The family and I were in South Florida this weekend for Briana's state gym meet. My parents were in starting their vacation to the Keys, so they got to see her perform as well. I happened to check the local music scene, hoping to catch some band at a local club. Little did I know, a major concert extravaganza was underway at the Cruzan amphitheater in West Palm Beach. Due to the gym meet, we couldn't get there until 4:15 (I did not think that Bri would be very understanding that we skipped her state meet to see Red Jumpsuit Apparatus amongst others). Thus, this review is not as complete as it should be, but it was the best I could do. We sacrificed a good dinner in South Florida (a big deal for us considering the food-deprived area that we live in) to make it to the concert sooner. So here goes... (It's really long since we saw several bands, so be warned.)
The Venue, Cruzan Amphitheater:
The first thing you notice is the sheer size of the parking lot. We skipped the $20 parking and followed the signs marked "Concert Parking". It appeared to be way out in BFE as we drove and drove around. In actuality, it was not that far and it was free! I was truly shocked that they had free parking at all. So don't pay for parking here is my advice. The walk was not that bad.
We go retrieve our tickets at the box office, since we only bought them hours before online. They had sold out of the lawn area and only had reserved seats left by the time we picked up the tickets around 4, so I advise you buy tickets as early as possible. Our seats sucked. They were on the side (section 4, row T, seats 24 & 25) and it made the sound bad, because of speaker positioning. I could not convince Chris to squat on the abundant middle section back row seats that stayed vacant through Shinedown, the next to last band (they might have filled for Avenged Sevenfold, but I could not see). It is almost not worth going if you have to sit in these seats. The view was not too bad and they did have TV screens, but the sound is a major factor and it sounded off. The 2nd stage and pick a band stage were both standing only, so these are much better set-ups. Also, there was NO pit area, at all. Seats go all the way to the front. It really detracts from the experience, even though I understand the reasoning.
The food far exceeded the standard concert food. The Jumbo Dogs were actually edible. There were also several (I assume local) vendors that set up stands and provided not-so-standard fare (pitas and philly cheesesteaks). Chris had a Bratwurst, which he said was ok at the time, but later that night he did not find it so agreeable. Beverages were grossly overpriced, but at the same prices as the last concert we were at, so maybe this is standard now.
The venue was huge, but with staff directions, the various stages were easily found. There were actually a fair number of bathrooms and even with lines, the waits were not that bad. The only complaint was the set-up of the bathroom by the main entrance. There was a line of stalls in the center of the two entrances to the bathroom and it was not apparent. There was a long line outside with a large number of empty stalls inside. It is a major design flaw in such a big venue. It did mean that if I went back to that one that I knew the secret and quickly found an open stall.
Overall, the venue was set-up in typical amphitheater style, but they excel in the bathroom set-up, food, and concert set-up. (See my Band Camp blog if you want to hear about poor execution in these areas.) I was pleased with the venue, except for the fact that the sound seemed off due to my seat location and that there was no pit.
Venue Grade: B
There were so many bands that the performances overlapped, so you had to be judicious in the choices you made. Hawthorne Heights was on the Main Stage. We saw them at an Edgefest in Dallas (same concept, different venue) and they sucked bad. They did not sound any better while we got food and as we headed to the Pick a Band Stage. We could have seen Skindred on the Second Stage, but I am not into ska and really have not found a Skindred song that I like. So we headed to the Pick a Band Stage. I like to find new local bands anyway, so here it goes...
Ghost of Gloria, Pick a Band Stage:
We walk over to the Pick a Band Stage, where there is a really small crowd. We hang near the back to make a quick escape if necessary. They are amazingly good. They have good energy, good lyrics and a great overall sound. They are really new having formed in fall of 2007 and this is their first album, only recently released on picktheband.com. They have an extremely bright future. They already get airtime on the Buzz and their music is solid. The lyrics are good and obviously reflect that they put some thought into the music. The lyrics are only going to improve with time and experience. They are a very young band, so a lot to look forward to. The songs all have a good driving beat and the guitars enhance the songs to really rock them out. I definitely recommend seeing this band if you have the chance. The more intimate the venue, the better. I can see that they could really rock out a club venue hard! They are currently touring (mostly south) Florida, so go check them out if you have a chance.
