I would be remiss if I had failed to mention the opening performance of Jeremy Willet, it was short yet sweet, uplifting and heartfelt, unexpected and engaging. All four songs were worthy of note, yet "Empty Grace" was the only title that I remembered. Unfortunate, but the praise was not full of empty words and the result was a fuller heart; It was a great way to start of the night.
I have heard of the second band, by name, but not by their aural identity, and finally I heard their brand of modern hard rock. Their sound is perfectly suited for the acoustic avenue, and I will do the "Best I Can" to present them in a positive light, not difficult, without bias, and without saying "Sorry," which unpologetically injected a tribute to Chris Cornell with a few verses from Temple of the Dog's "Hunger Strike," which was one of their finest moments. The setting also brought their harmonies, akin to Alice in Chains, to prominency, on songs such as "Die Trying" and others, which tend to be buried under their studio-electric counterparts. One of my favorites had to be "Tear Down The Wall," one of their more assertive entries, in the acoustic vein.
As much as I love the opener, I was not ready for the loading of the gun in the query, and the "Bullets" that followed. The latter is one of their heaviest songs, sonically, and didn't expect to hear it in this performance. I watched some performance videos before hand to see how this acoustic treatment would work, but it still took me by surprise that it was on the set.
Stapp would introduce most songs with a little known fact or story regarding the next entry whether it was when they reflected on their rise to fame and how the haters are formed out of human clay with "What If" or how the denouement of their debut would have been under a different name; how they questioned if this piece was in alignment with their identity; how it was stressed that they have it on the record, and so they closed the album with one of their most engaging, popular, and complementary entries on this document of life. There were many, but of all performances of the night, this was another "One" to remember.
The majors such as "My Own Prison," "Higher," "Arms Wide Open," "My Sacrifice" and "One Last Breath" were all performed , the last of which was preceded by a universal call to arms in renouncing and eradicating the stigma of mental illness and the isolation that it presents, especially when the one suffering is too afraid to seek assistance because they feel they will not be understood.
The life of a successful rock band present opportunities for each member to improve or belittle themselves, as well as memories. "There were many good times" Stapp reminisced about his six consecutive daily jam sessions with The Doors and Woodstock '99, and how his love for the band, and his budding interest in music of his own design, began; due to the fact that Jim Morrison had indirectly convinced Stapp to enroll in his alma mater. "Roadhouse Blues" was an uplifting, enthralling, and complementary break from the grittier and darker material that had preceded it.
With their rising fame, a conflict of egos began brewing as they had completed molding their Human Clay tour, and writing sessions for their third album had found a perfect description of the state that the band was in with "Weathered." It was a song I was hoping to hear, and heard it twice!
Scott had remarked how his career came Full Circle. First, going to parties with his pal and colleague of awesome, Mark Tremonti, and playing acoustic for anyone that would listen to find himself with a wider audience willing to listen and sing along.
The human will can surprise more than just the self, but any onlookers, disbelievers, haters, etc. As band's relations disintegrate, they can also regain traction with absence, and so I describe the polar opposite when it came to the need of Creed, individually and as a whole, to "Overcome" their differences, mute their egos and create the album that never was; but promised before they compiled their Greatest Hits. The song itself has a passionate and energetic frontman breathing life into the words and listener, in alignment with air-guitar and head-bang worthy fury of Tremonti, Phillips and Marshall, whispers to the will, and a universal and timeless message. The value was only reinforced with this dynamic rendition of the song; the majority utilized the, due to artistic liberty or ignorance, "Drum Stool" until the aggressive climax where we saw the drum kit at large and every member on point; but that occurrence was not rare, considering Ron Thal was part of the band.
I had my doubts when I had heard that the show would be acoustic, but after checking a few clips, they subsided. I feel that the acoustic was even better than a full electric, devoid of the excessive noise and volume, that dependent on venue, can really drown the vocals. You could hear every member playing their part, literally, in a full sound.
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