Suzie Soule, Author at bestrocklist.com

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311. Concert Review with special guests AWOLNATION and Blame My Youth

Posted on September 24, 2023 by Suzie Soule

311. Concert Review with special guests AWOLNATION and Blame My Youth
Peoria Civic Center Theater
Peoria, Illinois
Wednesday, September 20th, 2023

Nick Hexum of 311.

311. was formed over 33 years ago. They formed in Omaha, Nebraska even though they have a SoCal sound. Their sound has roots in Reggae, Punk, and Rock. The band consists of vocalist and guitarist Nick Hexum, bassist Aaron “P-Nut” Willis, drummer Chad Sexton, lead guitarist Tim Mahoney, and vocalist and turntablist Doug “SA” Martinez. Named after the police code for indecent exposure in Omaha. The band has one of the longest running original lineups. They have taken over the date March 11th as their day with album releases occurring on that day as well as celebratory concerts. Their live show is one of the most dynamic and entertaining.

311. fans come from all over and travel to see them whenever and whereever they can. In July, they played Red Rocks. Ten of their albums have reached the Top 10 on Billboard’s Top 200 Sales Chart and nine of their singles have reached the Top 10 on Billboard’s Alternative Radio Chart – “Amber,” “All Mixed Up,” “Come Original,” “Creatures For Awhile,” “Hey You,” and “Sunset in July,” along with #1 singles “Down,” “Love Song,” and “Don’t Tread On Me.”

Special guests AWOLNATION and Blame My Youth joined 311. on tour. AWOLNATION is the project of Aaron Bruno who is the vocalist and composer. Their most notable song, “Sail” is from their 2010 album Megalithic Symphony. The song has been certified Diamond (excess of 10 million) by the RIAA in the United States and several times platinum all over the world.

Blame My Youth is the project of Sean Van Vleet who has written songs for alternative rockers, All Time Low, PVRIS, The Score, Fitz & The Tantrums. Blame My Youth‘s first single “Right Where You Belong” was released on the Bill & Ted Face The Music soundtrack that received a Grammy Nomination.

Blame My Youth‘s Sean Van Vleet was living up to the name. Throwing around middle fingers like glitter and being on the hunt for a good time. The songs in the set had great lyrics and sound like “Stupid Human”, “Prizefighter”, “Tentacles” and “They Only Love You When You’re Dead”.

The lyrics to “They Only Love You When You’re Dead”

They only love you if you’re 27
When you go to heaven
Cause you die on your back
With a bottle in your hand, yeah

The band definitely gained fans this evening. It is exciting to see them at their start of their career. Their website: Blame My Youth

Blame My Youth

AWOLNATION took the stage with lots of LED lights behind and to the sides of the band. Aaron Bruno wore a Hawaiian shirt and trousers, looking like a middle aged dad on vacation. The rest of the band looked almost like his kids who were on vacation with him (see pictures below). The songs are electronic, alternative rock and have a sing along and dance along beat. Aaron Bruno was running around the stage with so much energy and singing.

Their complete setlist:
1. People
2. Kill Your Heroes
3. Run
4. The Best
5. Radical
6. Handyman
7. Passion
8. Sound Witness System
9. Hollow Moon (Bad Wolf)
10. Pacific Coast Highway in the Movies
11. Sail

AWOLNATION

311. took the stage after a short break. Their stage had led panel behind the drum kit with two smaller led panels to each side. Fans who purchased the VIP seats got to go up onto the stage and watch the first 3 songs from the side stage. For a band where the members are in their fifties, they looked really good. Especially vocalist/guitarist Nick Hexum. He was mesmerizing moving around the stage. He seemed especially fit. For a lot of fans, when 311. comes onto the stage, that is the time to light their joints or smoke their vapes. Highlights of the show were P-Nut’s bass solo with his lighted fret marker bass and then drummer, Chad Sexton’s solo. Chad Sexton’s drum kit utilized traditional drum kit along with electronic drums and lots of effects cymbals(cymbals with holes). The band thanked the crowd for over 30 years of allowing them to spread a positive message.

The full song list:
1. Beautiful Disaster
2. Freeze Time
3. Do You Right
4. Prisoner
5. Come Original
6. Taiyed
7. What The ?!
8. All Mixed Up
9. Bass Solo
10. What Was I Thinking?
11. Lovesong (The Cure cover)
12. Stainless
13. Don’t Stay Home
14. Applied Science
15. Random
16. Hydroponic
17. You Wouldn’t Believe
18. Amber
19. Down
Encore:
20. Feels So Good

Nick Hexum of 311.

S.A. Martinez of 311.

Nick Hexum of 311.

S.A. Martinez of 311.

Nick Hexum of 311.

P-Nut of 311.

S.A. Martinez of 311.

Chad Sexton of 311.

Tim Mahoney of 311.

S.A. Martinez of 311.

Nick Hexum of 311.

Click to find out more about 311. Tour

Sources: setlist.fm, wikipedia.org,bigpicturemedia

Avatar Concert Review with Orbit Culture and The Native Howl

Posted on September 20, 2023 by Suzie Soule

Avatar Concert Review with Orbit Culture and The Native Howl
Sunday, September 17,2023
The Castle Theatre
Bloomington, Illinois

Avatar Chimp Mosh Pit Tour

Avatar is a Swedish Metal band that is having a stellar year. They recently reached their first number one song on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Chart. “The Dirt I’m Buried In” is from their ninth album Dance Devil Dance which was released in February. The single rose to number one on its 31st week making it the longest trek to a number one in twenty years.

