Soil, Powerman 5000 Concert Review

                                

Powerman 5000
July 14, 2015
The Leeway, Pekin Illinois

On July 14th, 2015 Powerman 5000 would invade The Leeway in Pekin Illinois with co-headliner Soil. Also on the bill for the night would be Clippoint, Another Lost Year, and Three Years Hollow. Going into this show I didnt really know what to expect as this would be my first time photographing not only the majority of the bands on the bill but also the first time photographing at The Leeway. The Leeway is essentially a bar big enough to put a stage and some lighting in. Thats not a knock on The Leeway though because despite the fact that it dosent look very big on the outside it was very spacious inside. Getting a drink at the bar wasn’t a issue and you could see the stage from there so even if you had to wait in line you could still enjoy the show while doing so.

Opening the night would be Clippoint. Clippoint is a local band out of Morton Illinois and consists of Aaron Mitchell on vocals, Billy Akers on guitar, Travis Collins on drums, and Caleb Mooney on bass who’s support of the St Louis Blues is evident as his bass guitar features the Blues Logo. While Clippoint is a local band they have opened for Finger Eleven, P.O.D, Eyes Set To Kill, and now Powerman 5000 and Soil. They currently have a 5 song EP out that you can pick up at their shows. The highlight of their set was a rendition of Rage Against The Machine’s Bulls On Parade. It was spot on and Akers’ solos were phenomenal. If your live in the Peoria/Morton area check out Clippoint at one of their many local shows.

Next up would be Another Lost Year. Another Lost Year of ALY is a nationally touring quartet out of Charlotte North Carolina. The band consists of Clinton Cunanan on vocals, Adam Hall on bass, Nathan Walker on drums and Jorge Sotomarino on guitar. This would be my first time seeing ALY and i enjoyed their set. Their sound reminded me alot of another band that would play after them in 3 Years Hollow. ALY is best known for their hit songs Writting On The Wall and War On The Inside, both of which spent quite a bit of time at #1 on iheartradio. War On The Inside, whose lyrics were influenced by Clinton Cunanan’s battle with drug addiction and the lose of his mom, also spent five weeks straight on Sirius XM’s station Octane Big UN’s weekly countdown. ALY released The Revolution: Pt. 1 The Other Side in 2014. If this band is in your area check them out, their cover of Keith Urbans song Cop Car is worth the price of admission alone.

Next to take the stage would be 3 Years Hollow from the Quad Cities which is about an hour and half up I-74. This band has been quite busy over the past year, having completed a stint on 2014’s Rockstar UPROAR Tour and then playing 2015’s Shiprocked Cruise. 3 Years Hollow has recently gone through some lineup changes as the band went on stage with mainstay vocalist Jose Uriquiza, guitarist Tony Reeves, and Neil Kuhlman. New to the group would be ex eye empire drummer Ryan Bennett who has replaced Chris Cushman. Missing from the group was bassist Dex Digga and while they haven’t found a replacement for him yet his parts are being played by the bands IPad, which Jose introduced when introducing the band to the crowd. This would be my fourth time seeing 3 Years Hollow and despite the lineup changes the band still sounded better then ever. 3 Years Hollow is touring in support of their major label release The Cracks that was released last year and was produced by Sevendust’s Clint Lowry. The album has made 3 Years Hollow major players in todays Hard rock scene as they have toured with the likes of Papa Roach, In This Moment, P.O.D, Pop Evil and Buckcherry. They have enjoyed heavy rotation on Sirius XM’s radio station Octane thanks to the singles Remember and Chemical Ride. Having played in this area several times over the past few years they were greeted with a loud ovation as many in attendance would sing along to the majority of their set. There isn’t much else to say about 3 Years Hollow besides that they kill it every time they hit the stage. Even without a bassist and a new drummer they didn’t miss a beat and sounded better then ever.

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Click to view 3 Years Hollow Photo Gallery

Next up would be the Co-Headliner for the evening, SOiL. This hard hitting nu metal rock band was formed in 1997 some 158 miles away in the great city of Chicago Illinois. SOiL would be the first rock band ever signed to J Records when they were signed the label and released their debut album Scars back in 2001. The group consists of Adam Zadel on guitar, Tim King on bass, Mitch Gable on drums and Ryan McCombs on vocals. Soil would explode on to the stage with the song Loaded Gun and would continue their assault throughout their entire nine song set. A set that would see vocalist Ryan McCombs leaving the stage and singing the song Halo out among the fans. Their set would consist of the aforementioned Loaded Gun as well as other well known SOiL songs Breaking Me Down, Pride, Halo and my personal favorite The Hate Song. They would also did a phenomenal cover of Ran Jam’s Black Betty. The guitars were at a 11 but didn’t overpower Ryan McCombs raspy voice during their roughly 45 minute set. Sometimes you never know what you’re going to get when you hear a band live for the first time but I was very impressed both with the way they sounded and their overall set as a whole as these rock music veterans put on one hell of a show. SOiL’s latest album Whole is available through ITunes, Google Play, and Spotify. It features 11 hard hitting rock songs that will have you hitting the repeat button when its over.

