Zilla's Concert Experiences: RBO Edition

[Zilla2112]

After Dark's Winter Rager
with Through the Hourglass, Amputecht, Visions of an Empire, Shroud of Turin, Worst Comes to Worst, The Creator the Architect, and Woodhaven

Xtreme Wheels
December 28th, 2012

(No setlists or videos available)

The day after I went to see Trans-Siberian Orchestra, I went to this mini metal festival consisting entirely of local bands. My friend Meg invited me since she was close friends with the vocalist of Shroud of Turin, yet was completely unfamiliar with metal culture. The venue the event was held in was Xtreme Wheels, an indoor skate park that I had never been to before. While most of the area consisted of the skate park, there was a stage set up, as well as concessions and various other areas.

After some waiting and a small snack of pizza, the first band was Through the Hourglass. Since there was only a small crowd, I was able to stand right next to the stage (of course, with my wonderful earplugs). They were pretty typical deathcore fare: fun, but nothing exciting. After them was Amputecht, a pretty cool band. I met the singer before at UB, and I got to talk to him before the show too. Unlike the other bands, Amputecht had progressive influences and used clean vocals a fair amount. It's a shame I couldn't hear the second guitarist due to my proximity to the guitar monitor.

The next band was Visions of an Empire (I believe), and they were typical deathcore as well. Then came Shroud of Turin, who were pretty good as well. While they fit the metalcore meld well, they were a lot tighter than the other bands, and their riffs and vocals were a lot better. Once they were done, Meg and I left, since she saw the band she wanted to see and the rest of the bands seemed like they would be more of the same.

This was definitely a good show, and while it was nothing amazing, it was worth the $10 admission for sure. This was officially my last show of the year, and hopefully, 2013 will bring some amazing concerts (and hopefully, I'll be able to take my girlfriend Alexis to them too!)

[Zilla2112]

Between the Buried and Me
with The Donner Party and Idle Satellites

Club Infinity
February 6, 2013

Astral Body
Lay Your Ghosts to Rest
Ants of the Sky
Prequel to the Sequel
Extremophile Elite
Disease, Injury, Madness
Telos
Selkies: The Endless Obsession



Wow, it took me a while to type this up, heh. My second time seeing Between the Buried and Me was awesome! Before I went to the concert, I made the decision to miss a part of my law class, which starts at 7 on Wednesdays and goes on until around 9 or so. I left at about 8:30, giving me and my dad enough time to get to Club Infinity and be able to see all of BTBAM's performance.

We got there, and while we had to walk a bit since the place was pretty packed, we definitely got there on time: Idle Satellites (I think) was still performing. They were pretty good, but not too memorable. Once they got finished, I had some chicken fingers and bleu cheese, a yummy combo!

BTBAM started up shortly after, opening with some weird intro that led into Astral Body off of The Parallax II. The first major difference from the last show was the new light show BTBAM had: it was definitely an improvement from the basic lighting they were using beforehand.

BTBAM was consistently as good as they were the first time I saw them! They played a variety of tracks from The Parallax II, but also some awesome stuff from Alaska, Colors, and The Great Misdirect. All of the members proved their virtuosity on their respective instruments: Blake, nailing the fills and complicated drum patterns throughout the show, Dan, playing that awesome solo on "Disease, Injury, Madness", Paul and Dustie, trading off guitar solos on "Ants of the Sky" , and Tommy, screaming like a motherfucker before singing the melodies pretty damn well.

Was it worth missing 15 minutes of class to see BTBAM again? Hell yeah! I'd definitely see them the next time they come around, considering how consistently good they are. I won't be surprised if they hit up Club Infinity another Buffalo venue once again in a few years!

[Zilla2112]

Steven Wilson

Town Ballroom
April 21st, 2013

Luminol
Drive Home
The Pin Drop
Postcard
The Holy Drinker
Deform to Form a Star
The Watchmaker
Index
Insurgentes
Harmony Korine
No Part of Me
Raider II
The Raven That Refused to Sing
Radioactive Toy







This was the first show I went to see with my girlfriend, Alexis, and it was super awesome! After over a month of listening to all the Porcupine Tree/Steven Wilson solo stuff, the concert date finally came. I spent some time with Alexis beforehand, eating some delicious pizza and wings for dinner, and then my dad picked us up and we rode over to the Town Ballroom for the show.

We waited about an hour or so, both in line and inside the venue. Though the venue's website said there was a special guest, Steven Wilson and his band were the only ones performing, which was a good thing, to be honest. To build dramatic suspense, an ambient track from Steven Wilson's Bass Communion project played as an image of the moon was projected onto a screen behind the stage. As time went on, several creepy faces appeared on the moon, including the one from the cover of 'The Raven that Refused to Sing (And Other Stories)'.

After this spooky intro, Steven and his band took the stage, starting with the energetic "Luminol". From the get-go, you could easily tell that this band was incredibly talented, as the song sounded incredibly similar to the stunning performances found on Steven's albums. Yet, there was also enough variance in parts to make the live experience incredibly interesting and fun to listen and watch.