The band has also been immortalized in history by having a fossil from southern Sweden named after them. The fossil is named Ophiocoma Avatar discovered by Dr. Ben Thuy. The fossil is a brittle star and the Avatar brittle star is by far the oldest known of this type of brittle star that can see with their entire body surface.

Avatar fossil brittle star

The band brought openers, The Native Howl who are described as Thrash Grass so a blend of Thrash Metal and Bluegrass. That describes exactly what music the band is making. The Native Howl is from Leonard, Michigan and their band consists of guitar, bass, drums and banjo. Missing was the mandolin but the electric guitar fills in for the mandolin parts. They covered “Man of Constant Sorrow” the song made famous from the movie, O Brother, Where Art Thou? a gem from the Coen brothers. The Grammy award winning song was penned and sung by bluegrass legend Dan Tyminski in the movie. The Native Howl gained a bunch of new fans in an area where country, rock and metal music are listened to by many in the area.

The Native Howl

Orbit Culture is a fairly new band and I had not seen them or heard them before now. I have to say that their music was really great metal. It made you want to get up and bang your head the entire time. Their songs, “From The Inside” and “Vultures of The North” really spoke to me. Their entire set got the crowd going.

For more on Orbit Culture find them online: Orbit Culture

Orbit Culture

I first saw Avatar in 2014 at Rock On The Range. They always make a great impression wherever they perform. In addition to their fantastic music, Avatar’s music videos are some of the best in metal. You can see their creativity in the music videos. The band has headlined The Castle Theatre several times before. Their metal circus show has become more entertaining with more elaborate and well thought out showmanship. They have gained new fans with their song “The Dirt I’m Buried In” getting serious airplay. Avatar set the stage with two side curtained areas where band members walked out of and sophisticated lighting. The band came onto the stage in their classic red and black carnival outfits. Avatar had some small pyrotechnics during their set. Johannes went out into the crowd and onto the balcony and made a balloon animal dog and then played his trumpet. A set of balloons were gifted and each one popped during the show. Guitarist, Jonas Kungen Jarlsby came out on stage in full King regalia during the song “A Statue of The King”. A streamer gun was used to playfully shoot streamers into the crowd.

Avatar

The full setlist:
1. Dance Devil Dance
2. The Eagle Has Landed
3. Valley of Disease
4. Chimp Mosh Pit
5. Paint Me Red
6. Bloody Angel
7. For The Swarm
8. Puppet Show
9. When the Snow Lies Red
10. Do You Feel In Control
11. Black Waltz
12. Tower
13. Colossus
14. Let It Burn
15. A Statute of The King

Encore:
16. The Dirt I’m Buried In
17. Smells Like A Freak Show
18. Hail The Apocalypse

The night was long but went by in the blink of an eye. It was truly an entertaining and imaginative show. I cannot wait to see how Avatar grows bigger and bigger and puts on more elaborate shows.

Catch them on tour: AvatarMetal.com

Avatar

sources: wikipedia.org, setlist.fm

Mudvayne Psychotherapy Sessions with Coal Chamber, GWAR, Nonpoint, and Butcher Babies

Posted on August 13, 2023 by Suzie Soule

Mudvayne Psychotherapy Sessions with Coal Chamber, GWAR, Nonpoint, and Butcher Babies Concert Review
Peoria Civic Center
Peoria, Illinois
Wednesday, August 9th, 2023

Mudvayne

Grammy Award winners Mudvayne metal veterans return to their hometown and brought the tour called Psychotherapy Sessions. Joining Mudvayne were Butcher Babies, Nonpoint, GWAR and Coal Chamber.

The near sellout crowd greeted Mudvayne. For most of the fans, this was not the first time seeing Mudvayne as they grew up with the guys in the band and followed them their careers. From their beginnings at the now defunct Madison Theatre, the band has won a Grammy and had a lot of success off and on over the years. Vocalist Chad Gray has had an illustrious career with supergroup HELLYEAH that began with Vinnie Paul and Tom Maxwell and Greg Tribbet. HELLYEAH in its current lineup of Gray, Christian Brady, Tom Maxwell, and Roy Mayorga (who took over for the deceased Vinnie Paul) is on hiatus at this time.

Metal music has had a resurgence. Thanks, in part to, satellite radio and streaming services. I know that we disparage streaming services at cutting the royalties paid to artists. But they connect some artists with fans that would never have had access otherwise. This is why metal is one of the most streamed genres on Spotify. It’s also why rock festivals and tours have bands coming back like Pantera, Mudvayne, Tool, and Coal Chamber.

Heidi Shepherd and Carla Harvey of Butcher Babies

Butcher Babies have been around since 2013 since the release of their debut album Goliath. For a lot of the fans, they had never seen Butcher Babies live and did not know what to expect. They come out looking pretty but absolutely assaulting the fans ear holes with brutal music. While a lot of their latest release Eye for an Eye/’Til the World’s Blind has clean singing, they still love to scream.

Their setlist:
Red Thunder
Best Friend
Monsters Ball
BEAVER CAGE
It’s Killin’ Time Baby!
Last December
Magnolia Blvd.

You have to love when a hard band covers a rap or pop song. I loved it when IPrevail covered “Blank Space” by Taylor Swift. Butcher Babies covered “Best Friend” by Saweeti and it is awesome. Seeing it live is even better. Follow them on butcherbabies.com to find out where they are next.

