Zilla's Concert Experiences: RBO Edition

[Zilla2112]

The Australian Pink Floyd Show
Artpark
July 21, 2015

Astronomy Domine
Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts I-V)
Welcome to the Machine
Have a Cigar
Wish You Were Here
Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts VI-IX)
The Happiest Days of Our Lives
Another Brick in the Wall Part 2
In the Flesh?
Learning to Fly
Time
Breathe (Reprise)
The Great Gig in the Sky
Money
Young Lust
One of These Days
Comfortably Numb
Louder Than Words
Run Like Hell






For this concert, my balla Zac got himself and I front of stage tickets to see the Australian Pink Floyd Show! Though I had seen this band perform at the UB Center for the Arts a year prior, Zac had not seen this band. In previous Artpark years, The Machine was the Pink Floyd tribute band that played every year, and they were solid. For this year, they got replaced with Australian Pink Floyd, and I ultimately believe it was the right decision. Zac and I went to Artpark, got some dinner and Mike's Harder Lemonade (since I finally turned 21, woo hoo!), and went to the exclusive standing area. We chatted a ton, of course, and Zac also ran into his coworkers at the local newspaper that was covering the concert.

Once Australian Pink Floyd took the stage, we were in for an awesome night of music, lights, and visuals! The band kicked off the show with "Astronomy Domine" from the Syd Barrett days, an unique choice for an opener that worked quite well. After that, the band played the entire album dedicated to Syd, 'Wish You Were Here,' in its entirety, and it was absolutely phenomenal! Being my favorite Pink Floyd album, they captured every moment beautifully. The rest of their set consisted of all of the excellent Pink Floyd hits, including "Another Brick in the Wall Pt. 2", "Time", "Money" and "Comfortably Numb".

What made this show and the previous show amazing is the attention to detail put into recreating these legendary Pink Floyd songs, as well as the concert experience. Not only did this band consist of the core instruments of guitar, drums, bass, and keyboards, but there was also a trio of female vocalists (perfect for "The Great Gig in the Sky") and a saxophone player, allowing for the 'Wish You Were Here' album to truly "shine." The Machine lacked this, which was particularly evident when they played "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" and replaced the sax solos with less fitting synth solos. The Machine had a killer laser light show (which unfortunately, I was never close enough to appreciate), but Australian Pink Floyd had the awesome combination of a laser show and a circular screen, reminiscent of the Pulse Division Bell tour. The giant inflatable kangaroo also made a reappearance, dancing along to "One of These Days."

After playing the incredible "Comfortably Numb," the Australian Pink Floyd band closed their set with one of the new Pink Floyd songs, "Louder Than Words." When I had last seen the Australian Pink Floyd Show, the song came out literally one day before I saw the band. I was wondering if they would play any of the new material at this show, and I am glad that they picked the best song from the album to play. The show concluded with the same energetic closer they played at the last show, "Run Like Hell". Overall, I was very satisfied by the Australian Pink Floyd Show once again. The performances were just as remarkable, and the setlist was improved from the last time as well. Other than switching "Learning to Fly" with "Us and Them", this was a perfect representation of the brilliant artistry of Pink Floyd, and I hope to see this band perform again in the coming years.

[Zilla2112]

Between the Buried and Me
with Animals as Leaders and The Contortionist

Town Ballroom
August 6, 2015

Between the Buried and Me:

Selkies: The Endless Obsession
The Coma Machine
Astral Body
Lay Your Ghosts to Rest
Memory Palace
Famine Wolf
Ants of the Sky
White Walls

Animals as Leaders:

Tooth and Claw
Nephele
Lippincott
Physical Education
Para Mexer
Another Year
Ka$cade
Mind-Spun
The Woven Web
CAFO

The Contortionist:

Intro
Holomovement
Flourish
Primordial Sound
Thrive
Solipsis
Language I: Intuition
Language II: Conspire









This combination of one of my favorite bands with my favorite live music venue resulted in a truly epic evening! I had seen Between the Buried and Me twice already before this show, so I knew what to expect from them: incredible musicianship and a thrilling live performance. However, I had seen them at the now-defunct Club Infinity, which lacked the multi-level standing room that the Town Ballroom has. My dad, Zac and I were able to find the perfect standing room right on the railing on the first level up from the floor, giving us a perfect view of the bands. In addition, I managed to run into the bass player of my band Flight of Five, John, before BTBAM started. He was on the floor, moshing and having an awesome time.

