In Praise of "Bad" Music: Nickelback w/ bush, Seether (not reviewed) and My Darkest Days(not reviewed) at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Il

Venue: Allstate Arena, Rosemont, IL-- (3/6) I’ve never been a big fan of arena shows, but sometimes my bands get popular enough to need them, which makes me happy for them. The Allstate Arena is one of the only really big arenas in the Chicagoland area and it’s really more of a sports arena than an arena meant for concerts. The audio system is basically just a PA system and as a result is flat, has lots of noise and is generally not the best system save for the fact that its loud. Its also one of the dirtier arenas I’ve seen and the concessions and merch are hard to access and shoddy. They are also highly disorganized.

The only real pluses are the pyro and the size. The Allstate Arena can comfortably fit 17,500 people and is laid out well enough that it’s pretty easy to see most places.

And the pyro, oh the pyro. I admit I am a sucker for good pyro. The Allstate has a great pyro and visual effects team, which, while not necessary, adds a certain flare to a rock show.

Speaking of which…

Bush (3.5/6): I came in part way through the set on this one, but my gods it was fun. I have to admit that a large chunk of what contributed to my enjoyment of the show was the nostalgia factor. I hadn’t heard anything new from bush in eleven years. I’d assumed they’d gone the way of many 90s grunge stars. They apparently have a new album, which from what little I’ve heard of it is much in keeping with their old stuff-- grunge with ragged, low fi guitar work and slurred vocals. As someone who grew up when it was in its heyday, I have a big soft spot for grunge. While the instrumentation is not thin to write home about, and Rosedale’s voice is not traditionally a good voice, I found they put on a good show and kept in sprit with their music. There is also something to be said when an artist who hasn’t been big in over a decade can walk into the crowd and still get mobbed. Rosedale owned what he wrote and preformed with a dignity that is not seen in a lot of faded stars.

I feel like this is how my parent’s generation feels when they see bands from the 60s on stage.

Nickelback: (4/6) This is my third Nickelback show, and it always feels like a gigantic party. I find that Nickelback reputation is undeserved. There are far worse artists. Sex, booze and rock and roll are the dominant themes of their music. (A friend of mine compared them justly to AC/DC) Crass, dirty, with a devil may care attitude; Chad Kroger knows how to throw a party. He knows his audience and while far from the emotionally intense leap-into-the-crowd style of many artists, he knows what to say to get the crowd cheering and singing along. He also has a wonderful dynamic with his band-mates. There were multiple occasions where I could see the laughter in guitarist Ryan
Peake's face when he and Kroger played off each other. It is a wonderful thing to see a band with a bond. With how cocky he can be, it is difficult to imagine Kroger deferring to anyone, except maybe to go get more alcohol. However, he was more than willing to let both his guitarists and his drummer have their spot in the limelight.

The think that impressed me at this particular show was that Nickleback has grown up as a band. While the days of carousing booze and sex songs are far from gone, there were a few songs that had a level of thoughtfulness that was distinctly lacking in previous work. I never in my life would have expected piano work to appear on a Nickleback album, let alone in an anti-suicide song. I’m pleased to see Nickelback keeping their swagger but adding a little more depth.

Overall, a great show.

Shinedown with The Art Of Dying at the House of Blues Chicago

Venue: House of Blues Chicago (5/6) I have personal bias toward the House of Blues. It was the first venue I ever patroned to of my own volition in Chicago. For a while it was the only one I went to, as I was scared of getting lost. It is my home venue. It is big enough to house a few thousand, but small enough that there isn’t a truly bad vantage point, save for behind one of the massive pillars that support the ornately painted celing. It’s a very clean venue with friendly staff and wonderful security. I often refer to their security as ninjas, nearly invisible unless there is a problem in which case suddenly you find yourself in close proximity with five burly gentlemen in bright yellow shirts.

I also find it a gorgeous venue peppered with unique art and statuary lining two layers of balcony seating along with the standing room floor.  The bathrooms are also some of the nicest I’ve seen in any venue. Which doesn’t mean anything about the other venues, but adds a certain degree of class to the House of Blues.