Grade: A
Ladies & Gentlemen, Pick a Band Stage:
After G.O.G., I definitely want to check out the next local band and no other band is on the other stages at this point. Saliva will start before this band ends, so we may have to cut them short. They start warming up and doing a mike check. It was a little weird. The lead singer sings "Day-o" to check his mike and it is not very good. The lead guitarist/back up vocalist starts playing a funky 70's synthesizer (I forget the name of that specific organ). Chris warns me that if he hears that note, then he is walking. I made him give it a chance. The lead singer starts singing and by the fourth note, the synthesizer kicks in. The music is awful (and I like some of System of a Down, so my standards are not that high to like it). I guess that they fit more into the ska category, which I don't get, so this review might not even be valid if you like ska. However, if you listen to hard rock, etc. then they suck. We left before they even hit the chorus. There was little energy or talent. I would skip them.
Grade: D-
Saliva, Main Stage:
Saliva was the main reason that we went ahead and came despite our sucky seats. We have managed to see almost all of the bands that we currently listen to and Saliva was one of the few remaining bands that had eluded us. We listen to a lot of Saliva. Their lyrics are not the most profound, but I love the clarity of his voice and the contrast that it provides to the music. When they take the stage, between 1/2 to 3/4 of the seats and lawn are full. They take the stage and start with "Black Sheep". This is not a song that I remember, although Chris says that we have it. I did not enjoy it. He tried to draw the crowd in with things like, "Are you the Black Sheep of your family, South Florida?" Um, probably not considering that the demographic was a heavy skew of spoiled teenagers at the concert. I have never seen the band before tonight and they are surprising. The lead singer is in classic vato-wear with bandana, the long button-down shirt, and the facial hair. The lead guitarist was straight out of Punk Land with purple hair, jumping all over stage and making scary faces into the camera. The other guitarist looked like a biker and stayed put. I have to say that I was extremely disappointed with the performance. Chris seemed to think that the lead singer was sick, because he seemed a little raspy. He did not hit the notes on "Always", a song that I love. He lacked the clarity that makes the song so haunting. He did a good job on "Click, Click, Boom" and the crowd got into that song. He also did a great job on "Ladies and Gentlemen", which is now apparently featured on Wrestlemania 23 (I think that is the right number). Congrats! However, it also showed the lack of creativity in their songs. He obviously likes the word "Boom!" as he overuses it. But I knew that they were not inspiring songwriters to begin with, so I was not disappointed in that. The performance and lack of energy was the disappointment. Part of it could have been the crowd demographic, but they really did very little to energize the crowd. They might could give a better performance to a different crowd, so I won't write them off completely and call them a "studio band", but this performance was less than thrilling for a big fan. As they closed, the freaky guitarist made a slitting your throat sign as the lead singer says, God bless, take care of each other. Huh? A little mixed message there.
Grade: C
Atreyu, Main Stage:
Atreyu has undergone a transformation with their latest album, Lead Sails Paper Anchor. Their previous albums are pure metal in nature with little to no singing, only vocalizations. The latest album has melodic interludes with the vocalizations and metal guitar playing. I have to say that I enjoy the new album much more than any of the older ones. They opened with "Becoming the Bull", which is their best song as far as I am concerned, but is still fair at best.
