Musical Moments #13

Date: September 8, 2013
Venue: The Zoo Amphitheater, OKC
Lineup: We As Human
              In This Moment
              Papa Roach
              Skillet
              Shinedown

Musical Moments #12

Suppose I ought to dust this thing off a bit, maybe.

I'm going to preface this by giving a shout out to Rock 100.5 The KATT - without their ticket contest, I wouldn't have made it to this show at all. Winning sure does feel good, for a change.

Moving on...

The Date: April 4, 2013
The Venue: The Diamond Ballroom

The Line-up:
Candlelight Red
Lacuna Coil
Coal Chamber
Sevendust

Candlelight Red wasn't bad for an opener. I didn't find any of their music super compelling, but that's not to say it isn't good. I wasn't familiar with them going in, and I don't find myself aching to learn more after coming out. But I'm not you, so don't take my word for it.
As for stage presence, I got the "new band" vibe from them pretty strongly...too much attempting to amp up the crowd without quite enough energy to back it up.

That said, the mosh pit and crowd surfing had started by the time Lacuna Coil took the stage.


I'm not going to pretend that these little excerpts are actually unbiased - I have a penchant for girls who can rock any form of musical instrument (that includes the voice, for those keeping tabs.)
Thus you might imagine that I would do dirty, dirty thing with Cristina Scabbia, given the opportunity. You would not be wrong.

I've seen Lacuna Coil before, and I confess to preferring them at smaller venues. I don't really know why...something about their stage presence just seriously shines when you can see them clearly, I guess.
This set drew pretty heavily from Dark Adrenaline, and I was perfectly happy with that. If you haven't given Lacuna Coil a listen in awhile, you're missing out. Their sound has done nothing but evolve and improve as time has passed, as far as I'm concerned.


Coal Chamber coming out of retirement...
You know, I'm not sure if time had softened my memory of them or what, but I was -not- ready for the level of energy they brought to the venue. In a phrase? Holy. Shit.
I was near the front for their set, and I've got the bruises to prove it. I seriously did not remember Coal Chamber being that -aggressively- metal. But they have certainly not lost their touch.

Coal Chamber says to the nonbelievers? "Don't Fuck With Me."
(If you don't know the reference, go listen to some damn Coal Chamber.)


Sevendust.
I've seen them before, at Edgefest in Little Rock. They surprised me then - having not seen them before, I wasn't prepared to headbang so damn hard.
Well, this time I was prepared. They introduced their new album during this show - Black Out the Sun - and it kicks some serious ass. That basically sums up their set - kicked some serious ass. I was pleased to see the Ballroom as crowded as it was by that point, especially for a metal show.

Closing thoughts: go listen to some good headbanging music. If you can't think of any, try Coal Chamber or Sevendust. If you love female-fronted metal/rock groups, dig in to some Lacuna Coil.

And don't forget to support live music, whether it's your cup of tea or not.

Musical Moments #11

The lineup: the Trans-Siberian Orchestra
The venue: Chesapeake Energy Arena, OKC.

I've been a pretty avid fan of the TSO for a long time now.
I'll freely admit to being pleased that they decided to roll out a "new" show this year. I highlight new because the album it is based on has been around awhile...they've just not played the story based on said album.

For those of you who haven't or won't be seeing them this year, that album is "The Lost Christmas Eve."
I'll warn you right now, it is -much- darker than their previous story, and certainly not for everyone.

That said, I like it more. I prefer the music from it and the story has always gotten to me more than "Christmas Eve and Other Stories." Which is not to say I don't enjoy the hell out of CEaOS...so I understand if this show isn't your cup of tea.

Highlights? Well, if you haven't seen the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, you should know this:
It's worth the money just for the story/drama.
It's worth the money just for the light show/pyrotechnics.
It's worth the money just for the music.

Getting all three is a lot like a Christmas present. ;)

Along those lines, the first half of the show is a Christmas story sort of thing. Some may argue about the religious subtexts of it - frankly I don't give a shit. The story is good and the storytelling is spectacular. If you buy tickets to a Christmas concert and get pissy about religious subtexts, the issue is not with the show - and that's all I'll say about that.