Heidi Shepherd of Butcher Babies

Carla Harvey of Butcher Babies

Heidi Shepherd of Butcher Babies

Butcher Babies

Carla Harvey of Butcher Babies

Heidi Shepherd of Butcher Babies

Nonpoint hails from Fort Lauderdale, Florida and has been around since 1997. Nonpoint tours relentlessly and they are a favorite band in the area. The band consists of vocalist, Elias Soriano, drummer Robb Rivera, guitarist Rasheed Thomas, and bassist Adam Woloszyn. With ten studio albums under their belt, their catalog of songs is large. So picking just a few songs to perform is hard but they brought in “What A Day”, “Ruthless”, and “Bullet with a Name”. Nonpoint recently decided to go independent to take over full creative control of their music. During this tour, they are offering VIP packages of after show bus hangs. Maybe you can hang out with them. See more on Nonpoint.com

Nonpoint

Robb Rivera of Nonpoint

Nonpoint

Rasheed Thomas of Nonpoint

Elias Soriano and Robb Rivera of Nonpoint

Adam Woloszyn and Rasheed Thomas of Nonpoint

Next up GWAR who are self described interplanetary warriors who came to earth to rid it of corrupt people. I like to describe GWAR as X-rated metal band that reminds me of the movie Mars Attacks! This show they start with a normal earthling and he gets what he deserves for fighting, apathy, racism and destroying the earth with climate change. The band frequently annihilates political figures and talks about what they did to deserve what they got. This show was Vladimir Putin. There is usually a lot of blood colored water coming out of wounds of the people. In addition, this show also incorporated blue jizz and the crowd got covered in it from front row to twenty feet back. The entire front row was bright purple by the end of their set. Their set included an smaller alien simulating fellatio on vocalist’s Blöthar the Berserker’s faux penises of which there are four surrounding an evil looking mouth with fanged teeth. (Just look at the pictures!!) While the show is out of this world, the music is pretty good to go along with the show. Once you see GWAR live, you can’t unsee them! If you want to see who they’ll kill next or what they can think of next, check their website: Gwar.net

Gwar and Putin

Gwar fighting Putin

Gwar cutting Putin’s hands off and blood spraying the crowd

Gwar

Pustulus Maximus of Gwar

Blöthar the Berserker of Gwar

Gwar

Gwar fans covered in fake blood and ?

Coal Chamber was formed by Dez Fafara and Miguel Rascón in Los Angeles. There was a very public breakup from a fight between the two onstage in 2002. The band officially reformed in 2011 and played some festivals. In the meantime, Dez Fafara became the vocalist for DevilDriver. Finally in 2022, their second reformation happened when Fafara finally wanted to put the past behind them.

The band consists of vocalist Dez Fafara, guitarist Miguel Rascón, drummer Mike Cox and bassist Nadja Peulen. Coal Chamber making their return on this tour the Psychotherapy Sessions with Mudvayne. The band came on stage and all the members looked like the older version of themselves except for Dez Fafara. He was barely recognizable with black face paint similar to Indigenous Peoples face paint and two braids in his hair. The music sounded great. Their set consisted of their songs “Loco” “I.O.U. Nothing”, “Big Truck” and “Sway”. Let’s hope their continued reunion produces new music and they continue to tour.

Coal Chamber

Mike Box of Coal Chamber

Nadja Peulen of Coal Chamber

Coal Chamber

Miguel Rascón of Coal Chamber

Nadja Peulen of Coal Chamber

Dez Fafara of Coal Chamber

Mike Cox of Coal Chamber

Mudvayne made their return to their hometown, Peoria, Illinois. The town loves rock and metal music and has hosted numerous bands over the years. Old and new fans were so glad that Mudvayne made a homecoming stop in Peoria.

The stage was covered by a large kabuki screen with the new Mudvayne symbol, and\ ‘M’, stylized as an upside down pentagram, inside a circle. Their artwork has evolved over the years and I really like this new symbol as it seems to have a matured energy. The kabuki screen dropped to the band on a simple stage with an elevated massive drum kit in the back middle of the stage and members of the band positioned around the stage. Everyone was dressed up in makeup and had their hair (if they had hair) in different styles.

The band started with the song “Not Falling” which starts with blistering riffs. Chad Gray told the crowd that the title of the tour, Psychotherapy Sessions, was because the fans had saved his life many times. He told them that we could talk to a therapist or buy concert tickets for our mental health! The gratitude conveyed to the audience was appreciated. He said he was probably insane and instead of just watching him ‘lose his shit’ on the stage, he was inviting the fans to ‘lose their shit’ with him.

Nothing is like a live show for getting the endorphins and dopamine flowing into your body. Even if the age of the majority of the fans is more than fifty years old. Chad went into the audience several times and sang to them and people loved getting up close and personal with him. Mudvayne absolutely kept the crowd hyped up and the there was a respectable pit that really got going during “Determined”.

Their full setlist:
Not Falling
Under My Skin
Internal Primates Forever
World So Cold
A New Game
Severed
Death Blooms
Fish Out of Water
Dull Boy
Determined
Nothing to Gein
Dig
Happy?

