Disturbed Concert Photos
Prairie Capital Convention Center, Springfield, Illinois
Ghost Concert Review
The Castle Theatre, Bloomington, Illinois
Grammy Award winners Ghost sold out The Castle Theatre in Bloomington, Illinois. Ghost is a Swedish metal band who has three albums under its belt with three different lead singers. Ghost is the antithesis of Catholicism where they worship the devil. They are lead by Papa Emeritus whose costume is similar to that of the Pope. Ghost had been to Bloomington before opening for Avenged Sevenfold in 2013. That lineup consisted of Papa Emeritus II who has since been replaced with Papa Emeritus III.
Swedish death metallers, Tribulation, opened the show and the band is a little harder than Ghost’s melodic metal. Tribulation’s style is complementary to Ghost. They have a dark stage presence. They were all dressed in dark clothing and wore makeup. Guitarist Jonathan Hultén looked like a zombie Peter Frampton. He is also a well know artist who has created word for other bands under the name Necromantic Art. Their singer, Johannes Andersson, had a green light shining on him throughout the set.
You can find out more about Tribulation:
Tribulation Website
Ghost’s album Meliora was released August 21, 2015. The album has received numerous awards. It won Best Hard Rock/Metal Album at the Grammis Awards (the Swedish equivalent of the Grammy Awards). The song “Cirice” won the Grammy for 2016 Best Metal Performance. The album made Best Rock List’s Best Rock Albums of 2015. See all the best here: Best Rock Albums 2015
The Castle Theatre is a one hundred-year-old theater has a capacity of approximately seven hundred. Ghost’s backdrop was a three-paned stained glass including Moloch(a devil character) in the center pane. Moloch was flanked by a normal looking man in a tuxedo and a woman who looked like she was out of the 1920s with her breasts were exposed. All the figures were set in the fabled city of Meliora which is an art deco modern city. The artwork is likely that of the artist known as Necropolitus Cracoviensis Zbigniew M. Bielak. A link to his work shows a limited edition panel for each song off the Meliora album. See that amazing work here: Necropolitus Cracoviensis Zbigniew M. Bielak
Ghost’s tour to the smaller venues is an amazing show as their light show is one of the best I have seen. The lights enhance their songs perfectly. They stay with the Catholicism theme using a thurible during one of their songs. Giving sacrament by using two ladies from the audience to give communion wafers and wine. Ghost has really reinvented their sound with Papa Emeritus III. The older songs do sound better with the new Papa. Hearing “Cirice” live reinforced the Grammy Award as it a perfect song. The Nameless Ghouls wore masks that would represent Moloch as well. Ghost has a few more dates in the United States before they return to Europe. You can see their full schedule on their website: Ghost’s Website
Tribulation Concert Photos
The Castle Theatre, Bloomington, Illinois
NORTHERN INVASION ROCK AND CAMPING FESTIVAL
Saturday, May 14 and Sunday, May 15 at Somerset Amphitheater in Somerset, WI
Northern Invasion announces daily Lineup
Northern Invasion announces their daily lineup and you will just have to attend both days as the lineup is killer for both days. Single day tickets go on sale April 20th at 10:00am.
Saturday, May 14:
Rob Zombie, Shinedown, Chevelle, A Day To Remember, Lamb Of God, Clutch, BABYMETAL, P.O.D., Black Stone Cherry, Yelawolf, Asking Alexandria, Parkway Drive, Enter Shikari, Avatar, Aranda, Monster Truck, The Shrine, Hands Like Houses, Wild Throne, Second Pass
Sunday, May 15:
Disturbed, Korn, Bring Me The Horizon, Seether, Ghost, SIXX:A.M., Pop Evil, Hellyeah, Sevendust, Saint Asonia, Trivium, Butcher Babies, Beartooth, Red Sun Rising, From Ashes To New, Lacey Sturm, Audiotopsy, The Glorious Sons, Andrew Watt, City Of The Weak
Camping Packages include admission to the Friday Night Bonfire. You can find more here: northerninvasion.com
The Northern Invasion Pabst 1844 VIP Lounge Upgrade will feature shade, seating areas, premium cash bar, premium food experience (for purchase), and private restroom access. Those who select the Pabst 1844 VIP Lounge Upgrade will also have access to VIP Parking and an exclusive festival entrance. All ages are welcome in the Pabst 1844 VIP Lounge, but attendees must be 21 or older to purchase adult beverages.