The Show:

Art of Dying: (4/6) This is the second time I’ve been pleasantly surprised by Art Of Dying. Their classic rock sound combined with upbeat, motivational lyrics make for a show that makes the listener feel like they are capable of anything.  Vocalist Jonny Hetherington worked the crowd surprisingly well and kept lively interaction going throughout the show. Greg Bradley’s style is precise and distinct without being over rehearsed. In fact, the overall sound of the band was very clear and had a great deal of personality. There was no mixing up Art of Dying’s sound with any other. Eighties aesthetic meshes with a more modern sensibility nicely in this little four man band. I found art of dying to be a great opener for Shinedown, as their sound complemented Shinedown’s well

Shinedown (5/6):

 Shinedown continually brings a powerhouse of emotional content ranging from the highflying “Amaryllis” to the cutthroat “Devour” and the quiet pain in  “45.”  Vocalist and lyricist Brent Smith gives all  of himself to his music and it shows. His energy matches his graciousness in its boundlessness.  He is wonderful to both his fans and his band mates; you can really see how much Smith understands that the band is a unit, not simply a vehicle for the front man.  It was especially fun to see his dynamic with guitarist Zach Myers. It is apparent that these two have been working together for a very long time and share a strong chemistry that is a rare treat in the rock world.

Myers is a showman in his own right.  With his clean-cut hair and pretty-boy face, Myer’s bold power scream vocals are quite a surprise. His guitar work is powerful and occasionally sassy. Myers also has an innate understanding of how to place himself on stage and, as mentioned above, has a wonderful dynamic with his band mates.

On the whole, Shinedown continues to bring a fierce, engaging show and a professionalism that a lot of artists simply lack.  I cannot wait to see them again. 

3000 Views!

Happy 3000 views to the Haven! I remember when seven views was a lot. I wish I could do something fun to thank you guys for the over three and a half years of support. 

Next up: 

Shinedown with The Art of Dying at the House of Blues Chicago. 

Road Trip Show: Coheed and Cambria with Moving Mountains and Pianos Become Teeth at The Canopy Club in Champaign, IL

Venue (3.5/6): The Canopy Club is my kind of venue. It’s small enough to be cozy but large enough to be a proper crowd. It is neither the nicest, nor the cleanest of venues, though it is far from disgusting. It has its own character and charm. The majority of the space is standing room, but it has a balcony for those who want to sit. The layout was comfortable with ample access to bars and merch.  The floor was also divided in such a way as to keep the pit crowd from running up against those who wanted to stand but not mosh.   This was my second time at The Canopy Club and both times I had a perfect line of sight to the stage. It was nice and intimate.

Where The Canopy Club loses points is the horrid sound system.  While it’s not the worst I’ve heard, it is very unforgiving especially on the vocals and produces a lot of noise.

Overall, it’s a fun venue with an intimate, comfortable feel.

The Show:

Opener, the First: Pianos Become Teeth (1/6)— Oh Gods. I think these guys  are the worst live act I’ve seen. The one point they earned is for the drummer who, despite his other band-mates' complete lack of talent, was actually decent.  I retract any statement I’ve made about screamo not needing talent to be decent.  This was noise.  The front man didn’t even have a strong scream and seemed to be either drunk or high out of his mind.  Being smashed isn’t a problem usually, however it impeded his already tenuous ability to preform. I spent the parts of the show wondering if he was going to simply stager and fall right over.  The screaming was just drunk screeching, not the guttural screams that make scream work.  And the back-up vocals were just as bad.  The guitar work was fair at best and the bass work was just wretched. Despite my usual desire to encourage younger bands I ended up actually falling asleep on my feet during this set.

I took a glance at their album work, as many younger bands don’t preform as well live as recorded.  It was better, however, it was still horrible.

Opener, the second: Moving Mountains (3/6)– In the wake of Pianos Become Teeth’s performance, all Moving Mountains had to do was show up and tune their instruments to be an improvement.  They had a very professional, yet still eager attitude toward performing.  All told they were solid. Front man[dude] has a good scream and still mange’s to make the melodies distinct. The one that surprised me was when their hither to subdued bassist let out an eagle-like scream.   They made a good effort to keep their sound solid and get the crowd moving.

All told decent.

Headliner: Coheed And Cambria. (5/6)– Coheed and Cambria is the band that set the bar in my book for top live show. From how articulate front man Claudio Sanchez is to the technically astonishing guitar work and brilliant stage presence, Coheed and Cambria brings a level of showmanship and talent not seen in many artists.  Sanchez has innate confidence but has a willingness to share the spotlight with his band mates and a young lady who I suspect is his wife. He also has a very strong relationship with the fans and knows exactly how to work with the crowd while not slacking off on performing.  In addition to his phenomenal vocal work Sanchez has a gift for guitar work.  The majority of artists I’ve seen who both play and do vocals stick to rhythm guitar as it is much simpler to do when sinning. Not so with Sanchez, he does a great deal of the lead guitar exquisitely.

Guitarist Travis Stever is a marvel in his own right.  He can do things with guitar work that I didn’t know were possible. He is amazingly talented and brings his own magic to the show. His backing vocals also complement Sanchez’s own tenor voice lending an ethereal quality to their overall sound.

Their energy and sound are always amazing to experience. A Coheed And Cambria show is unlike anything else I’ve seen.