Everyone sang along to “Happy” and then the band left. No encores and the fans left also on a Wednesday night. It was way past our bedtimes! Go get some Psychotherapy yourself. Find out where at Mudvayne Official

Chad Gray in crowd Mudvayne

Matthew McDonough of Mudvayne

Greg Tribbett and Ryan Martinie of Mudvayne

Chad Gray of Mudvayne

Ryan Martinie of Mudvayne

Greg Tribbett of Mudvayne

Marcus Rafferty of Mudvayne

Ryan Martinie of Mudvayne

Chad Gray of Mudvayne

Ryan Martinie of Mudvayne

Chad Gray of Mudvayne

Sources: setlist.fm, wikipedia.org,

Nothing More Concert Review

Posted on May 30, 2023 by Suzie Soule

Nothing More Concert Review
May 26, 2023
The Castle Theatre
Bloomington, Illinois

Nothing More is an American rock band that formed in San Antonio, Texas in 2003. The band consists of Jonny Hawkins (lead vocals), Mark Vollelunga (guitar, backing vocals), Daniel Oliver (bass, backing vocals), and Ben Anderson (drums). They are known for their high-energy performances and socially conscious lyrics. Nothing More sold out The Castle Theatre again on this Friday night show. They are touring in support of their sixth studio album, “SPIRITS” release in October 14, 2022. The album is accompanied by a graphic novel, SPIRITS, VOL. 1. It is described: ‘This powerfully human epic follows the lives of four individuals from 1952 to modern day, and examines how the unexpected manifestation of their spirit selves alter and shape their destinies toward a greater purpose.’ All the song titles are capitalized which may have meaning that the titles are being shouted. I am not sure of all the details behind the meaning of the album. I am sure that the songs are rocking. The show was sold out. The crowd was from all over the country. My friend came in from Jacksonville, Florida. This was one of the last shows for Nothing More in the United States of this tour. Nothing More touring Europe in Summer 2023.

Nothing More

The opening band, Catch Your Breath is from Austin, Texas and they are a blend of alt-rock and metal. Their latest single, “Dial Tone” is a great song about losing touch with someone. Their merch was the best designed out of the bands there. They met with fans after their set.

The second artist to perform was Zero 9:36. He was here in 2021 opening for Pop Evil. The stage name of Matthew Cullen whose music is in the rap rock genre. His hit song “Adrenaline” was like an anthem for the Covid Pandemic.

The lyrics,
“All my life I’ve drowned in adrenaline
Now my blood runs slow like a sedative
I wake up past noon and they settled in
Lord, please help me up, I don’t wanna lay down
So help me get the fuck back up”

Zero 9:36 had an incredibly long set for an opener and the crowd loved his entire set. His single, “The End” has a definite Linkin Park vibe. Zero 9:36 is getting bigger and bigger and fills in the rap rock genre that needs more artists.

Zero 9:36

Finally, Nothing More took the stage with a backdrop that has the artwork from “SPIRITS”, a winged skeleton with the Nothing More logo as the skull holding a sword. Singer, Jonny Hawkins entered shirtless and shoeless with make up painted on his body. They started the night with the song “SPIRITS” and then went into their hard hitting hit “Do You Really Want It?”

The full setlist:
1. SPIRITS
2. Do Your Really Want It?
3. Tired of Winning
4. YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT LOVES MEANS
5. Best Times
6. Jenny
7. Let’em Burn
8. Go To War
9. TURN IT UP (Stand In The Fire)
10. Don’t Stop
11. I’ll Be Okay
12. Fade In/Fade Out
13. This Is The Time (Ballast)

For those not familiar with the songs by Nothing More, I am moved by “Jenny” a statement about loved ones of a person suffering from addiction. The frustration and desperation about “Jenny” is conveyed perfectly in the lyrics of this song. Their song-writing has the passion and poetry that make perfect songs.

Their stellar hit “This Is The Time (Ballast)” was saved for last. No encore for the show because the band chooses to have their meet and greet after the show instead of beforehand. Several people purchased the meet and greet which are not available for every show. I cannot wait for you to experience Nothing More live where you are. Their passion is evident in every song of the concert.

Find out when you can catch them live at their website:
Nothing More

Nothing More

sources: www.setlist.fm, en.wikipedia.org

Highly Suspect with Dead Poets Society Concert Review

Posted on March 5, 2023 by Suzie Soule

Highly Suspect with Dead Poets Society Concert Review
February 28, 2023
The Castle Theatre
Bloomington, Illinois

Highly Suspect returned to Bloomington-Normal, Illinois on Tuesday, February 28th. They sold out The Castle Theatre again. The band was here in 2017 and sold out that show as well. We know from research that listening to live music increases endorphins and serotonin. Tuesday is as good a night as any to get those good brain chemicals at a live show. Live music is probably as good if not better for boosting your mood. The winter is dragging on in central Illinois. Most of the locals had work the next day but are old pros at going to bed late and getting up early.

Opening for Highly Suspect was Boston rock band, Dead Poet Society. The band formed while band members were attending Berklee College. The band consists of vocalist, Jack Underkofler, guitarist, Jack Collins, drummer Will Goodroad, and bassist Dylan Brenner. You may have heard their song “CoDA.” on Spotify’s Dirty Rock playlist. The band was unassuming with a simple, four-piece stage set up. No certain style in their clothing as they wore generic jeans, t-shirts, and hoodies. The music was all over the place. Each live song sounded different from the song before it. There were punk undertones with a Deftones feel and then some math rock breakdowns. The crowd really enjoyed their set. For fans of cleopatrick, Franz Ferninand, and just creative rock. You can learn more about Dead Poet Society on their website: wearedps.com

DEAD POET SOCIETY

Grammy winners, Highly Suspect, is touring in support of their fourth studio album, The Midnight Demon Club. The album was released on September 9, 2022. While some critics say the album is not as strong as their previous albums. I think that The Midnight Demon Club is one of their best albums. Some of the songs are more electronic but still rooted in great guitar riffs and poetic lyrics. The single, “Natural Born Killer”, reached number one on U.S. Mainstream Rock chart. The video is a statement on pharmaceuticals with an avant guarde harbinger of death with ice cream cones of drugs to help people cope with their life traumas.