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Click to view Soil Photo Gallery

Next up would be the final performance of the evening, Powerman 5000, and what a performance it would be. With the venue only being illuminated by bar and merchandise table lights Powerman would take the stage with green laser lights attached to their instruments making for a great light show and the Powerman 5000 Logo glowing from the chestplates of their stage outfits. They would open their set with Super Villian as the crowd jumped up and down to the infectious beat. Powerman 5000 consists of DJ Ratten on drums, Murv Douglas on bass, Nick Quijano and Richard Jazmin on guitar and Spider One on vocals. If someone asked me to sum up a Powerman 5000 show I would have to say organized chaos. From the moment they hit the stage Spider One is all over the place and I dont believe he stood still longer then five seconds during their 12 song set. He has a unreal energy level that only seems to get higher and higher as their set goes on. Their set would cover songs from their most successful record Tonight The Stars Revolt to their most recent release, 2014’s Builders Of The Future. Besides the obvious choices of Bombshell, Super Nova Goes Pop, Nobody’s Real, and When Worlds Collide, the set would also include new songs Invade, Destroy, Repeat, We Want It All, and I Can’t Fucking Hear You all of which are off the aforementioned album Builders Of The Future. Spider One controls the stage much like another rock icon who just happens to be his older brother, Rob Zombie. Like Rob, Spider One leaves it all on the stage and puts alot and energy and effort into their sets. If you like great guitar riffs, thumping bass you can jump up and down to, hard hitting drums, and a lead vocalist with unrelenting energy then make sure you catch Powerman 5000 whenever they play in a city near you.

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Click to view Powerman5000 Photo Gallery

Devour The Day Photo Gallery

Devour The Day
Limelight Eventplex, Peoria Illinois
July 15, 2015

                                

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Joey “Chicago” Walser of Devour The Day

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Blake Allison of Devour The Day

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Blake Allison of Devour The Day

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Joey “Chicago” Walser of Devour The Day

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David Hoffman of Devour The Day

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Blake Allison of Devour The Day

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David Hoffman of Devour The Day

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Joey “Chicago” Walser of Devour The Day

Powerman 5000 Gallery

Powerman 5000
The Leeway, Pekin Illinois
July 14, 2015

                                

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Spider One of Powerman 5000

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Nick Quijano of Powerman 5000

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Spider One of Powerman 5000

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DJ Rattan of Powerman 5000

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Richard Jazmin of Powerman 5000

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Nick Quijano of Powerman 5000

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Murv Douglas of Powerman 5000

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Murv Douglas of Powerman 5000

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Spider One of Powerman 5000

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Spider One of Powerman 5000

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Murv Douglas of Powerman 5000

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Richard Jazmin of Powerman 5000

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Nick Quijano of Powerman 5000

Soil Gallery

Soil
The Leeway, Pekin Illinois
July 14, 2015

                                

In This Moment

Adam Zadel of Soil

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Adam Zadel of Soil

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Ryan McCombs of Soil

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Tim King of Soil

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Mitch Gable of Soil

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Adam Zadel of Soil

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Ryan McCombs of Soil

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Mitch Gable of Soil

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Tim King of Soil

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Ryan McCombs of Soil

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Ryan McCombs of Soil

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Ryan McCombs of Soil

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Ryan McCombs of Soil

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Ryan McCombs of Soil

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Adam Zadel of Soil

Three Years Hollow Gallery

Three Years Hollow
The Leeway, Pekin Illinois
July 14, 2015

                                

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Jose Urquiza of Three Years Hollow

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Jose Urquiza of Three Years Hollow

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Ryan Oxendine of Three Years Hollow

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Tony Reeves of Three Years Hollow

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Jose Urquiza of Three Years Hollow

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Neil Kuhlman of Three Years Hollow

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Neil Kuhlman of Three Years Hollow

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Ryan Oxendine of Three Years Hollow

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Neil Kuhlman of Three Years Hollow

Three Days Grace Photo Gallery

Three Days Grace
Limelight Eventplex, Peoria Illinois
July 15, 2015

                                

In This Moment

Barry Stock of Three Days Grace

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Matt Walst of Three Days Grace

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Barry Stock of Three Days Grace

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Brad Walst of Three Days Grace

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Barry Stock of Three Days Grace

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Brad Walst of Three Days Grace

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Matt Walst of Three Days Grace

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Brad Walst of Three Days Grace

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Matt Walst of Three Days Grace

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Barry Stock of Three Days Grace

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Brad Walst of Three Days Grace

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Barry Stock of Three Days Grace