The second half is a good old rock concert with all the fixins. Ridiculous riffs, stupendous solos, and lots and lots of laser lights.

I'm comfortable with this sort of concert as a tradition, a show to be relied upon to appear around the same time of year, every year - regardless of whether the band members change/move on/etc.

As for my favorite songs, you ask?
Christmas Nights in Blue
The Lost Christmas Eve
What is Christmas
etc
etc

I would really be able to give a more thorough review of this group if I had the chance to see one of their spring shows...less of a quota of Christmasyness to be met.
With that in mind, much as I loathe commercialized holidays, I confess to being put in a Christmas sort of mood by their shows. You might find yourself saying the same.

- C

Musical Moments #10

Alright, it's my customary week-late concert review.
This time, we're talking about 100.5 the Katt's annual "Wreck the Halls" show for 2012.

The lineup: Aranda, Ten Years, Chevelle.
The venue: The Diamond Ballroom, OKC.

I'm going to start off by frankly saying any of these bands could headline their own show and I'd be happy. That makes for a potentially pretty awesome show.

...and it was.

The venue sold out, which will make this the second show in a row I've seen there that sold out. Good work on that. Again, they had us park in the back, which annoys me...but it wasn't as bad without the rain and mud from the last Ballroom fiasco. They at least had the courtesy to throw down enough gravel to make the back lot drive-able. 

Aranda opened - and good for them. I'm rather pleased that this local act is getting recognized for the talented group they are. They set a nice energy level for the whole show and played a very full set. I prefer 3-band lineups for precisely that reason...gives everyone more of a chance to produce a well-rounded set.
 I confess to being a little disappointed that they didn't play "The Rest of My Life," but I'll live. "Whyyawannabringmedown" stole the show, as far as solos are concerned. It's hard to compete with Das Boot. (If you see them, you'll understand.)

Ten Years followed. I forgot how much of their music I enjoy...I suspect they suffer from being rather underrated in general. Seeing them live, I forget why that might be.
They've got a great presence, and a really good grip on that "dirty" rock sound - a sound I enjoy rather thoroughly. "Wasteland" was, in a word, bad-ass...especially in a full house.

Chevelle.
First thing's first: Dat Bass. I'm sure it was a combination of the bassist and the sound tech, but the bass was satisfyingly ridiculous from start to finish of their set. Good solid vibration all the way through the air - and the body of the listener. I suppose I'm going to have to invest in good quality ear plugs before I start going deaf in a less temporary sense.
Chevelle played one hell of a set, and the energy level never really dropped. It was hot - literally - but no one seemed to care. I can't really pick out any highlight songs, because that would imply that some were less well-placed in the set than others.
I'll say this much, though - having fancy rugs on the stage (yes, I know, rugs are practical too) looked very classy. A double-encore was also very classy.

All in all this is one of the best concerts I've been to see this year. Maybe the best, who knows.

Year isn't over yet, after all. ;)

- C

(P.S. - My concert-going compatriot's massive level of excitement for this show totally made the concert even better. Just saying.)
(P.P.S. - The pictures are a bonus. I am not a photographer, and make no apologies for the quality. These things get taken with my phone camera, that's all. If you want real concert pictures, find a concert photographer like Sydney Frames.)

Musical Moments #9

After a significant delay, I figure it's time to post about the Seether concert.

First, I'm going to take a moment to thank (heavy with sarcasm) the Diamond Ballroom for forgetting that the venue is in fucking Oklahoma for the evening.
That's right, they made everyone park in a large grass lot behind the venue. It was a damp drizzle all day long, and for some mysterious reason the powers-that-be forget that WET and DIRT create MUD. Leaving that parking lot was a massive disaster and I was not pleased. For future reference try and remember basic facts of the weather, because that was fucking pathetic - especially for a sold-out show.

Musical Moments #2

Okay, I totally went to this concert -last- Saturday...but I didn't really feel like writing up my thoughts on it until now.