Highly Suspect squeezed onto the stage at The Castle Theatre. Their backdrop was Highly Suspect in dripping paint and an awesome artwork to go along with The Midnight Demon Club song list. Unfortunately a lot of the artwork was covered by the light bars behind the band. Regardless, we were there to listen to the music and get our fix of Serotonin.

The band took the stage on time and wore unique t-shirts and jeans and some MCID gear. Vocalist, Johnny Stevens, was wearing a Selena t-shirt. They started the night with Bath Salts. Their setlist consisted of old and new songs. The fans knew every new song off of The Midnight Demon Club. The album is so catchy. If you listen to it, next thing you know you’re singing the lyrics,

“I-I hate myself
But I’m loving this
Yeah, I could never fix my shit
But I’m so good at judging it”

Rich Meyer took over the vocals when performing the song “Arizona” acoustically. His voice is amazing. The song sounded so sad that you wanted to hold your lighter in the air and just feel the song. During “Claudeland”, Johnny lit up a cigarette so we knew it was the final song.

The full setlist:
Bath Salts
Mom
Bloodfeather
23
Canals
Ice Cold
Natural Born Killer
Midnight Demon Club
Arizona
Serotonia
Human
Lost
For Billy
Lydia
Claudeland
—————–
encore

Look Alive, Stay Alive
Pink Lullabye

In many ways, Highly Suspect is one of the true bands who are pushing the envelope of rock in a place of their own. They are not doing what everyone else is or trying to get more views or go viral. They are artists lyricizing our fears, pointing out what’s f*cked up, and feeling the heartache of lost loved ones. Their live show never disappoints and you should see them if you can.

You can find out more about Highly Suspect on their website:
HighlySuspect.net

Highly Suspect

sources: https://www.bbc.com/news/health-12135590

Trinity of Terror Part III Concert Review

Posted on November 14, 2022 by Suzie Soule

Trinity of Terror Part III Concert Review
Peoria Civic Center
Peoria, Illinois
Thursday, November 11, 2022

TRINITY OF TERROR

Trinity of Terror Part III made its way to Peoria, Illinois. Peoria is keeping rock alive with the rock shows. Trinity of Terror consists of Motionless In White, Black Veil Brides and Ice Nine Kills. Each band has been around for more than fifteen years but are still considered new bands in the mind of older rock fans. I think of them fondly as Vans Warped Tour bands. Motionless In White was one of the first bands we covered in 2013. They were on tour with Asking Alexandria, Crown The Empire and Upon a Burning Body. That was an exceptional show for our very first show review.

I have seen Motionless In White twelve times. I like MIW but I did not purposely seek them out for every show. They have been touring so much where I would see them at Vans Warped Tour or opening for other bands. Their maturation into amazing entertainers makes me so happy to see the band’s growth and new fans at every show. Black Veil Brides has Andy Black at the helm who has forayed into acting with the movie American Satan and the spinoff series, Paradise City. He is one-half of the power couple with Lilith Czar, formerly known as Juliet Simms. Black Veil Brides became popular with their song “Knives and Pens”. It is a song about choice between destructive behavior or constructive behavior. Ice Nine Kills has attained tremendous success with their themed albums, The Silver Scream and The Silver Scream 2: Welcome to Horrorwood. Spencer Charnas and the band has been inspired by horror films and their passion has gone into these albums and the lyrics and show is very entertaining.

Starting the night was openers, Atreyu. The stage was filled with fog. Behind the band stood a thirty by forty foot LED screen and in front of the drum kit sat a smaller LED screen. In big, bold red letters Atreyu filled the screen during their set. Atreyu is a metalcore band from Yorba Linda, California that formed in 1998. The name comes from a character in The Neverending Story. Atreyu consists of founding member, vocalist and drummer, Brandon Saller, founding member, guitarist, Dan Jacobs, rhythm guitarist, Travis Miguel, bassist Marc “Porter” McKnight, and drummer, Kyle Rosa. Brandon has moved from behind the drum kit to the front as lead vocalist. Their latest album Baptize (Spinefarm Records) was released on June 4, 2021. You may have heard their radio hit, “Warrior” that features Travis Barker. They performed songs “The Time is Now” and sung a couple of lines of “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” by Whitney Houston. That cover lent to the fun the band was having. They decided not to perform the entire song. The band primed the crowd for the Trinity. For more on Atreyu, go to their website: Atreyu Official

TRINITY OF TERROR Atreyu

The Trinity of Terror change their lineup every evening so you never know who is going to be on stage next. Tonight it was Motionless in White. Motionless in White band consists of vocalist, Chris Motionless (Cerulli), lead guitarist, Ryan Sitkowski, rhythm guitarist, Ricky Horror (Olson), bassist, Justin Morrow, and drummer, Vinny Mauro. The stage was empty and the screen behind the stage lit up with “MOTIONLESS IN WHITE IS COMING ONLINE…” and “INITIATING BANGOVER SEQUENCE…”. A skeleton microphone holder with arms and a skull that could swing around sat in the front of the stage. The band took the stage with fog rolling in. The band members wore their signature black clothes with black and white makeup on their faces. They started the evening with “Disguise”. Behind them the LED screen displayed their name. Ryan Sitkowski was wearing a Hannibal Lecter inspired mask. The band had two female performers come out and use grinders to send sparks flying across the stage. The screen behind them incorporated imagery using their lyrics and also videos. During their performance of the single “Werewolf” images from the video went across the screen. That song video has nods to Michael Jackson with their jackets, dance choreography, and a sampling of “Somebody’s Watching Me” the Rockwell song that features Michael Jackson. the video is highly entertaining. You can watch it here.

