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| Scurrilous 2012 Tour Poster |
It was a beautiful night in New York City. Calm weather, slight drizzle, and a sold out crowd at Gramercy Theatre. The Scurrilous Tour 2012 was in full effect by the time I had gotten to the crowded venue. Today I Caught The Plague and The Saftey Fire had already taken the stage prior to my arrival, and Jeff Loomis' set literally began as I walked through the doors.
The Jeff Loomis Band
For a band that carries the name of the ex-Nevermore guitarist, there wasn't much to be heard from Loomis, himself. Their set lasted six songs...5 of them being instrumentals that just seemed to blend into each other after a while. The crowd was dull, and so was watching this set performed. In between breaks, Joe Nurre, the band's second guitarist, kept trying to rile up the crowd. To me, I feel this was a terrible mistake. Seeing as it's called The Jeff Loomis Band, I would expect that more people would want to hear from Loomis, not his guitar player. All in all, I was really excited to see Loomis' band perform... until the moment the band came on. Sub-par performance by a man who is considered a legend in the eyes of many.
Overall Grade:5/10
Periphery
I'm not a huge fan of Periphery. Not that I don't like them, I just haven't heard enough of their music to warrant a well-enough opinion. Though, after last night, I can honestly say I will listen to them a lot more. You can feel the energy radiating off this band even before their set started; hyping up the crowd while they were setting their instruments up. The lights went dark, the crowd roared, and out came Periphery. The moment the opening riff to 'Zyglorox' began, a pit erupted in front of me. Bodies were flying, people were slipping or getting decked in the face. Definitely a band that could keep a crowd entertained while putting on a stellar performance all at the same time. If you live in a city where these dudes are coming to town, I highly suggest you sit back and watch... Unless, you're down getting shoved into a pit where fat men reign supreme.
Overall Grade:8/10
Protest The Hero
Much love throughout the night for these headliners. Except for one unlucky fan who kept flipping-off Rody and was escorted out by security. I was a little skeptical about seeing Protest The Hero live. Not because I'm not a fan of them, if you know their music, you know it's not something that can be replicated easily. These dudes were on-point, never missing a beat, or note and sounding just like they would on record. It's rare, in this day and age, to see a band perform as well as Protest The Hero. Of their 12 song set, they played 5 songs from their most recent record 'Scurrilous;' something a few fans I knew of were disappointed about. (They honestly wanted more tracks from their newer album.) Though, despite this minor conflict, everyone I had spoken to said they LOVED (they emphasized the word love) the show. A Protest The Hero concert is definitely one any metal-fan should indulge themselves in, stellar performance by a great band. And, thanks, Rody, for sharing the story about how Arif hooked up with a chick in NYC and gave all of you guys scabies.
Oh, and as for the "fan" that was ejected from the show, I was able to speak with Rody when the band came out. He said (I'm quoting very loosely here.) "I honestly didn't want them to kick him out. I felt bad. The dude was wearing our shirt and singing along. But, he was being an asshole, flipping me off all night." Come on, dude. That's not how you get a band's attention.
Overall Grade:9/10
I have to agree with this review almost 100%. I would have liked it if the vocals could be heard or a little louder, but I guess that's the venue's fault? Either way, the show was indeed amazing. The Jeff Loomis band really didn't impress me. I thought they were actually terrible cause they were being so hyped by everyone and when they walked on and started playing I was like... um... really?
ReplyDeleteThe band that caught me by surprise was The Safety Fire. I was not expecting them to play and much to my surprise they were actually really good. When Periphery came on it didn't surprise me at how good they were cause I was expecting it and they weren't even close to letting me down. PTH was amazing as well, but I wish it didn't take them so long to come out as I came thinking there were only going to be 3 bands there. Last but not least Today I Caught the Plague was good as well. Obviously if you're a fan of them you're going to like them but if you don't like them you don't, I personally like them but they're definitely one of those love/hate bands.
Unfortunately, I could not give my opinion on the first two bands since I was late to the show. But, I heard from a few people in the crowd that The Safety Fire was okay. Wish I could've gotten there. But, alas, the MTA is shitty.
ReplyDeleteAnd, I saw that with Jeff Loomis' band. It's like... people are here to see you play. There's no need to just show off your guitar-playing skills and not say a word the entire time (Except for "New York." GG Jeff Loomis.) But, the show was phenomenal regardless of him having atrocious stage presence.
In Orlando, as soon as Loomis hit the stage, the mosh pit started and didn't stop until the set was over. The guy was on the top of his game and put on a great show. It's a shame you didn't get to experience the same thing I did.
ReplyDeleteThat is unfortunate. A good crowd reaction can make or break a set.
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