In This Moment Concert Review

In This Moment Concert Review
July 5, 2015 The Limelight Eventplex, Peoria, Illinois
                                

In This Moment (ITM) are on tour supporting their latest album Black Widow that was released November 17, 2014. In This Moment was formed in 2005 by Maria Brink and Chris Howorth. They are the new metalcore band with metal growls and melodic singing accompanied by guitars, heavy drums along with electronic programming.

First Decree opened the evening. The band is a solid rock band from Cheyenne, Wyoming. Vocalist, Travis James, had a great rapport with the audience. The band is poised to release their sophomore album, This is Our Rise on August 21st.

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Click to view First Decree Photo Gallery

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Defiled is a metal band from England and there is no question that they are heavy metal. The Defiled is the very first band to play on a free floating iceberg in September 2014. You can watch the iceberg performance here:

The Defiled on an Iceberg

The Defiled kept the music heavy for this evening. They started with “As I Drown” of which the chorus expands on the support they received

“And I have tried my hardest, But you, have beat me down, ‘Cause its the same old situation, Pouring, water as I drown. Walking in wind-driven rain, Tangled in a blanket of your lies, You’re fucking killing me”.

They used the words “f*ck” and “motherf*ckers” gratuitously throughout their set. The AVD was throwing his keyboard like a frisbee into the air and catching it easily. The Defiled encouraged a circle pit and the crowd complied.

The Defiled

Stitch D of The Defiled

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

36 Crazyfists performed next. 36 Crazyfists is a metalcore band from Anchorage, Alaska that formed way back in 1994. They are the heart of American metal bands. These guys have been around for a long time and toured extensively. They just released their seventh album Time and Trauma. You can purchase it on their website here.  The vocalist, Brock Lindow, was looked a bit like a fisherman in a Speedmetal black t-shirt and a stocking cap. 36 Crazyfists put on a killer, high-energy show. Their setlist consisted of “I’ll Go Until My Heart Stops”, “Bloodwork”, new song “Time and Trauma” and crowd favorite, “Slit Wrist Theory”. It was my first time seeing 36 Crazyfists live and I can tell you I will make a point to see them again. I would suggest you do the same.

The Defiled

Brock Lindow of 36 Crazyfists

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The anticipation began to build with Black Widow spider legs on a white fabric screen blocking the view of the stage. The crowd waited for the stage to be set up behind the screen. The stage set included lighted steps, metal gates and a tent for costume changes. Drummer, Tom Hane’s kit was stage right and up above the rest of the band. The bassist, Travis Johnson, was Tom’s complement on the left side. The lower areas on each side of the main area left room for guitarists, Chris Howorth, and Randy Weitzel.

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Click to view In This Moment Photo Gallery

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In This Moment encourages their fans to #becometheshow and dress up for the show and many fans do just that. There is a background screen set up at every venue for the fans to snap pictures and send to the band’s social media.

In This Moment’s performance is a seamless, theatrical vision with costume changes where the songs flow into one another. ITM’s set began with “Sick Like Me”. Fans and smoke blew around hair and also added to the song “Burn” where vocalist, Maria Brink, used large black, fabric wings to perform. Accompanying Maria Brink and sometimes attached to each of her legs were her backup dancers known as the Blood Girls. The stage had back-lighting that concentrated the crowd’s view of Maria Brink’s hourglass figure.  A new costume added to In This Moment’s tour was a circus tamer with whip.  Maria using the whip definitely got the audience excited.

One of the most important gestures that the band executes in every show is to thank the fans. Maria tells them, “Thanks you for taking time, hard earned money, and thank you from the bottom of our hearts.” Her gratitude is sincere and the fans appreciate it. (Especially after standing in a two foot by two foot square for over four hours.)

Maria Brink told the audience that “Whore” was a “Go f*ck yourself to those that think they know who you are.” She asked the crowd to turn hate into love and turned the message from one of negativity into one of positivity as the song does by changing the stigma of “whore” into a positive connotation.

W-women
H-honoring
O-one another
R-rising
E-eternally

At the end of the evening, the crowd called for an encore and of course, the only song for an encore is “Blood”. Maria Brink asked the audience to chant “We want blood!” before it could be performed.

The Black Widow tour continues.

You can find out where here:

In This Moment Concert Review The Black Widow Tour

In This Moment Concert Review The Black Widow Tour 3 Pill Morning, Starset, and Twelve Foot Ninja

The Black Widow Tour came to the Limelight Eventplex in Peoria, Illinois. All of the bands had performed in this area before. The metalheads were anxiously welcoming Maria Brink and In This Moment to this area steeped in rock and metal music.

3 Pill Morning

3 Pill Morning

3 Pill Morning started the evening and they put on a good set. The crowd was there early to see all the bands. 3 Pill Morning performed their notable songs of Rain and Loser.  The crowd like their performance.

 

Starset

Starset

Next up was the cinematic group, Starset.  They took the stage with a transparent forty inch touch screen that was hooked up to their Macbook.  The band took the stage with blue lighted masks and black spandex pants except for the vocalist.  He had black glasses and a bow tie.  The band has only been around since 2013 and their album Transmissions has had two hits on it, My Demons and Carnivore.  Starset has a definite theme and a story line to go along with the album.  Dustin Bates, the vocalist of the band, told me about their upcoming novel to go along with the story about The Starset Society.  You can find more on their website here.

Twelve Foot Ninja

Twelve Foot Ninja

Twelve Foot Ninja, the eclectic rock band from Australia performed and the crowd did like their set.  Their sound is so different moving from rock to reggae.  The singer performs in a ninja outfit sans the hood.

 

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Click to view In This Moment Photo Gallery

 

In This Moment took the stage after an elaborate set up that included changing out light bulbs on the lighted stairs.  Tom Hane, Travis Johnson, Randy Weitzel, and Chris Howoth took the stage in black makeup as usual.  The Blood Girls who are the dancers that support Maria took the stage and then Maria Brink, the vocalist came on stage wearing her black widow outfit complete with the black wide brimmed hat.

The show was theatrical with stage prop changes and steam flowing with fans blowing dry ice.  Maria made several costume changes.  The setlist included Sick Like Me, Adrenalize, Sex Metal Barbie.  My personal favorites were performed Into The Light and Whore.  There were as many men singing along to this song as women.

In This Moment releases their latest album Black Widow on November 17th.  One of the singles Big Bad Wolf incorporates more electronic features however the live performance was definitely more metal.  The night ended with choosing one of the fans to become “infected” and an encore of Blood.