Motionless In White full setlist:
Disguise
Sign of Life
Slaughterhouse
Werewolf
Voices
Cyberhex
Masterpiece
Dead as Fuck
Another Life
Somebody Told Me
Eternally Yours

During their performance of “Voices” the crowd sent up their LGBTQIA flags and Chris Motionless put them on display on the microphone stands. The lyrics “I know the man is everything but kind” flash across the screen and rainbow lighting lit up the stage. Chris has said on Twitter that many of the ‘lyrics were inspired by his personal conversations with people in the LGBT community’. During “Dead as Fuck”, the female performers came out as zombies and one of the zombies was on stilts and passed out candy to the crowd. Motionless in White also performed their cover of “Somebody Told Me” by The Killers. While I am not a fan of many cover songs, but I really liked this song live. Chris Motionless’ vocal abilities have gotten better over the years and he really shined tonight. He asked us if we knew what a bangover was. Well, its the equivalent of a hangover but due to headbanging. Motionless in White‘s live performance was exceedingly entertaining.

TRINITY OF TERROR Motionless In White

TRINITY OF TERROR Chris Motionless of Motionless In White

TRINITY OF TERROR Motionless In White

TRINITY OF TERROR Ryan Sitkowski of Motionless In White

TRINITY OF TERROR Chris Motionless of Motionless In White

TRINITY OF TERROR Ricky Olson of Motionless In White

TRINITY OF TERROR Justin Morrow of Motionless In White

TRINITY OF TERROR Vinny Morrow of Motionless In White

TRINITY OF TERROR Chris Motionless of Motionless In White

TRINITY OF TERROR Vinny Morrow of Motionless In White

TRINITY OF TERROR Motionless In White

Black Veil Brides was the next band to grace the stage. Black Veil Brides consists of vocalist, Andy Black (Biersack), lead guitarist, Jake Pitts, rhythm guitarist, Jinxx, drummer, Christian Coma (CC) and bassist, and bassist, Lonny Eagleton. The band wore black. Andy Black came out in a suit with a vest and jacket and no shirt. The band’s signature BVB imagery has changed a little to be more rigid with straight lines for the B’s. Although the older BVB was still present on the drum kit also. The background imagery on the LED screens somewhat paled in comparison to the other bands. Usually, I would say that Andy Black is the best vocalist perhaps tonight there was something off with the sound and he did not sound as good as he usually does. Maybe he can remove his suit jacket and put on the priest’s collar like in their video for “Scarlett Cross”. He thanked us all for ‘spending our hard earned money to come see a rock show’. Overall the performance was good musically but I was disappointed by the entertainment of the stage show.

TRINITY OF TERROR Andy Black of Black Veil Brides

TRINITY OF TERROR Black Veil Brides

TRINITY OF TERROR Andy Black of Black Veil Brides

TRINITY OF TERROR Black Veil Brides

The closers of the night were Ice Nine Kills. Many of the fans in the front row had the signature I and X covering their eyes. The band has generated a small cult following that loves horror movies and their music. Ice Nine Kills consists of vocalist, Spencer Charnas, lead guitarist, Dan Sugarman, bassist, Joe Occhiuti, rhythm guitarist, Ricky Armelino, and drummer, Patrick Galante. On the transition screen, Ice Nine Kills put up a phone number to text for a fan to win a ‘Killer Merch Bundle’. The band took the dark, foggy stage in black suits with bow ties. The microphone stand had a horror skeleton with a lit up red eye and Jason and Freddy masks on each side. Some members were wearing horror masks. Spencer came out carrying a shovel in a mask. The LED screen in the background had movie marquee imagery with the names of the songs displayed. A male performer and a female performer came out during the set and were featured in scene like a dismembering, or a stabbing shower silouhette. During “Wurst Vacation”, Spencer donned an apron and a meat cleaver and proceeded to dismember the male performer with body parts flying around the stage. The screen lit up with circus tents and a circus marquee during “IT Is The End” and of course red balloons were let loose into the crowd. Spencer wore a clown mask. For their most popular song, “A Grave Mistake” there was imagery of the broken circular window and rain and a crow in flames. The vocal ability of Spencer Charnas is highlighted during this ballad. The fans were highly entertained. The show given by Ice Nine Kills has been increased from a couple of costumes to an Alice Cooper level of showmanship.

