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Take Action Tour 2003 (Poison The Well, Dillinger Escape Plan, Further Seems Forever, Eighteen Visions, Shai Hulud)
The Quest, Minneapolis, MN
9/11/2003
Reviewer: Andrew
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Minneapolis had the pleasure of presenting the opening night of 2003's Take Action Tour. Considering the popularity of each band in their respective scenes, I was actually surprised that The Quest wasn't a bit more packed. The turnout was anything but bad, but with some big names on the bill, I imagined a more crowded club. It's not a complaint, just surprising. Still, the amount of dancing and sing-alongs was above average. The lineup was solid and diverse, with enough variety to bring in listeners of all sorts, the sound was monstrous, and the show was put on for a good cause. If anything, the only reason to miss this tour is because of the price; it may seem a bit steep, but considering that there are five bands on each night, and a portion of the proceeds going to charity, it's actually a good deal.
I've never seen Shai Hulud, and I really enjoy their latest offering, "That Within Blood Ill-Tempered." Sadly, I walked into the club as the band strummed their last guitar riff and yelled their final words. Having left just after class finished, and meeting up with some rush hour traffic near the cities, we were a bit late. I wasn't happy about missing one of the two bands I hadn't seen previously, but I didn't let it drag me down. Because, hey, I couldn't imagine that an Eighteen Visions set wouldn't cheer me up.
My imagination was right. Eighteen Visions' attitude and sass really translated well into the live setting. The band took the stage dressed in dark, button-up shirts and pants, every member with their hair styled (one even sporting a faux-hawk), and frontman James Hart armed with plenty of crotch-grabbing and hip-shaking maneuvers. I know that this band gets a lot of criticism, but let's face it; their music is fun. Hart interacted with the crowd really well, throwing the microphone into the front row of faces, even though there was a barrier of bouncers seperating the crowd and the stage. Eighteen Visions ripped through a good deal of songs from "Vanity," including the title track, "You Broke Like Glass" and "I Don't Mind," and I believe that they played just one older tune. The most surprising aspect of their set was surely the pair of brand new songs that they played. One of them was a highly melodic rock tune that had most everyone wondering if this was the same band that just tore through "I Don't Mind." Surely a departure from the norm, but sounding quite infectious and catchy, that new song alone has me anticipating another studio recording from Eighteen Visions even more.
There was one downfall to Eighteen Visions' set, being two assholes who spent the entire set standing as still as statues, only moving their arms in an attempt to prevent anyone from nearing the stage and their lips to mutter how bad Eighteen Visions is. These people boggle my mind. They claim to hate a band, but still destroy their hearing by listening to what they find to be horrible sounds. There is absolutely no excuse to ruin anyone else's experience at a live show, and I had my words with them about it. They elbowed anyone who nudged them, tried to drag crowd surfing (not to say I'm a fan of crowd surfers) kids to the floor, and were genuinely ignorant. If you dislike a band, get out of the front row, and don't mess with others who just want to have fun. After singing along and pointing my finger to the music for a short while, I asked why the two kids don't leave the front row. He responded by asking me if I wanted to fight. Pretty intelligent young men. Just what any scene needs. I'm sure neither of them will ever read this, but just in case they do: I dislike you.
Back to business, though. Further Seems Forever seemed a bit out of place among the four other acts. I've never been a huge fan of the band, but they do put on a decent show. There was a balanced mixture of songs from "The Moon Is Down" and "How To Start A Fire," and they also included their cover of a Bjork (I believe) song. It was really intriguing, and had some unique guitar work and relaxed pace. Further Seems Forever is a solid rock band in my mind, but to be honest, I was just itching for Dillinger Escape Plan to take the stage throughout much of their set.
After one of the longer set-up times I've experienced, the one and only Dillinger Escape Plan finally approached the stage to some electronic music. In no time, the band was going completely nuts to one of the songs from the "Irony Is A Dead Scene" EP. Surprisingly, even though they have a new vocalist, the band performed three of the four songs from said EP (on which Mike Patton handled the vocals). The rest of their set was primarily devoted to performing new material, with only "Sugar Coated Sour" and "43% Burnt" representing the older songs. Even though some of the music they played might not have been familiar to the crowd, there were a large number of people making runs through a massive circle pit. When the strobe light lit up over the floor, some of the dancing looked really strange. It was something I hadn't seen before.
I don't think I've ever witnessed such a strong stage presence and such incredibly precise musicianship that Dillinger Escape Plan displayed at the same time. Seriously, the guitarists were able, and I don't understand how, to play oddly timed, technical music while swinging their guitar knecks and flailing around the stage. The drumming itself was stunning, with nary a beat missed. I couldn't keep my eyes off of that. The new vocalist, Greg Puciato, appeared to have no trouble with material both old and new, as he managed to belt out every passage, all while having his own fun jumping onto the crowd. From what I can tell, the new music from Dillinger Escape Plan sounds really swell, so I'm excited to hear a studio version. These guys had the most impressive performance of the night, and even if you don't get into their music, I'd highly recommend seeing one of the best live performances out there.
Poison The Well wrapped up the night on a high note. This was the second time I had seen them, not counting the half of their set I witnessed at this year's Warped Tour. If you've read my review, you know that I thoroughly enjoy Poison The Well's latest album, "You Come Before You," so I was excited to watch them perform some of their newer music. The band roared through "Crystal Lake," "Zombies Are Good For Your Health," "Apathy Is A Cold Body" and "Ghostchant," and they all sounded great. The crowd was also receptive of the new material, with plenty of fists pumping and mouths shouting to the songs. No single song of their's really outdoes a live performance of "Artists Rendering Of Me" or "Slice Paper Wrists," both of which had massive sing-alongs. They threw in a few tunes from "Tear From The Red," and, as always, closed with "Nerdy." Poison The Well has put a good show every time I see them, and somehow tour all the time. They left me with a good taste in my mouth and a sore throat. I consider that a good thing.
So, yeah, check out the Take Action tour. It's presented for a good cause and showcases some awesome bands. It may be a bit pricey, but seriously, it's almost worth it for Dillinger Escape Plan's set alone.
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