What made this show truly awesome were the fantastic opening bands! In prior BTBAM concerts, the openers (with the exception of The Ocean Collective) were rather lackluster when compared to the headlining BTBAM. However, for this tour, BTBAM toured with two incredibly fitting opening bands that kept the entire show thrilling throughout: Animals as Leaders and The Contortionist. Years back, I missed out on the opportunity to see Animals as Leaders and Last Chance to Reason perform because Devin Townsend was playing a show the same night in Rochester. I had absolutely made the right choice, as I would not only see Animals as Leaders this time, but the vocalist from The Contortionist, Michael Lessard, was previously in Last Chance to Reason!

The Contortionist opened the show with a fascinating blend of deathcore and jazz fusion, full of intricate musical passages and intense breakdowns. Much of their material consisted of songs from their newest release, 'Language', which is a more progressive, laid-back album when compared to their earlier efforts. The moods and atmospheres from the studio album were perfectly recreated in the live show, with exceptional performances from all of the band members. The Contortionist did play a few songs from their earlier albums, which were much heavier and better suited for moshing and head-banging.

Animals as Leaders followed, and they too put on an excellent show! Unlike the other bands, Animals as Leaders does not have a vocalist, specializing in technical instrumental metal pieces. Combining the heavy grooves of djent with incredible guitar shredding, Animals as Leaders created the happiest, most upbeat moshing that I had experienced in a live show. The crowd was very active, moshing and bouncing up and down all throughout their set. Tosin Abasi, the lead guitarist and mastermind of Animals as Leaders, displayed his technical mastery of the 8-string guitar, playing intricate patterns and complicated sweeping passages. The backing band of Javier Reyes and Matt Garstka played perfectly as well, allowing plenty of room for Abasi to shine. In addition, it is interesting to note that Animals as Leaders does not have a bass player, and they do not need one due to the prominent use of 8-string guitars. Almost all of the material played was from the newest album, 'The Joy of Motion', though the band did play crowd favorite "CAFO" to much applause from their self-titled debut.

Once Animals as Leaders finished and after a short break, Between the Buried and Me finally took the stage, opening with the fan-favorite "Selkies: The Endless Obsession". The band was just as tight as ever, playing every complicated section with fine technical precision. Since this was the 'Coma Ecliptic' tour, the band played a number of new songs from this new album, which showcased the band's more melodic side. Tommy Rogers was singing a lot more at this show, and he sounded really good throughout, though he did not abandon his screaming and growled vocals either. The performance was accompanied by a really cool light show, with the circular centerpiece being oddly reminiscent of the one I saw at the Australian Pink Floyd show just a few weeks earlier. I was most pleased to hear "Ants of the Sky" and "White Walls" from 'Colors', my favorite BTBAM album, especially as I somehow had missed out on hearing "White Walls" both of the times I saw the band in the past. All of the band members played with high energy, though as a drummer, I most appreciated the tasty and technical drumming of Blake Richardson.

Overall, this concert was astounding and one of my favorite concerts I have attended. It certainly was the best overall show I saw with Between the Buried and Me, as the opening bands were both thoroughly entertaining in their own unique ways. Animals as Leaders and The Contortionist were so good that I had to purchase their newest albums after the show (though I got them online since I didn't want to wait in line after the show). I am very thankful for this opportunity to see these three amazing bands, and I hope I have an opportunity in the future to see one or all of them again.

[Zilla2112]

Mick Hayes
with The D|ave DiGiacomo Group

Mark Studios
August 22, 2015

For this Mark Studios party, I got to see Mick Hayes perform with his trio, the same line-up that was at the Deep Purple show. It was really cool to be able to meet Mick and his band, as well as hear them play more material than the 30+ minutes they played at Artpark. Mick Hayes' voice sounded great and his bluesy guitar playing stole the show! Like usual, a Mark Studios party has to have a delicious pig roast and Swedish meatballs, and they were delicious! Since they were so good the past two years, The D|ave DiGiacomo Group returned to play jazz pieces in between Mick's sets. Overall, I had a really fun, relaxing time at this Mark Studios party, and I look forward to the parties in the years to come!