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Matt Walst of Three Days Grace

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Barry Stock of Three Days Grace

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Matt Walst of Three Days Grace

Three Days Grace Concert Review

                                

Three Days Grace
July 15, 2015
Limelight Eventplex, Peoria Illinois

Three Days Grace would be the headliner for the evening and all I can say is Wow. When I broke the news to that I would be covering Three Days Grace alot of my rock music friends kept telling me that Three Days Grace isn’t the same without ex-lead vocalist Adam Grontier. To those friends that will read this review and those of you out there with that same train of thought let me say, you’re wrong, dead wrong to be exact. For those of you that are unaware Grontier was replaced by My Darkest Days frontman Matt Walst back in 2013. Matt Walst reminds me alot of Papa Roach’s frontman Jacoby Shaddix. He was high energy for the entire show, running back and forth across the stage constantly playing to the crowd. He even left the stage at one point and finished a song on top of one of the two bars inside the Limelight. His vocals were crisp and clear and I could make out every word whether I was up front in the photo pit or in the back where I would watch from after getting my pictures. In fact the sound the entire show was on point. Sometimes you will go to a concert and see a band that doesn’t meet your expectations but that wasn’t the case with Three Days Grace. I felt like I was standing there listening to one of their albums, that’s how great they sounded. Brad Walst was joined on stage by his brother and bassist Brad Walst, Barry Stock on lead guitar, and Neil Sanderson on Drums. Their setlist would be 16 songs long covering all of Three Days Grace’s hits, as well as one of the best drum solos I’ve seen since Joey Jordison of Slipknot. The crowd would roar for the entire solo which also included a drum and piano interlude at the beginning. The keyboard for the interlude would be played by touring member Dani Rosenoer. The night would start with the song I Am Machine and would include other songs such as Chalk Outline, So What, Break, I Hate Everything About You, and would conclude with their smash hit Riot. From beginning to end Three Days Grace was sensational. Everything from the setlist, to the sound and all the way down to the lighting was exceptional. If you have a chance to see Three Days Grace on this or any other tour I highly suggest in doing so. You won’t leave disappointed.

 

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Click to view Three Days Grace Photo Gallery

Devour The Day Concert Review

                                

Devour The Day
July 15, 2015
Limelight Eventplex, Peoria Illinois

Devour the day would make a stop in Peoria Illinois on July 15, 2015. Opening for Three Days Grace this hard rock alternative metal band formed in 2012 hails from of Memphis Tennesse. The band consists of former Egypt Central members Joey “Chicago” Walser on guitar ( who wore a Joakim Noah Bulls jersey with Chicago across the front) and Blake Allison on lead vocals as well as touring members Ronnie Farms on Drums and David Hoffman on guitar. Devour The Day would take the stage promptly at 7pm to a loud ovation, a ovation that would last their entire set. I must say that this is the most noise I’ve heard for a opener from start to finish in quite some time. Devour The Day would not disappoint those screaming fans as they would play a phenomenal opening set. Between the two bands that would open for Three Days Grace Devour The Day was by far the better band in my opinion. Their set was full of energy with a heavy sound, one that you can definitely bang your head to. Lead singer Blake Allison took command of the stage and the crowd as he got the crowd jumping and pumping their fists in the air. Their setlist would include songs from their debut album Time & Pressure which was released in 2014. Some highlights from their setlist would be the songs, Get Out Of My Way, Respect, and their hit song Good Man. They would also play their brand new single Faith.

Faith is the first single from Devour The Day’s new album which is set to release sometime this year. Devour The Day will be on tour with Three Days Grace through the end of July before gearing up for the XFest 15 in September with Halestorm. They will also be playing at the Monster Rock Allegiance and Monster Energy Aftershock Festivals in October before finishing off the month playing the main stage for Knotfest so make sure you get out there and check them out.

 

Devour The Day Photo Gallery

Click to view Devour The Day Photo Gallery

In This Moment Photo Gallery

In This Moment
Limelight Eventplex, Peoria Illinois
July 5, 2015

                                

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Maria Brink of In This Moment

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Travis Johnson of In This Moment

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Maria Brink In This Moment

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Randy Weitzel of In This Moment

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Maria Brink and Randy Weitzel of In This Moment

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Maria Brink of In This Moment

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Chris Howorth of In This Moment

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Maria Brink and Tom Hane of In This Moment

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Travis Johnson and Chris Howorth of In This Moment

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Travis Johnson and Maria Brink of In This Moment

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Chris Howorth, Travis Johnson, and Randy Weitzel of In This Moment

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Tom Hane of In This Moment

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Travis Johnson of In This Moment

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Maria Brink of In This Moment

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Maria Brink of In This Moment

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Maria Brink of In This Moment

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Travis Johnson and one of the Blood Girls of In This Moment

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Maria Brink of In This Moment

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Maria Brink of In This Moment