concert reviews

Concert Review: Alice in Chains

Submitted by M. Drew on Tuesday, Jun 1st 2010

The set began tentatively, like it was the band’s very first time on stage all over again. Each note was practiced and perfectly placed, each band member was nervously dreading any mistake that might set the crowd against them.

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Concert Review - Sick Puppies

Submitted by M. Drew on Wednesday, Apr 14th 2010

Sick Puppies are a confident band with a walking, natural swagger that pours out from the stage to their audience.

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Concert Review - Overkill, Warbringer

Submitted by M. Drew on Tuesday, Apr 6th 2010

The Webster Theater in Hartford is not an especially friendly venue. It doesn't boast any particular character or amazing features. Rather, it is just an open space with a stage and some bars, painted over to make it look grander than it is. The walls are decked with signs telling customers in no uncertain terms what they cannot do; no smoking, no moshing, no crowd surfing, no stage diving, etc. Lucky for the Webster Theater, that doesn't prevent the shows inside from being excellent. So, I walked in for Killfest 2010.

Concert Review - Them Crooked Vultures

Submitted by M. Drew on Thursday, Feb 18th 2010

I can tell you all right now that I am going to run out of superlatives for this show and these musicians. You had to be there. That’s really the short of it.

Before I get too far, the opening act was New York City natives The Brought Low, and if you like Wolfmother, they're worth a look. There's talent to be had in this band. They played a tight set and did a fine job keeping the crowd warm. Moving on.

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Concert Review - Five Finger Death Punch

Submitted by M. Drew on Monday, Feb 8th 2010

Several years ago, I had the opportunity to see Motograter live before they truly hit the skids and disintegrated as a band. At the time, I remember thinking that Ivan Moody was one of the more energetic, if not entirely charismatic, frontmen that I had seen. His mixture of intensity and grit was a sight to behold. So, with the chance to see him again, this time without body paint and singing for the power quintet Five Finger Death Punch, I was really looking forward to what the night would entail.

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Concert Review: The Misfits

Submitted by M. Drew on Wednesday, Dec 16th 2009

It had been a long time since I had been to a punk show. Maybe it had been too long. I had practically forgotten what it was like to stand among the punk loyalists, to feel their visceral attitude. Metal, for all its harshness and machismo, is also sometimes guilty of being turgid with bravado and showmanship.

Punk, true punk, not the sparkly, image conscious punk of the past decade, is bereft of all the pomp and circumstance, and even though the Misfits have costumes and a decided image, there’s still something stripped down about them. The Misfits, the Dead Kennedys, Black Flag, the Ramones, MC5, Bad Brains; these are the names that signify the best of American punk rock.

Static-X - Concert Review

Submitted by M. Drew on Monday, May 25th 2009

As I walked into the Chance, I was immediately hit with a revelation about the show I was about to see: the crowd was much smaller than I had anticipated. The Chance, which has a great balcony to watch a show from, had the balcony closed off, keeping everyone contained on the lower level. This actually gave me a lot of hope, as I had seen Overkill under the same circumstances, and the crowd was extraordinarily dedicated to the show.