Cool Tour '10!

Alright guys. I was lucky enough to win tickets from DingLife to go see the Cool Tour last night when it stopped in Charlotte, and I was insanely excited. Now that it's over, I'm still insanely excited, because now I get to fill you guys in on the experience. I'm going to go band by band in the order they came on, just because it makes it easier to think about. Read on!

War of Ages - Alright, I'll admit, I hadn't heard too much from these guys prior to the show, but they were incredible. They really got things going and the place went WILD for them! We'll apparently get to see this on YouTube at some point in the near future, too (: I must say, I was really surprised that they were opening things up. I feel like they're better than that, actually. And they're a super cool group of guys, too. After the show, they hung around by the merch tables and talked with the fans. My shoe now holds their signatures. Only one of our group didn't have something to be signed, so Alex Hamp (drummer and brother of singer Leroy Hamp) turned around and got a poster from the merch table, signed it, and gave it to her. I thought that was totally cool of him.

Cancer Bats - Um... Unfortunately, I wasn't impressed with Canadian exports Cancer Bats. To me, something about it was just... messy. The subwoofers were up way too high (a friend said it made him feel like polka), the lighting was out of control, and Liam Cormier's hair just got to me. The combination of past-shoulder-length hair and the attempt at a mohawk that wasn't actually a mohawk... you could only even tell it was shaved that way when he was headbanging, and when he wasn't it looked really thin and greasy. As for the vocal performance... I was more partial to bassist Jaye Schwarzer's backing. The best song seemed to be the cover of Beastie Boy's hit "Sabotage" - which was, sadly, the only song that got the crowd going. I felt kind of bad, because they really don't sound bad recorded, but their live performance was sorely lacking. (As for recorded tracks, though, things like "Dead Wrong" don't sound bad.)

Architects - Now, our UK imports, on the other hand, were very good. They seemed to have a lot of fans in the crowd, and they returned things to their former energy - though, of course, with a very different vibe than WoA had earlier on. I liked, as I have a tendency to, Sam's capability with both screaming and clean vocals. They had a decent connection with the audience, which is a big deal. Near the end of their set, we were told that things were going to slow down for a minute, and I've gotta say - I was a little thrown off. You go to a show like this, you don't expect "slow". But that's how this song started off - and then it transitioned. If this was the END of the set, I would've found it totally awkward, but as it was, I was glad to see that they had versatility. It's always nice to see. I was really impressed with some of Brighton's best, and I'm hoping they decide to come around this way again - I'd love to go to another show with them.

Acacia Strain - Oi. This was... interesting. And not really in a good way. Don't get me wrong - they DEFINITELY connected with the audience. There were quite a few times I thought someone was going to lose an eye, and the moshing was out of CONTROL. But... I still couldn't get into it. I just can't respect a band who seems to have no emotion other than overblown anger, and seems to want nothing more than to make their audience feel that same hatred towards pretty much everything. Vocalist Vincent Bennett says the latest album was about "pulling yourself out of society" because everything sickens you and leaving everything behind and "destroying everything you think you love". While I'm all about expressing yourself through music, this just struck me as over the top. Half of it seemed to offend people, and what didn't pretty much made the whole lot of us want to kick puppies and punch people in the face. I wasn't into it, not at all, but I will acknowledge that they did have a lot of die-hard fans present who had the time of their lives.

blessthefall - Okay, so, blessthefall's set opened with me and about half the crowd getting totally drenched - what a start, right? Blessthefall was a big part of the reason I wanted to go to this show, and I was definitely not disappointed. I'm a little in love with Beau Bokan, and I think he was a great choice for a replacement vocalist after Mabbitt's departure. He and Jared Warth (bass/screams) balanced wonderfully, and the band as a whole was totally connected to the crowd. It was great because at one point, Bokan proclaimed that he hadn't seen a crowdsurfer the whole show - and that had to change. Needless to say, that got people going. As the set progressed - incredibly, I must add - crowdsurfers could often meet with a clasped hand from the singer, which I'm pretty sure made the fact that they were moved to the back totally worth it. The guys were definitely a highlight of the show for me, and I really, really hope I get to see them again soon because it definitely warrants a repeat experience. Thanks, guys!