TRINITY OF TERROR Ice Nine Kills

TRINITY OF TERROR Ricky Armellino of Ice Nine Kills

TRINITY OF TERROR Spencer Charnas of Ice Nine Kills

TRINITY OF TERROR Ice Nine Kills

TRINITY OF TERROR Ricky Armellino of Ice Nine Kills

TRINITY OF TERROR Spencer Charnas of Ice Nine Kills

TRINITY OF TERROR Patrick Galante of Ice Nine Kills

TRINITY OF TERROR Spencer Charnas of Ice Nine Kills

TRINITY OF TERROR Joe Occhiuti of Ice Nine Kills

TRINITY OF TERROR Spencer Charnas of Ice Nine Kills

Catch Trinity of Terror Part III if you can. Find all the dates on the website:

Trinity of Terror

Sources: setlist.fm, wikipedia.org, youtube.com

GHOST Mastodon Spiritbox Concert Review

Posted on September 24, 2022 by Suzie Soule

GHOST Mastodon Spiritbox Concert Review
Peoria Civic Center
Peoria, Illinois
Wednesday, September 21, 2022

GHOST

The Imperatour continues and sold out Peoria Civic Center. Grammy award winner GHOST continues their success. Their song “Mary On A Cross” is finding new fans due to their TikTok sensationalism after being featured in a Stranger Things mash up. Some people are shocked that the song is so blasphemous. “Mary On A Cross” is a release from a seven inch EP with only two songs on it. That EP, Seven Inches of Satanic Panic was released September 13, 2019. Their fifth studio album Impera is a concept album inspired by the book The Rule of Empires: Those Who Built Them, Those Who Endured Them, and Why They Always Fall by Timothy Parsons. Tobias Forge who is the man behind the Papa Emeritus IV and Cardinal Copa explains that the album is a creation on Empires and why they fall. He emphasizes that the album is fiction and entertainment. Do not criticize Forge as he is just a rock artist and not a religious or a political leader. Instead we should listen to what he is talking about of his interpretation of Empires and their greed and their downfalls being cyclical in nature.

Spiritbox is from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. The band was started by Courtney LaPlante vocalist and Mike Stringer guitarist, husband and wife. Many fans were looking forward to seeing Spiritbox live for the first time. Vocalist, Courtney LaPlante has an amazing clean singing and also great growling. Her vocal skills are rare. There are many vocalists who can do both singing and growling but not many sound as good as LaPlante. Her clean singing is ethereal and beautiful. Spiritbox debut album Eternal Blue was released September 17, 2021.

The band took the stage with everyone clad in black. Courtney LaPlante wore a black dress and fishnet tights and platform boots. She walked around the stage with authority. They sounded great during their set that consisted of the songs “Circle With Me”, “Hurt You”, “Yellow Jacket”, “Holy Roller”, “Rotoscope” and “Hysteria”. The fans hope for a headlining tour so they can hear all their fantastic songs live. See where they are performing next on their website: Spiritbox.com

Courtney LaPlante of Spiritbox

Mike Stringer of Spiritbox

Josh Gilbert with Spiritbox

Courtney LaPlante of Spiritbox

Zev Rose of Spiritbox

Courtney LaPlante of Spiritbox

Mike Stringer of Spiritbox

Courtney LaPlante of Spiritbox

The Grammy award winning metal band Mastodon has been around since 2000. The band consists of bassist Troy Sanders, lead guitarist Brent Hinds, rhythm guitarist Bill Kelliher and drummer Brann Dailor. Sanders, Hinds and Dailor all take turns at vocalist while Kelliher sings back-up. Their style is definitely progressive metal and we consider them a metal jam band. They have been featured in video games and Dailor, Hinds, and Kelliher were in Game of Thrones as wildlings and later Hinds and Kelliher appear as wights. Their track “White Walker” was on the Games of Thrones soundtrack. Mastodon‘s eight studio album, Hushed and Grim was released on October 29, 2021. Their stage had two large horizontal led screens with images of octopi, wolves, zombies, moroccan temples, pyschedelic totems. Mastodon was exiting the tour this night and we were lucky to see them.

Mastodon

Troy Sanders of Mastodon

Brent Hinds of Mastodon

Troy Sanders of Mastodon

Brent Hinds of Mastodon

Bill Kelliher of Mastodon

Brent Hinds and Troy Sanders of Mastodon

Brann Dailor of Mastodon

Troy Sanders of Mastodon

GHOST stage had a gray Kabuki Drop that revealed the band on a huge stage with large backdrop of stained glass featuring Papa Emeritus IV. The drum riser was high in the center with stairs surrounding it. The nameless Ghouls were positioned on platforms behind the drum kit and to the side of the stage. The nameless Ghouls were wearing gas masks and black uniforms with fringed shoulders and boots.

GHOST‘s fans are ranged in age from eight years old to fans in their sixties and possibly older. They dressed in black t-shirt and jeans, dresses, costumes ranging nuns, Papas, and even a dominatrix. Fans came in from miles around to see the show.

Tobias Forge had seemless costume changes wearing a general uniform that corresponded to the name Ghouls attire. His costumes also included some bat wings, Papal vestments and then a sequined suit jacket. The theatrical stage performance included concussive blasts. A Frankenstein Papa that had to be brought back to life. During “Mummy Dust”, gold confetti was blasted into the crowd. When Tobias Forge is in the sequined suit jacket he reminded of The Joker and if the stage lights had not been in his eyes, he might have done a dance down the stairs. There was also flames blasted and colored confetti. During the final song, a curtain of sparks ended the show. The show had so many entertaining elements it was hard to say what was my favorite. Hopefully, you will be able to make it to a show to see what you love yourself.