A limited number of discounted tickets are also available for active military through Northern Invasion partner GovX (www.govx.com).
Download the Northern Invasion mobile app (available for FREE via iTunes and Google Play) for festival information and band performance times.
Between The Buried And Me and August Burns Red Concert Review
Limelight Eventplex, Peoria, Illinois
Between The Buried And Me (BTBAM) and August Burns Red joined forces for a co-headlining tour that makes metalheads rejoice that they can conserve their dollars and see two formidable bands at the same time. It was unfortunate that The Faceless had to bow out of this tour as their inclusion would have added a lot to the tour.
While August Burns Red fans are more the popular metalcore band fans and BTBAM’s fans are what I lovingly refer to as geek metalheads. BTBAM’s fans will talk to you about music theory, breakdowns, and gear while respecting the genius of artists. Most of them are musicians themselves. August Burns Red fans will make you lose your sh*t while in the circle pit while lifting each other up in positive vibes.
The night started with Good Tiger. The band includes ex-Tesseract vocalist Elliot Coleman, ex-The Safety Fire guitarists Derya Nagle and Joaquin Ardiles, ex-The Faceless drummer Alex Rüdinger and Architects bassist Morgan Sinclair. Their songs go between screams from Elliot Coleman to high falsetto that surprised the crowd. The band has just released an album “A Head Full of Moonlight” that is a definite listen for fans of BTBAM. Their live show needs a little polishing but was very entertaining.
You can connect with Good Tiger:
Good Tiger Website
August Burns Red is a metalcore band from Pennsyvania. They have been around since 2003. Their style of music is undeniable skill paired with positive messages. Their song “Identity” was nominated for a Best Metal Performance Grammy. They are nominated for numerous awards for 2016 Alternative Press Music Awards including Best Guitarist (JB Brubaker), Artist Philanthropic, (Jake Luhrs Heart Support), Best Music Video (Identity) and Album of The Year (Found in Far Away Places). August Burns Red continue to hone their skill and message with each album. Their performance gave the fans what they wanted which was classic August Burns Red. After a few remaining shows in the United States, they head to Europe for the summer. www.augustburnsred.com
Everyone I know told me about the brilliance of Between The Buried And Me yet I had not seen them live. When describing BTBAM, there is always a long drawn out explanation that goes from Progressive Metal to metalcore to rock opera to just amazing. They are a class and genre unto themselves. Their latest album The Coma Ecliptic is a concept album of a man in a self induced coma dealing with his mind and trying to find a better past life. Tommy Rogers found inspiration from Danny Elfman and decided upon a natural progression of more melody on the album. So fans from the beginning may not shout the praises of this album but new fans like myself are awed with the complexity of the songs and can appreciate the path to this album. It made our list for best albums of 2015. See all the other albums on that list here: Best Rock Albums 2015
Tommy Rogers reminds me of a modern day Jim Morrison with his scruffy beard and brunette mane. Paul Waggoner is magical on the guitar. I thought that I had seen the best guitarists touring the country but I had not seen Paul Waggoner. Arguably one of the ten best modern rock guitarists, he mesmerizes with his magnificient work. Seeing the song “The Coma Ecliptic” live really reinforced my opinion of Between The Buried And Me as one of the best bands in metal. They have a few more dates in the U.S. including Rock On The Range, then they are off to Europe as well. Find all their dates on their website. www.betweentheburiedandme.com
Between The Buried And Me Concert Photos
Limelight Eventplex, Peoria, Illinois
August Burns Red Concert Photos
Limelight Eventplex, Peoria, Illinois
Good Tiger Concert Photos
Limelight Eventplex, Peoria, Illinois