Atreyu,
Unearth, Norma Jean, Scars of Tomorrow @ HOB - Feb 10,
2004
Hardcore isn't so underground anymore.
Four of today's biggest names in
heavy music took the stage at the House of Blues on
February 10 and played to a sold-out crowd of Myspacers
and metal fans. The aforementioned Myspace, word-of-mouth,
major-label record deals and MTV2 have brought the
evening's bands loads of new fans and supporters,
as well as a buzz that is worthy of the youth of today's
attention.
Scars of Tomorrow opened the show
with their set of down-tuned chug-metal songs that
mosh enthusiasts love so much. The band is used to
playing smaller, more intimate venues, so there was
a physical and energetic distance between Scars and
the audience. Most people, save for the ones that
keep up with underground music, didn't get Scars of
Tomorrow. They're a band that goes beyond art and
music and focuses more on the idea of true hardcore.
To Scars, their music is a medium for their message.
A quick read through the lyrics and liner notes of
SOT's latest, Rope Tied To The Trigger, and you will
get the message.
Next up was Norma Jean. With a
brand new singer and some brand new tunes, they played
a fantastic set, displaying a new found energy that
was a bit lacking in previous trips to Vegas. Their
live show has been increasingly entertaining with
each visit, and this was no exception. Vocalist Cory
Brandan roamed the stage like a pissed-off caged animal,
and had the pipes to match. Half of their set consisted
of old songs from 2002's Bless The Martyr and Kiss
The Child, and the other half from the new record,
O God, The Aftermath, due out March 1st. Like Scars
of Tomorrow, Norma Jean is used to the smaller venues,
but they didn't let that stop them from completely
wowing everybody that witnessed their set.
A good number of people in the
audience knew what was going to happen when Unearth
took the stage. Others waited innocently, unaware
of the pandemonium they were about to endure. The
lights dimmed, the curtain opened, and the crowd went
wild (in every sense of the word). The band started
off with The Great Dividers from their new album,
The Oncoming Storm, and continued to play tunes that
kept the kids rowdy. Two songs from 2001's Sting Of
Conscience kept the energy going, and it wasn't about
to slow down. The audience was having a blast, and
it was more than obvious that the band was having
just as much fun onstage. Unearth's live show is extremely
powerful, much like that of Pantera in the mid/late
90's. With music so technical, energetic, and fun,
it is a certainty that Unearth will continue to win
over fans as this tour and their career continues.
As Atreyu walked on stage in matching
white attire, an old-school fan could be heard saying,
"This band has officially sold out." How
could anyone blame them? The band held everyone's
attention from the first note, and continued to play
through fan favorites like Someone's Standing On My
Chest and Living Each Day Like You're Already Dead,
as well as Right Side Of The Bed, their first single
from The Curse. Their perfectly choreographed on-stage
antics kept the new fans mesmerized and the older
ones scratching their heads. The energy between the
band and the audience was much different from that
of the openers: it wasn't about moshing or karate-style
hardcore dancing. It was almost like watching an 80's
era Bon Jovi-esque mega band. They put on a show both
visually and musically, which is rare with a band
so young. To strengthen the mega band connection,
the band covered You Give Love A Bad Name for the
encore, and had most everyone in the house singing
along. "Sold out" is probably not the proper
term to describe Atreyu; they are just more marketable
to the youngsters of America (and the floor was crawling
with them) than the opening bands.
It is strange to see so many people
at a show that could have happened two years ago with
twenty people in attendance (and obviously at a much
smaller venue). Even after the exposure on MTV2 and
the major-label record deals, these bands show no
signs of celebrity. Being honest and down to earth
with fans is a consistent characteristic with hardcore
bands, and there was a sense of kinship between the
audience and all of the musicians that played on stage.
Hardcore may no longer be 'underground,' but there
is still a glimmer of passion that shines through
the music.
Especially Unearth.
-Travis Naegle
The Hives with Zeke & The Bronx
At the Joint
January 15th, 20055
By Omar Lopez
Every once in a while someone
will put a show together that will raise a couple
of eyebrows, this was one of them. These bands were
oddly matched, to say the least, and the crowd made
that division obvious. Of course the Hives were the
main attraction drawing in plenty of middle school
and high school kids, but there was also plenty of
30 somethings and 40 somethings in there, which made
me. The 20 something, a minority…..strange.
On one end of the spectrum you
have the bright, happy fellows that are The Hives,
on the other end, the super fast, grunting and animalistic
ZEKE. Somewhere in the middle of all this is The Bronx,
which meant they were up first, oddly enough.
Las Vegas was lucky enough to
be the first place that The Bronx played at for the
new year, but looking around The Joint, you wouldn’t
know that. For some reason no one knew who they were.
their self titled release last year (Ferret Records
imprint White Drugs,which they run) is probably one
of the best sounding records of last year, so I was
happty to see them. They did not disappoint, tearing
through the numbed crowd from the start when they
opened up with “Heart Attack American.”
It was like lighting a fuse on a pack of Black Cat
firecrackers, as soon as the crowd heard what The
Bronx came to do, they totally got into it. They finished
up their set and walked off stage with a bunch of
new fans I’m sure of that.
After a decent pause between bands,
ZEKE took the stage and exploded with their “1-2-3-4!!”
brand of speed and stoner rock, which had much promise
after the first song but quickly died down when the
crowd slowly started to realize they weren’t
digging it. ZEKE had nothing to prove that night,
or any other night for that matter, but trying to
get this crowd to understand the talent of the band
before them was like trying to tell a 14 year old
how important Motorhead and D.R.I. were in the eighties,
it just wasn’t happening. ZEKE finished up and
got off stage to many people’s delight; this
just wasn’t the proper crowd.
Last but not any time soon,
due to the fact that it took them almost 1 hour to
take the stage, were The Hives. What the hell is the
matter with bands needing so much time to get onstage
when all of their gear has been sitting up there ready
to go since the opening act? Anyway, cynics like me
were getting ready to rip every aspect of their performance
apart from the get go, after all they are a one hit
wonder, right? Wrong. The Hives put on an incredible
performance, decked out in Swedish accents and matching
ultra-white suits, they owned that show. Playing just
about all of their material, frontman Pelle Almqvist,
who is is indeed Mick Jagger reincarnate, struck all
the right poses and spouted off funny banter, the
crowd devoured it. Of course the hits went over the
best, but ANYTHING these guys did up there would’ve
gone over well. It just goes to show that proper suits
and genuine energy(not the lame ass fake anger that
most bands today fully embrace) can go a long way.