The live band was the exact same band that played on 'The Raven'. Guthrie Govan, on lead guitar, was absolutely amazing. His technical solos were played almost effortlessly and his rhythm playing was perfect as well. Nick Beggs did a ton, handling bass, Chapman Stick, and backing vocals with ease. Adam Holzman had most of the keyboard duties, and his piano playing was incredibly beautiful. Marco Minnemann was such an incredible drumming, playing some of the most ridiculous fills I've heard. He had a great sense of control as well, and his hand speeds are through the roof. Theo Travis played the wind instruments: flute, saxophone, and clarinet, and all of his solos featured unique touches not found on the albums.

Steven himself, of course, stole the show. Going barefoot and standing on his special rug, Steven was eccentric and awesome. Whether he's sitting behind his little mellotron and singing, or he's playing an emotional guitar solo, Steven always entertained.

The projected video was also a very nice touch as well! During each song, the projector played a video that matched the song's lyrical content. The intro and the rest of "The Watchmaker", which was projected on a veiled screen between the band and the audience, was probably the best use of the projection in the entire show. The video for "The Raven that Refused to Sing" was also projected as well.

Other interesting moments included Steven's announcement before "Raider II", in which he told the audience to be quiet during the silent parts, saying that yelling with your bros literally isn't cool. The encore for the show was "Radioactive Toy", a Porcupine Tree song that was basically a solo Steven Wilson song. Their performance was particularly explosive: both with the improvisation and the nuclear explosions projected on the screen.

The band finished their show by bowing as drawings and names of the band members were projected on the screen. The three of us then left and went home, picking up 'The Raven' on CD on the way out. All in all, this was an excellent show featuring virtuoso musicianship and breathtaking music. Hopefully, Steven will come back to Buffalo in some form, whether he's still doing solo stuff or is back with Porcupine Tree.

[Zilla2112]

For the summer, it looks like I'll be able to see bands like Chicago, the Doobie Brothers, Bad Company, 38 Special, Blue Oyster Cult, ZZ Top, Kansas, and Primus. Woo hoo!

[Zilla2112]

Escape the Fate
with Glamour of the Kill and The Color Morale

Waiting Room
May 19, 2013

Choose Your Fate
You're Insane
10 Miles Wide
Ungrateful
Issues
The Flood
Something
Ashley
Until We Die
Gorgeous Nightmare
Fire It Up
The Aftermath (G3)
This War is Ours (The Guillotine II)







This is the second (and last for a while ) concert I got to see with my girlfriend, Alexis, and it was a lot of fun indeed! She's a way bigger fan of Escape the Fate than I am, having gone to about 4 of their concerts already and being able to meet the band. This concert was also the first concert I saw at the Waiting Room, a new downtown Buffalo venue that opened just around when Club Infinity closed down.

After my mom drove Alexis and I down to the city, we got to the venue just before 6, expecting the doors to open then, when they actually opened after 7. We sure waited around for a while, but it was at least a nice day outside as Alexis and I talked. I was really worried that Alexis wouldn't be let in: the tickets said that people 16 and over were allowed with ID, but Alexis forgot to bring her wallet. I was preparing for the worst when we finally got inside, only to be relieved when nobody checked us for our IDs. Only those who wanted to drink got ID checks, and we already got the under 21 "X's" on our hands.

We got up pretty close to the front of the stage in this tiny venue. There were no railings or dividers like at the Town Ballroom or even Club Infinity: it was just one huge floor space. The first band who performed was Glamour of the Kill, and they were pretty damn good. Their instrumentation was tight, and they implemented four part harmonies as all the band members could sing. While their set consisted mostly of original metalcore songs, their most memorable moment was when they covered Kiss's "Love Gun", complete with an a cappella section and a heavy breakdown.

A period of time after, The Color Morale took the stage, and they were pretty good. Their performance wasn't too different from most average metalcore bands, though their singer seemed like a really humble and cool guy. Musically, nothing really stood out, though it was all solid.

The venue isn't called the Waiting Room for nothing: the break between The Color Morale and Escape the Fate was huge. ETF didn't even start playing until about 10:00, and their setlist was mighty short too. After the long period of waiting, however, ETF finally took the stage and did a damn good job. The band had plenty of energy as the played through their set, which consisted of stuff from their latest three albums (the Ronnie Radke material was ignored).

Each member's performances were very solid, with Monte Money's technical guitar playing and Robert Ortiz's steady drum parts standing out the most. Craig was a very energetic vocalist, and despite some minor flaws, he did a great job singing the material and making a presence. New members Michael Money and TJ Bell were very good holding the rhythm section as well.

As mentioned earlier, the band's set was rather short, wrapping up in less than an hour with an encore of the latter two "Guillotine" tracks. Though Alexis was looking forward to it, there was no wall of death during "This War is Ours". There was a decent mosh pit though (which Alexis entered for a short bit), and there were some pushy people that got thrown out rather quickly. After the band finished, Alexis and I both got some Sprite to drink and I went to get the new ETF album, 'Ungrateful'. There was an album signing afterward, which would have been really cool, though we couldn't stay long enough to get my copy signed by the band. All in all, this was a really fun show, and I must thank Alexis so much for suggesting this concert and having a blast with me! Even though Alexis left for California two days after, I'm looking forward to seeing more concerts with her in the fall.

