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.

Music as a Weapon Tour Assaults Winston Salem, NC

It may have been a cold and windy day in February, but it was about to heat up as the Music as a Weapon 5 tour pulled into Winston Salem, NC. A sea of black t-shirts congregated in front of the Lawrence Joel Sports Annex as the fans began to line up to claim their spots when the doors opened. The tour, consisting of co-headliners Korn and Disturbed along with Sevendust and In This Moment, has been drawing impressive numbers along the way so far and tonight’s show looked to follow suit.
Monster Energy Drink, the sponsor of the tour, was on hand for the show with their mobile unit parked out front. Their crew was giving away free drinks to anyone who ventured up too their tent outside. There’s nothing like getting a bunch of anxious head bangers all jacked up on energy drinks before a show! The doors opened at 6:30 and a mad dash ensued for not only the general admission floor spots, but also for the bathrooms!

In This Moment were first to hit the stage. The band, fronted by Revolver’s Hottest Chick in Metal Maria Brink, have been touring relentlessly since 2005 and establishing a very loyal fan base. Their five song set, focusing solely on their newest CD “A Star Crossed Wasteland”, was a full on assault. Maria seemed to be having some audio problems at the start, which did prove to be distracting for her, but she managed to keep it together like a pro. The crowd was definitely full of new recruits into their Iron Army. Their set closed with “Welcome to The Gun show” and a full moshpit erupted as bodies started to fly everywhere. This was my first time seeing In This Moment on a big stage and I have to say that they seemed right at home.

Sevendust were up next and fed off of the energy that In This Moment drummed up in the crowd. Lead singer Lajon Witherspoon took the stage with a vengeance and from the opening notes of “Splinter”, he had a chokehold on the hungry fans. The band sounded tight and marched through staples such as “Driven” and “Black”. Their short, but intense, 30 minute set ended with “Face to Face” and left the crowd hungry for more.

This proved to be the perfect set-up for Disturbed, who had a strong following in the building by turnout of t-shirt support alone. David Draiman, lead singer, may not prove to be the most charismatic person on stage, but he knows how to deliver the goods to the crowd of followers. The band, who’s last four CDs have debuted at number one, sounded great and the lightshow was top notch. They blitzed through their hour long set with very little interaction with the crowd. “Remnants” followed by “Asylum” followed by “Stupify”, one hit right after the other. It barely gave the crowd time to catch its own breath. The kamikaze style set closed with their signature hit “Sickness”. One argument heard about the band is that their sound has definitely been well crafted, but it’s beginning to sound a bit repetitious. It may be time to freshen up things just a bit.

It was Korn’s turn to close out the show, as they take turns with Disturbed alternating that coveted spot. The originators of the “nu-metal” sound, Korn has seen a lot of wannabes pop up in their career of almost 20 years. Their showing tonight proved why they have lasted for so long and earned the respect of many in the crowd. Lead singer Jonathan Davis may not look the part of the traditional front man, but the man has got the skills to fill the shoes and get the job done.

Davis, along with Munky on guitar and Fieldy on bass, controlled the stage front with their unique presence. Munky, looking somewhat like a cross between Prince and Adam Ant with his face paint and attire was a beast on guitar. Fieldy wielded his bass more as a weapon than an instrument of sound as he pounded away on it. Davis came out dressed more for a run at the gym than a rock show, but that’s the beauty of this front man. He doesn’t need all the props and fancy gimmicks used by some; substance over style.

I admit that a lot of people that I spoke with before the show were not very interested in seeing Korn perform. I heard a lot of comments such as “They use to be good”, “They suck” and “Maybe 10 years ago, but not tonight” when I talked to some of the crowd before the show. Well, Davis and company made believers out of these doubters with their high energy hour plus set of old and new songs. Most of the staple songs were there, “Freak on a Leash”, Twisted Transitor”, “Ya’ll Want a Single” and “Blind” kept the rabid crowd head banging along. Davis even brought out the bagpipes for “Shoots and Ladders” which turned into a mash-up of sorts with Metallica’s “One”. Are Korn closet Glee fans?

The band ended the show by coming out to center stage and tossing shirts, guitar picks, drum sticks and drum heads out into the audience. I will admit that I was highly impressed with their set. Yes, it could have been a little longer so that a few more of their signature songs could have been included. That being said, the entire show was a treat. The Music as a Weapon Tour focused this year n smaller markets that may not necessarily get shows of this caliber. Here’s hoping to its continued success in bringing music like this to the masses.