I do have to say that they energized the crowd like nobody's business. They easily hyped the crowd 10 times more than "Click, Click, Boom". The crowd was literally in a frenzy. They stayed that way the entire performance. It was crazy. Like I said, the crowd was a heavy teenage skew, so I have a feeling that Atreyu appeals to this demographic because they are so annoying/offensive to their parents. When we saw them at Projekt Revolution, the lead vocalist was literally jumping all over the stage. He did not seem to have the same energy this time, but the crowd was pumped 100 times more than that crowd. I think that it has more to do with the crowd, but it was amazing to feel the excitement.
The lead vocalist has no talent and really needs to take a lesson from the lead singer of Avenged Sevenfold. That guy delivers in both the vocals and gutterals. The drummer really has a great voice and although Chris and I pegged him at least a decade older than his bandmates, he is actually at least a few years younger. YIKES! Life on the road has been hard on him. I do give the lead vocalist some credit for humor. He said more than once, if you don't know the lyrics, then make up your own. No one knows what is said, so no one can say you are wrong and he admits it. The third time he started to say it was apparently on one of their most popular songs ("Pink Mascara", I think) and he said, if you don't know the lyrics, then **** you. The lead guitarist is obviously a talented metal guitarist, although he has the 80's image going a little strong with the Kamikaze headband and 80's guitars. The other guitarist really seems to not fit in the band with no apparent interest in being there and his grunge outfit. It was a little strange.
Atreyu has a chance of becoming a great hard rock band, because their new album has great contrasts between the melody and all out aggression. I am not a huge metal fan, although it is not something that I mind listening to, so I may be totally off in my evaluation of their metal talent.
Grade: B (C overall, but they get bonus points for such incredible crowd energy)
Shinedown, Main Stage:
This is our third time to see Shinedown. We love Shinedown. They give a solid performance each time and they tailor their performances to the crowd. I do feel that they get shortchanged at these all-day concerts. They never headline, even though they often exceed the performance capabilities of the headliners. But that is my "I love Shinedown" rant.
They opened with "Devour" off their new Sound of Madness album, which was an extremely appropriate song for the crowd. He repeated the hand-raising for hard-rocking that hyped the crowd at Band Camp. It served its purpose and hyped the crowd for a song or two. When he saw that the crowd was flagging again, he decided to run through the crowd. If we had squatted on the empty seats that I had wanted I would have been thisclose when he ran down the aisle. He had to work hard to keep the crowd energized and they never returned to the frenzy that they had with Atreyu, but he does an excellent job working the crowd. I really respect the band even more for working so hard to keep the experience great for those fans that enjoy their music. It also really showed how much Saliva failed, because they seemed to give up when the crowd was more or less indifferent to them.
They played lots of favorites, plus "Sound of Madness" and "Second Chance" off the new album, which I had not heard live yet. Although I am always disappointed when they don't play "Simple Man", I agree that it was not an appropriate venue (although I disagreed with that decision when they played in Jax, where they and Lynrd Skynrd are from). They did have someone request "45" and they honored it. Very cool. That is one of my all time favorite songs.
They had another amazing performance and I recommend that you see them every opportunity possible. They rock! I would love to see them in a much more intimate venue, but I have yet to get that opportunity.
Grade: A+
Avenged Sevenfold, Main Stage:
A7X is not a new band for me, but they are not someone I listen to extensively. I like some of their music, especially the contrasts. The lead singer is a shining example of balancing melodic and gutteral singing. He is obviously talented and they performed really well. I enjoyed the song "Scream", but we ended up leaving shortly thereafter. They definitely perform well and if you really enjoy their music, then I can see that they would definitely be worth seeing. They are a little outside the genre I typically listen to, so although they seemed good, they were nothing spectacular for me. The crowd went ape**** when they hit the stage. It was insane.
Overall, a very well polished band and definitely worth seeing if you like their music.
Grade: A
Overall Concert Experience:
This was really a stellar concert, good venue, and good to great performances by the majority of the bands. I would definitely attend this concert event again if possible. I also recommend anyone who likes the genres represented to attend, even if you have to pay the exorbitant TM fees. It is worth the cost.
Grade: A+