[Zilla2112]

Primus
with The Mike Dillon Band and The Beggar’s Best

Niagara River Rocks
June 9, 2013

Those Damned Blue-Collar Tweekers
Duchess and the Proverbial Mind Spread
Last Salmon Man
Southbound Pachyderm
Over the Falls
Lee Van Cleef
John the Fisherman
Eternal Consumption Engine
Jilly's on Smack
Drums/Whamola Jam w/ Mike Dillon
Eleven
My Name Is Mud
Jerry Was a Race Car Driver
Over the Electric Grapevine
Moron TV
Harold of the Rocks
HOINFODAMAN
Wynona's Big Brown Beaver



























This Primus concert was one of the most mixed experiences I've ever been to. On the one hand, it was fucking awesome, but on the other, it kinda sucked (like how Primus sucks ). I went with my dad and Zac, and we arrived in North Tonawanda at just about 4:00, when the venue was supposed to open. It was a pretty cool place: it was right on the Niagara River (hence, it was part of the Niagara River Rocks concerts), with a good view of Grand Island and the Niagara Falls skyline. However, despite the nice weather and cool environment, it wasn't so fun having to wait about two hours for the first band to start. The crew was setting the Primus stuff when we got there. Supposedly, the entire stage was caught in the mud before we got there, which caused a delay. Once the stage and Primus's stuff was set up, The Beggar's Best got their stuff on the stage.

After a little while, background music and advertising played while The Beggar's Best got set up, and they finally started playing. They were pretty decent: like Primus, they only had three members, though their sound was a lot more poppy than Primus ever was. Their guitarist and bassist shared vocal duties, and they were alright. They were much better instrumentalists than vocalists. They played mostly originals, though they closed their set with a cover of a Tom Waits tune, fitting for the concert.

Thinking they were the only opener, we soon found out that The Mike Dillon Band was up next, not Primus. We were a bit bummed having to wait even more, so we all got some dinner at the venue, me picking up a cheeseburger and some cheesy fries. The Mike Dillon Band played relatively quickly, and they were surprisingly pretty awesome! Unlike the simple setup of The Beggar's Best, Mike Dillon's band implemented marimbas, congas, a cowbell, and a trombone. The addition of marimbas combined with the wacky subject matter and weird song structures reminded us of Frank Zappa, which was pretty awesome. Memorable moments included a song with the phrase "motherbeep!", censored under town rules, as well as an epic tribal-influenced percussion jam at the end featuring Primus drummer Jay Lane. I was considering buying their CD (Primus's stuff was too bloody expensive), but we didn't want to lose our spot nor did we have time after the show to pick it up.

After The Mike Dillon Band was done, we all waited about another hour for Primus to begin. It was totally worth it, though. Primus kicked off their set with the perfect opener, "Those Damned Blue Collared Tweakers", complete with a video screen displaying animations of Salad Fingers. Primus would then go on to play a set covering songs from all of their studio albums, including "Over the Falls" which was inspired by Niagara Falls itself.

Musically, Primus was practically perfect. Les Claypool's virtuoso bass playing was displayed in all its glory, while Larry LaLonde shredded on the guitar and Jay Lane played Tim Alexander's drum parts perfectly (in fact, Lane may have written a lot of those parts). Not only was the instrumentation perfect, but you could hear everything perfectly as well thanks to the perfect mixing.

Visually, however, it was a mixed bag. The video screen was awesome, and the clips in the background were all interesting to watch. The problem was that, once it got late enough, it was practically impossible to see the band. They had absolutely no lights on stage, meaning you could only see the silhouettes of the band members against the video screen. This especially sucked when Les Claypool started playing this weird, upright bass. All three of us wanted to see what it actually looked like, but we didn't get the chance due to the poor lighting.

The crowd at the venue kinda sucked too. There were crazy mosh pits and crowd surfers right near where we were standing, something we didn't expect at this kind of show. By the second song, we all got sick of it and went back several rows. Meanwhile, people kept trying to push through everybody to get to the front when they weren't the ones waiting the entire time.

After hearing the awesome "John the Fisherman", we left during the drum solo/Whamola Jam. It's not like we could see the band anyways, and we had to get home before it was too late. The place was absolutely packed, and trying to leave after the encore would have taken more than an hour just to get out of the place. Sadly, we just missed "Eleven", "Jerry Was a Race Car Driver", and "My Name is Mud", though thankfully videos exist of these songs. Even though the experience was hectic as hell, I'm glad I was able to see Primus. Hopefully, the other summer concerts coming up won't be so crazy and will be more enjoyable.

[Zilla2112]

Woo hoo! I've been to two concerts since I last updated this thread. Hopefully, I'll have stuff here soon!

[Zilla2112]

Also, I'm posting so I can hit the next page faster, because of the YouTube videos that take up so much space and processing power.

[Zilla2112]

Next up will be MGMT, and then the Doobie Brothers.

[Zilla2112]

I'm going to see Bad Company next Tuesday, though you can expect that write-up to show up later.

[Zilla2112]

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