Ballad Of Sal Villanueva." No matter which song they were playing, though, the crowd managed to know a good portion of the lyrics, and the vocalist was constantly on the edge of the crowd, letting us lend our own vocal chords to the performance. I'm not quite sure what it is about a band sharing the vocal duties with the crowd, but it is such a great feeling, and Taking Back Sunday surely satisfied this crowd in that category. The backing screams of the other band members kept the kids busy while the lead vocalist ripped some awesome notes himself. Taking Back Sunday's set was pretty reminiscent of a Brand New live show, but with a little less self-inflicted violence. The band members were floating all around the stage, and the vocalist really helped the crowd get into things. Absolutely fantastic live act, fantastic band.
From Autumn To Ashes was the headlining band on the bill, and I must admit, I was quite excited to have the opportunity to see them. On the down side, the crowd completely thinned out after Taking Back Sunday's set, leaving a few rows of kids that were ready for some heaviness. It was obvious when From Autumn To Ashes took the stage, that they weren't exactly happy with the turnout for their set. Luckily, though, they started their set with the insanely heavy "Reflections," which instantly had the remaining fans throwing limbs across the dance floor. But even though the music was downright intense, the band just didn't seem to into the music. Everything was really tight; their sound, the club.. but the band just wasn't into it. I could definitely understand why, though, everyone left. Not only is that just rude, but stupid. For all the people leaving knew, they could have really dug From Autumn To Ashes. That aside, the band continued to play songs off of their killer "Too Bad You're Beautiful," such as "The Royal Crown vs. Blue Duche," "Cherry Kiss," and "Chloroform Perfume." But the set didn't extend much further than this, as the band pretty much played five or six songs and decided to call it a night. The crowd was surprised and some plees for more music were released, but the band just continued to pack up. Its pretty sad, because these guys deserve such a better crowd. Its a shame that the kids at this show were lame.
Luckily, Taking Back Sunday made up for From Autumn To Ashes short, but sweet set. The lineup was strong, the club was cool, but many of the kids who came were pretty rude. Its a shame that they had to ruin things for the fans that came for the headlining band from hours away, but hopefully there will be another chance to see such a great band. The negativity aside, Taking Back Sunday made for an awesome show, Open Hand was interesting and I see myself developing a nice interest in them, and what we saw of From Autumn To Ashes was very impressive.
|
|
|
