Venue: House of Blues, Chicago (5/6): I’d been at The Aragon too much and forgotten that HOB had started me on concerts in Chicago back when I first moved here in ‘06. It was the first venue I went to by myself too. I have a deep affection for the place and after the Aragon I’d forgotten how nice it was to be able to see without going on tiptoe or jumping. It is a cozy little venue that I will always come back to and if you ask for a glass of water its free, h is rare.
The Crowd (5/6): The crowd was frenzy like I have rarely seen, even during the first half of the show, which was acoustic. I’ve been around Crowds don’t frenzy during acoustic numbers like this at any other show.
The Show Itself (6/6): The bar has risen for best concert I’ve ever been to. Period. This one blew all the others away. Initially, I was surprised there was no opener. Then the band came out with acoustic instruments, given that I knew the show was themed around their first album Second Stage Turbine Blade, I thought it might just be an acoustic show, which would have been a little disappointing but still breathtaking. They played for about forty five minutes and had a set break, then the electronics came out and they proceeded to rock out.
They were their own opener. Pure guts and brilliance.
I was very skeptical of Coheed and Cambria pulling off acoustic, I felt like something was going to be lost. I was thoroughly and utterly impressed with how precise and articulate Coheed and Cambria were with their instrumentation, especially, Claudio Sanchez’s guitar work. In most cases, if the front man plays the guitar they do rhythm guitar and have someone else handle the more complex lead. Not only did Sanchez manage to put on an amazing, clear voiced vocal performance, but also his guitar work was phenomenal and technically perfect. He was one of the few artists who I could clearly understand even during loud, rock numbers.
I’ve never seen a performance like it before.
And that was just Sanchez.
The rest of the band was incredible. Particularly, Travis Stever, the guitarist* had not only the talent to keep up with Sanchez’s guitar work but also match is insane range.
The acoustic set was haunting, reverent, and utterly beautiful.
By the set break I’d already figured out this was going to be unlike any other concert I’d ever seen. The second half was everything the first half was with an incredible burst of energy and power. Sanchez’s brilliant voice and off the hook dancing further augmented the explosive nature of the show. It had the energy, volume, and dynamic of a real rock show. No holds barred. This band is a force on stage like nothing else I’ve ever seen.
*Among other parts. It impressed me farther that every member of the band (except the drummer) plays no less than four instruments.
No comments:
Post a Comment