Blue October Shares An Emotional Night With Charlotte, NC

Blue October’s Quiet Mind Tour made a stop at the Fillmore in Charlotte, North Carolina on October 2. The band has been including this venue of many of its tours thus building a loyal and dedicated following in the area. This was the third stop on the young tour and they brought out two new rising bands in support: empires and Stars in Stereo. As the line outside the venue grew as the fans waited for the doors to open, you could feel the anticipation growing.

The night began with Stars in Stereo taking the stage. The five piece band from Los Angeles went into battle as the underdog. It has to be tough being a new band opening the show in front of a large crowd who are there to see the headliner. This group is made up of fighters and they took the stage and commanded it. They were energetic and sounded tight. They played selections from their upcoming album including their debut single “The Broken” as well as a surprising cover of Nine Inch Nails “Animal”. 

Their melodic and catchy style of rock quickly made believers out of this audience.

Lead singer Bec Hollcraft soon proved that her beauty was not the only reason that she was the lead singer of this band. Her looks are backed by a very pure and powerful voice. She also plays a pretty mean guitar up there as well. Guitarist Jordan McGraw was very animated and even took it upon himself to get to know the crowd a little better as he went crowd surfing towards the end of their set. The band definitely won the crowd over and made quite a few new fans on this particular night.

Up next was Empires. The Chicago based indie rock band may have came out of the gate a little slow, but they seemed to pick up momentum going into their second number. Lead singer Sean Van Vleet had a good stage presence and really seemed to command the crowd’s attention. They featured a few songs off of their latest album Garage Hymns. They combine a type of grunge influenced, alternative rock but have jacked it up on steroids to give it a fresher sound for today.

Then, the waiting was finally over. Justin Furstenfeld and his band of brothers, which includes his own brother Jeremy on drums, took the stage and the crowd erupted in approval. The opening chords of “What If We Could” began to ring out and the emotional ride that’s known as a Blue October show was underway. Justin looked as if he was dressed more for church than a concert in his suit and tie and hat. Then again, by nights end, it definitely felt as if we all had gone to church on this evening.

Justin informed the audience that the show was a celebration and that the band was going to be playing songs from every album that they had released. What a great treat for the fans as many bands who have been around for almost twenty years tend to stray away from certain albums. That didn’t happen on this evening as the band dusted off many fan favorites and played them again.

Songs ranged from “Italian Radio” from their first album The Answers to “The Chills” from their latest album Any Man in America. There were so many highly emotional points throughout the night. “The Worry List” was so strong and powerful, yet deeply delicate and touching.  “Let it Go” was moving as well as, my personal favorite and highlight of the night, “18^th Floor Balcony”.

The band sounded amazing, even better than on the album. I was really blown away by Ryan Delahoussaye who plays keyboards, mandolin and violin. There’s something really pure and very profound about his accompanying mandolin and violin on many of the band’s songs. At times, I felt myself closing my eyes as he was playing and truly connecting with the song that was being performed.

Justin is a rare breed in an industry of flavors of the week and manufactured stars. He is as real and as genuine as you can get. He’s an artist who feels things deeply and opens his heart and unleashes his feelings on stage. If you have ever left a concert and felt like you did not get your money’s worth, I guarantee you that will not happen at a Blue October show. It’s a treat and a priviledge to see such artistry in action.

Van Halen Dances The Night Away in Charlotte, NC

My ticket to my very first Van Halen show years ago cost me $7.00. I pointed this out to my show as I paid $10.00 just to park at their recent show in Charlotte, NC on April 25 at the Time Warner Cable Arena. We made our way into the beautiful arena and passed a large group of religious protestors outside who proceeded to tell us that we were going to burn for listening to the devil’s music. Van Halen? Seriously? I never really thought of Van Halen back then or even today as the devil’s music. I wonder if the devil plays a mean air guitar.

I have read so much negativity online for having Kool and the Gang open up on this tour. They looked and sounded great and really got the crowd in a party kind of mood. A good part of the crowd was up and dancing and really enjoying it. I think it was an excellent choice to get the crowd loosened up and ready for a night of great music and partying.

Van Halen opened the show with “Unchained” and they looked and sounded great! There was a huge video screen behind the band that seemed as big as an old drive-in theater that they utilized all night long. They mixed live footage along with pre-recorded footage and images. “Running with the Devil” was next and the crowd was up and singing the entire time.

There were some deeper cuts being played that night which included “The Full Bug” from Diver Down and “Hear About it Later” from Fair Warning. They also played a few newer tracks from their new album A Different Kind of Truth including “Tattoo” and “She’s the Woman”. The majority of the night was like a greatest hits show; “You Really Got Me”, “Beautiful Girls”, “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love” and more. There was one massive signature Van Halen song after another with no Van Hagar songs in sight.

Alex Van Halen was and still is a beast on the drums and yes, there was a short drum solo too. Wolfie Van Halen is really good on the bass, but his back-up vocals fall flat in my opinion. Michael Anthony’s signature backing vocals, which were a huge part in the early sound of Van Halen, are sorely missed in the live show. “You Really Got Me” and “Dance the Night Away” were two prime examples of that.

As far as Eddie goes, the guy is playing like a beast. I read an interview with him in which he stated the only way that he was going to tour would be if his son Wolfie was in the band. It seems to have ignited a creative fire in him and he’s playing with more intensity than he has in years. His solo was pretty incredible too! A double edged sword: I miss Michael Anthony a lot, but it’s great to see Eddie so alive again.

As far as Diamond David Lee Roth goes, there’s good and bad there. He is still Captain Charisma and knows how to work a room. His vocals weren’t what they used to be on some songs, but on others he was dead on. We were treated to a couple of splits and a couple of round house kicks too. Is it just me or is Dave looking a lot like Steve Martin these days?

Overall, it was a really good show. They ended it with”Jump” and a shower of confetti fell over the arena. I had two personal complaints about the show. One was the overuse of the same pre-recorded footage and images on the big screen. It seems like they could have prepared more than what they had because mid-way through the show, it was becoming boring. The other complaint was that I really wanted to hear “Jamie’s Crying”, “And the Cradle Will Rock” and “Drop Dead Legs”; none of which were performed. They guys may not move like they used to and the vocals have faltered a bit, but it still beats so much of the new stuff out there today.