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Strung Out, Poison The Well, Rise Against, Rufio
The Metro, Chicago, IL
6/16/2002
Reviewer: Andrew
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After many attempts and missed opportunities at seeing what has become my favorite band, June 16th was finally my night to catch Poison The Well. I would have rather caught them at least once before the release of "Tear From The Red," partially because I like "Opposite Of December" so much more, and also because it would have meant a much smaller venue. But with the addition of the very talented Strung Out, the energetic, home-town heroes Rise Against, and Rufio, this show was something I couldn't pass up.
The Metro is a pretty cool venue--its not very big, but big enough for there to be a barrier and some oversized security guards in front of the stage, but even so, its pretty nice. Probably the only upsides to the venue, as compared to a smaller, more intimate venue, are the fantastic lights and high quality sound equipment. The location is nice, very near the classic Wrigley Field, but after seeing this show, I've come to realize that I don't care to go to too many more shows at venues of that size. Its fun, but just not the same.
On to what is important, though; the music. Starting off the night was California-based Rufio. I had listened to some of their music prior to the concert, and though it never grabbed much of my attention, I always noticed the excellent musicianship. The lead guitarist and bassist have some obviously quick fingers, while the drummer can keep a solid beat at some really fast speeds. The vocals are really high-pitched, in vein of those of New Found Glory, but maybe a tad higher. Rufio isn't exactly my cup of tea, but for the first band, they did a pretty nice job of getting the punk kids warmed up. Songs like "Still," "Dipshit," and "Above Me" got the crowd moving around, and set things up well for Rise Against.
Had this concert occurred a year or so ago, I would have been pretty excited to catch a Rise Against set, and I was quite the big fan of their debut full length, "The Unravelling" when it was new. My interest in hardcore punk has decreased since then, so seeing Rise Against didn't really excite me too much, but I will admit that they put on a good show. Being from Chicago, they seemed to really get the crowd riled up, inspiring a great deal of singing along and circle pit activity. The kids did a good job of helping with the gang vocals, especially on the closer, "Six Ways 'Til Sunday." The ending chorus is pretty infectious, and the crowd was far into the set. Rise Against also played some new material which sounds pretty cool, as well as "Alive And Well," "1000 Good Intentions," and others from "The Unraveling." I may not have been up front singing along, but I sure was tapping my toe and throwing in some singing now and then. Rise Against has a pretty nice live show, and if the hardcore tendencies of bands like Good Riddance or Strike Anywhere interest you, check this band out.
My night really started, though, right when Rise Against's 30 minute set ended. As the crowd swiftly flooded off of the floor for some fresh air, I did my best to push and shove, until I was stopped in the third row of people. I was completely antsy and had a few butterflies fluttering in my stomach, because hey, I was about to see my favorite band. So I stood and waited, eavesdropping on fellow Poison The Well fans chatting, until finally, the sound tests were through and Poison The Well took the stage. The band broke right into material off of "Tear From The Red," and things really heated up. Jeff's vocals were dead on from the very beginning, and fists began to fly overhead with the vocals. I can't tell you much about the activity in the middle of the venue, as I pushed my way into the front row to try and get some action on the microphone. I had a constant 500 pounds pushing into my back, though, so I think things were pretty wild. After some newer songs, the band graced us with such classics as "A Wish For Wings That Work," and "Slice Paper Wrists," which had oh, so many people absolutely screaming their lungs out. Before long, Poison The Well returned to some songs off of "Tear From The Red," including Botchla and Lazzaro. My favorite moment of their set was easily "Artists Rendering Of Me," which has one of the most powerful choruses in all of music, and had everyone, myself included, yelling "I could, never, follow your false ideals..!" over and over. The band didn't fail to include some other classics from "Opposite Of December," and of course, after playing "Parks And What You Meant To Me," they finished with "Nerdy." Finally, toward the end of the song, Jeff came down to the barrier and off of the stage, and gave us fans a chance to help with the lyrics. Before saying anything more, I have to comment on how great Poison The Well sounded live. Everything was dead on, the vocals were audible and the guitar parts were very distinguishable. This set was terribly fun and really exciting for myself, and though the venue wasn't how I would have liked to see Poison The Well, it was still awesome to see a band that has developed my deep interest in hardcore/metal. See this band if you ever get the chance.
Finishing off the night were punk legends Strung Out. These guys have been around for quite some time, and have always seemed like a pretty good band to me. At one time, they were one of my favorite punk bands around, so I was definitely interested in seeing them live. Starting off with "Ultimate Devotion," I couldn't help but join in in some singing, as this song was one of my all-time Strung Out favorites. The light show was very cool during their set, with a lot of strobe action as well as some gliding spotlights. The addition of some rolling smoke made for a very cool atmosphere, perfect for the sound of Strung Out. The band didn't fail to perform a good amount of newer tracks, including "Kill Your Scene," "Razor Sex (complete with insanely cool concluding breakdown)," and "The Kids." The addition of "Mind Of My Own" and its follower, the set was very energy filled and the crowd didn't fade as the fairly long set continued. The band played some older music that I was unfamiliar with, but overall, sounded very tight and proved their ability to operate as a very well oiled machine. Strung Out's musicianship is almost unsurpassable by most other punk rock bands, and if you haven't ever given them a listen, you may want to do yourself a favor and hear how good punk rock can be.
Strung Out left me with a very nice taste in my mouth, and after seeing Poison The Well, I was very content. The variety that this tour offered was quite nice, and although one may imagine that the crowds would clash rather than get along, things ran quite nicely. The hardcore kids didn't seem to have problems with the pop-punkers, and the same went the other way. Lots of good bands, plenty of talent, and Poison The Well. All I could have hoped for was a smaller venue, but a great show none the less.
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