GHOST

You can be featured on their website with your art by using the #IMPERAUnholyVestments
Find out when the next tour happens on Ghost’s Website

Sources: setlist.fm, wikipedia.org, https://youtu.be/KZ7dPYSetlI

Greta Van Fleet with Rival Sons and The Velveteers Concert Review

Posted on July 29, 2022 by Suzie Soule

Greta Van Fleet with Rival Sons and The Velveteers Concert Review
Peoria Civic Center
Peoria, Illinois
Monday July 25th, 2022

Greta Van Fleet

The Dreams in Gold Tour finally made its way to Peoria, Illinois after being delayed by Covid. The Peoria Civic Center show was sold out. I accurately predicted that Greta Van Fleet would be selling out arenas when they came to Peoria in 2017 and sold out the Limelight for Nutcracker. Read my review and see how much they have changed here: Nutcracker 2017. Greta Van Fleet has had a meteoric rise over the past five years. The band comes from Frankenmuth, Michigan and now have begun touring all over the world. You may have heard them on the radio and been interested because they sould like Led Zeppelin. Or your friends may have told you about them and you started listening and love them. Their newest album is The Battle at Garden’s Gate and is out now.

The Dreams in Gold Tour is joined by The Velveteers and Rival Sons. The Velveteers were the first openers. The band is a three piece rock band from Boulder, Colorado. They are in the space between hard rock and punk. The band consists of vocalist, guitarist Demi Demitro, drummer Baby Pottersmith and drummer, keyboardist, Jonny Fig. The Velveteers debut album, Nightmare Daydream, was released October 8, 2021. Their live show instantly grabbed the attention of the fans. Their dual drum kit was sitting close to the front of the stage. The energy was frenetic from the start. Baby Pottersmith took their drum into the crowd and the crowd helped them hold it while they did not miss a beat. Find out more on their website: The Velveteers

Baby Pottersmith and Jonny Fig of The Velveteers

Demi Demitro of The Velveteers

Baby Pottersmith of The Velveteers

Jonny Fig of The Velveteers

Baby Pottersmith and Jonny Fig of The Velveteers

Demi Demitro of The Velveteers

Jonny Fig of The Velveteers

Baby Pottersmith of The Velveteers

Rival Sons tooks the stage next. They are a Grammy nominated rock band from Long Beach, California. The band consists of vocalist Jay Buchanan, guitarist Scott Holiday, bassist Dave Beste, and drummer Michael Miley. Rivals Sons were impressive performers. They impressed the crowd with their blues rock sound. Their setlist included “Electric Man”, “Do Your Worst”, and “Nobody Wants to Die”. During their set, they took time to dedicate an acoustic version of “Shooting Stars” to Ukraine. You can see where they are next on their website: Rival Sons

Jay Buchanan of Rival Sons

Scott Holiday of Rival Sons

Todd Ögren of Rival Sons

Jay Buchanan of Rival Sons

Scott Holiday of Rival Sons

Dave Beste and Michael Miley of Rival Sons

Greta Van Fleet sold out Peoria Civic Center with a capacity of twelve thousand. The band consists of brothers, vocalist Josh Kiszka, bassist Sam Kiszka, and guitarist Jake Kiszka and drummer Danny Wagner. Sam and Jake are twins. I know critics of Greta Van Fleet will say that they are not the best technical artists. The band has a huge following of fans of all ages. I met people who were seventy and then many young girls who were right in the front row. They are not passing fans of the band. They actually knew all the songs. The fashion for the fans consisted of a lot of velvet and see through. The outfits ran the gamut of hippie fashion to punk to just plain black t-shirt and jeans.

What impresses me about Greta Van Fleet is their draw of fans to rock music. Many of the fans would never listen Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, or Jethro Tull but they may now to hear the comparisons. The band has matured in sound and presence in leaps and bounds over the past few years. According to their Spotify artist profile, “Expectations may run high, but Greta Van Fleet is indifferent to opinion. The band doesn’t have to say a certain thing or act a certain way to convince anyone of their capacity. All they have to do is play.”

The stage was all white with keyboards on risers and the drum kit on a riser also. The band took the stage barefoot as that is how they like to perform. Josh wore a gold jumpsuit with a gauzy royal looking gold floor length jacket. He has gold accents on his the tops of his cheeks. Sam wore a suit jacket with a left wing and no shirt. Jake wore an embroidered suit jacket and no shirt. Danny Wagner was almost unrecognizable as he had dark eye make-up looking every bit of a glam rock star. He also had a gold and black tank top. On the stage, behind the band were space age looking lighted rings.
During the performance, pyrotechnics of fire and cannons went off during the show. The pyro must have made them hot because Sam lost the suit jacket about halfway through and performed shirtless. There were light boards that made rainbows during their set. They played and improvised their songs. Jake Kiszka did that trick of playing behind his head. One song the band was jamming for over twenty minutes. Jake was playing guitar non-stop, Sam was on keys and Danny keeping the beat with Josh interspersing short vocals.

If you can make it to one of their shows, it is a must see this year. We cannot wait to see what the future holds for rock music and Greta Van Fleet.

CLICK TO VIEW COMPLETE GRETA VAN FLEET PHOTO GALLERY

Greta Van Fleet’s Website

Sources: setlist.fm, wikipedia.org, https://www.thevelveteers.com/, https://www.rivalsons.com/, https://gretavanfleet.com/

Greta Van Fleet Dreams in Gold Tour Photo Gallery

Posted on July 29, 2022 by Suzie Soule

Greta Van Fleet Dreams in Gold Tour Photo Gallery
Peoria Civic Center
Monday, July 25th, 2022

Greta Van Fleet Dreams in Gold Tour