The Venue: The Cubby Bear (3/6) I’d heard bad things about this venue so I came in expecting a disaster. It honestly wasn’t as bad as I anticipated though they defiantly could stand better mics. It was specifically the mics, not the amps as there was a lot of crackle and muffling to the speech. It was not much more than a bar with a stage. Nothing wrong with that, but It often leads to the venue doing neither well. It was also an odd size. It was smaller than even the 1000 person venues I’ve been to but not tiny enough to be a truly small venue. I didn’t really get to the bar or bathroom so no comments on those. The merch booth was set up in a very easy to get to place and there was surprisingly decent ventilation. It was disorganized from a time perspective, however. If the door is at seven I expect the show at eight at the latest, and the main act to go on at nine. The main act didn’t start until ten and there was a LOT of lag between sets.
The crowd (3/6): The crowd was too passive for what they were there for. This is your band’s first headlining tour. A band that was the first opener of four a year ago. I’ve seen what this band is capable of and, yes; Shimion Moor did manage to work his magic on them, but really? You do remember whom you’re here to see, don’t you? Show it.
First Opener: Seven Day Sonnet (3/6): It would be a lower score had it not been for the fact that I heard some of their recorded stuff. I feel like this band has many of the issues I see in many younger bands. They’re uncoordinated on stage and seem to be out there to have fun, which is fine, but they didn’t have the technical aspects down. Especially not the bassist. I was very close to the stage so I could see very clearly what was going on. At one point I looked up at the bassist was strumming, not picking, not slapping or popping, strumming. He was especially all over the place on stage. No precision to speak of and no real sense of give and take. The two guitarists were passable on a technical level, but at least didn’t draw attention to them over the lead consistently.
The lead was solid for his genre (Screamo is not known for its quality vocals) but if he’s going to make it his band needs to step up their game
Main Act: Sick Puppies (5/6) Always, a pleasure seeing this band. They are phenomenal with the crowd and very engaging. Shimon Moore is articulate, and knows how to balance talking with the music so that it feels personal, but doesn’t drag. They also have a stunning dynamic of give and take on stage that is magnificent. Emma Anzai (bass) and Shimon Moore (lead) have extent musical conversations on stage. Between his clear, velvety voice and her whisper soft lilt the vocals alone would be enough to make for an amazing show. Add to that Moor’s wonderfully precise guitar work and Emma’s masterful bass and you have one of the best shows ever.
I cannot say enough about Emma Anzai’s bass work, Every time I see her live I rave more. She is unlike any other bassist I’ve seen on stage. I would even go so far as to say, she is the best bassist I’ve ever seen. Full stop.
The other thing that continues to fascinate me is that this band is just three people, no synth, no sampling. Just instruments and vocals. And every one of them has near- unrivaled talent.
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