Underoath - Originally, Between the Buried and Me was supposed to go on at this point, but we were informed near the end of blessthefall's set that BTBAM drummer Blake Richardson was in the hospital and Underoath would go on in the meantime - we'd have to wait and see about BTBAM later. Well, Underoath was INCREDIBLE, as expected. Everyone was moving again, even though by this time we were all kinda tired. I was also a little curious as to how I'd like it with someone else doing drumming and clean vocals. But Daniel Davison (ex-Norma Jean) did a great job with the drumming, and I know I'm not the only fan who'd be totally cool with the idea of him becoming their permanent drummer (it hasn't been announced yet). As for clean vocals, I was really impressed with Spencer's cleans. I also loved their lighting for the set. They used nothing but ground lights - no overheads - which created a really cool silhouette effect that I loved. They were a huge hit, and we all loved it!

Between the Buried and Me - Yes! BTBAM was able to perform after all! Which came as a huge relief to the crowd, since the band's from North Carolina originally. According to vocalist/keyboardist Tommy Rogers, there was an issure involving the twisting of testacles. Who knows? In any case, the set was proceeded by a rousing cry of "Blake's balls!" Haha. Anyway, the set went great. The band stands out in any list, and let me just say really quick - PAUL. WAGGONER. It is sick how skilled this guy is. I guess he has to be, to be in a band that just oozes badass. He and rhythm guitarist Dusty Waring pulled some seriously great sounds, and bassist Dan Briggs was so wild! He had so much energy, and it was absolutely contagious. And, of course, our risen wounded, drummer Blake Richardson, was insane wailing away up there. I also loved watching Rogers go back and forth between deep scream vocals and retreating to the keys to send out cleans. I loved watching these guys because no one could ever doubt how passionate they all are about what they do. They put everything into their performance, and the audience knows it.

As I Lay Dying - WHOA. Headliners, obviously, and WHOA. Incredible. Absolutely incredible. These guys were insane. And if anyone was having issues mustering up energy, that stopped dead as soon as they came on. They played a lot of their latest album - The Powerless Rise - and no one was unimpressed. They made it all crazy, which was what we all there for anyway, right? Before the last song, Tim Lambesis called for a Wall of Death, and everything went insane. Well, it went insane after Tim decided to reveal to us that he hadn't showered since San Diego. Wish I hadn't heard that. Anyway, I was safely out of the way for the insanity (don't judge me; I'm a little person and didn't feel like dying) so I got to see the madness unfold. Wall of Death + massive mosh pit = As I Lay Dying? I think so! I saw a lot of people fall, a lot of people get pushed, and a lot of people get punched. I was glad to see that people also helped other people up, though, because it's nice to see courtesy amongst fans. And everyone had a great time with it - I happen to know someone who was VERY excited about getting kicked in the face. The band was great, and at least two of them (Nick and Josh - lead guitar and bass/cleans, respectively) were outside after socializing with their fans, which was a lot of fun.

Overall, this whole show was incredible. There were ups and downs, as I said, but it was a lot of fun. Great music, great atmosphere (the Fillmore Charlotte is an incredible venue, much nicer than most indoors!), and a whole lot of great company - well, barring this one guy who really needed to put his shirt back on and stop getting his backsweat on me (ew), and two girls going around in bathing suit tops (trashy). It was a fantastic show and I'd go back in a heartbeat. There are a lot in this group that I'd LOVE to see again. We'll see!

Did you go? What'd you think? What're your thoughts? Are you GOING to go? Did you want to and miss it? Talk to me, people!

Anyway, love you guys!
Mari
xoxo

marissa.billiet@hotmail.com
-Let me know if you want to be involved in some way!