As I got off the metro I was feelin' pretty good, then I saw the line to get will call. Sigh. It was about 7:10, when Wings Denied was supposed to go on, and I was in the line long enough to miss their whole 20 minute or so set. sigh. There were a lot of ppl in line buying tickets for future shows, which kind of annoyed me, why u buy when I wanna get in!!?? I was denied wings again.
It was pretty empty until Darkest Hour or so. And even then it seemed like only a few hundred people were there. The balcony was pretty empty, which I have rarely seen- I could have had my perch up there instead of up on the rail. I could have just gotten a ticket at the door. OH WELL.
Merch wise- All That Remains had shirts ($20), their latest CD ($10, not bad), and something else. Wilson at least had a CD. I think Darkest Hour had shirts too. I didn't find anything that interesting apart from the ATR shirt had crossed AKs instead of ARs.
The pretty badly named Wilson was the first band I saw this night, they kind of nonchalantly just started playing, which gave my ears a start, as I was up on the rail/ front two rows for the entire show, somehow (thanks Chris!). They had kind of a hipster/beard look to them, but were pretty heavy and energetic. I dunno if it was because I was too close or what, but their vocals were a mess. They were rather entertaining to watch, the vocalist and the bassist in particular- jumping around and what have you. They seemed rather straight ahead blend of metalcore (minus clean vox) and fuzzy stoner rock, but more aggressive and loud. I don't know why they are named Wilson, but they were neither horrible nor great. Not a bad opener, but I would have rather seen Wings Denied. The crowd was not very active for them, and refused to comply with any circle pit demands. Also, at the end the singer came out to the crowd with a big marching band drum strapped to himself, banging it. I was surprised he didn't try to start a marching band circle pit or something.
Darkest Hour, who I had seen last with Killswitch Engage, was up next. I think that I was too close, because last time I recall there were more obvious guitars. I did pick out a few solos that were very good, but the vocalist again was not doing it for me. But the crowd started to come alive during their set, and we saw some pits, so that was good. I think I should have tried a song or 2 from further back, but oh well. Not bad, as I was headbanging a little during their set. Chris noticed that they had one more song on their setlist ("Demon(s)") that they didn't play, for whatever reason. He also snagged the setlist. Not a bad warm up for All That Remains, but I just don't know enough of their songs slash was too close to get too much greatness out of them.
All That Remains last played in December, and I had a great time. I kind of knew what I was in for setlist wise (and probably set length wise) at this show, so I didn't have too many reservations about that. All That Remains came on the the House of Pain song "Jump Around" for some reason, then continuously played with only a couple breaks! Their setlist order was a bit jumbled from last time, which was interesting, but I don't think it flowed as well as it could have. The set also slowed down a bit for their ballads ("What if...", "Asking.."), moreso than last time, despite those songs also being paired then as well. But still they played all their hits, so I think most fans would not really be complaining. I again wanted to hear "Won't Go Quietly" with the killer solos, but it was not to be. They sounded pretty good, but I think I again was too close. They def sounded the best out of all the bands this evening.
Along with the odd set order, there were a couple 'dead' spots where there was no noise and the band (minus the drummer) left the stage. There were also some odd points where they piped in the intros to some songs (despite them being guitars?) like "...Ages" and "...Tremble." That didn't seem to make much sense to me at all... why not play that live? It's not like you guys are Witnersun and need 20 laptops. The bassist, miss Jeanne Sagan, did backing vocals and growls for Vocalist/frontman Philip Labonte (in his shorts n ball cap like always). She seemed a bit more obvious and noticeable (maybe because I was up front this time), and seemed to provide a more rounded sound. Oli Herbert, lead guitarist, still was the highlight of the show for me, with his mountain man beard, shredding (well, for metalcore), and rock moves (even a David Lee Roth like kick at one point) and posing made me think of hair bands. Not to mention the very 'metal cowboy esque' ballad moments (thanks Chris!). Mike Martin, the rhythm guitarist, wore his Hulkamania shirt and looked ripped while... keeping the beat. I think he might have done a lead or 2, but they didn't let him do very much and I kind of forgot about him. Speaking of forgetting about-> drummer Jason Costa looked like he was effortlessly playing, and I don't think he missed a beat.
The crowd was pretty tame, but there were some pits (tho we were insulated by a literal wall of Asians right behind us) and maybe 3 crowd surfers. I don't know if it was because it was a Wednesday, or if there were more 'mainstream' fans, or what, but I was expecting a rowdier bunch. I am kind of glad there were not many surfers, because I really didn't want to have to deal with dodging feets. But they were pretty loud and cheering- with sing alongs during their most popular songs (especially the ballad fest "..Nothing"). I have to remember if these guys headline on a weekday around here I don't have to buy a ticket in advance. I'm glad that I went to hang with friends and see All That Remains but I think I should have drove instead. OH WELL.
Overall: a fun time, seeing a band I'd not seen before, and a couple of others again. Experiencing a somewhat decently attended show from the front rail (for 90% of the show) was pretty interesting too. Hey, I gotta have me some metalcore from time to time.
Next show: Jeffery Walker and the Carcasses at the FIllmore
Photos:
Merch
Wilson
Darkest Hour
ALL THAT REMAINS II- Mike n Oli
ATR- Jeanne and co
ATR Phil
ATR groups
ATR IV
End of the ATR set
Setlists:
Wilson (7:47- 8:14)
- ?Fire
- If You Ever Leave I Will Find You
- Better Off (Strictly Doods)
- Viking Pussies Fuck Off
- I Can Beat Your Dad
- Susan Jane
- Snake Eyes
Darkest Hour (8:30- 9:05)
- Savor the Kill
- A Paradox With Flies
- The Rapture In Exile (new)
- Love as a Weapon
- ?Misery
- Violent By Nature
- Convalescence
- With a Thousand Words to Say But One
(Demon(s) was before 1000 on the setlist, but crossed out)
All That Remains (9:43-10:41)
- The Air That I Breathe
- Stand Up
- Now Let Them Tremble
- For We Are Many
- Forever in your Hands
- Some of the People, All of the Time
- What If I Was Nothing?
- Asking Too Much
- Six
- Down Through the Ages
- This Darkened Heart
- Hold On
- The Last Time
- This Calling
- Two Weeks
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