Wheat bass guitarist and lead vocalist Scott Levesque deemed his first trip to Buffalo a success, following the crowd's reaction to their Wednesday night performance at Nietzsche's.
"Thank you Buffalo for supporting us, it is our first time (in Buffalo)," said Levesque with earnest gratitude to his listeners at the show's close.
Wheat's openers included The Design, a Buffalo-based indie rock band, and a solo guitarist whose act was anything but ordinary.
The Design is by far a band not fazed by crowd size. The lead guitarist was fingering his strings as if he couldn't jam enough chords into the measures. Due to the small venue and the enormous PA system, the instruments blended together to create a roar loud enough to make a deaf man hear again.
A spacey solo guitarist followed and oddly enough, would not give his name.
"I'm in a band, this is just a one-time gig," he said after his performance.
The guitarist used his whammy bar rigorously to crank out the "wah-wahs" and "meedleys" and a foot pedal to switch to the "chuggas." His style sounded like the mellow background tune of a Quentin Tarantino film. His lyrics showed eccentricity, similar those of Thom Yorke. The crowd's favorite seemed to be the "The Dean Markley Song," but his final tune paved the way for the headliner that night.
The crowd leaked back in from the street to fill the floor in front of the stage and the seats to either side. Wheat opened up with a song called "Body Talk Part 2," a song off their 1998 debut album, "Medeiros," released on Chicago's Sugar Free Records.
The crowd-seducing "Slow Fade" is an apt title, as the instruments slide in one at a time. First a slow riff by the lead guitarist, then the bass, slowly, and then the drums. The song's very climactic style drew in the crowd and invoked screams that filled the show room all the way into the bar.
Levesque showed a great deal of emotion in his face during each song. Lead guitarist Ricky Brennan was switching all night from power riffs to slide guitar, with enough fluency to make Duane Allman rock in his grave. Brennan played a great deal of low fret riffs, and by that I mean anything from 12th fret down, illuminating the effect of the bands power-pop image. The two met in art school and decided to start up a band for the enjoyment of playing.
Drummer Brendan Harney displayed the art of percussion throughout the show. Harney was at his finest during "Who's the one," a crowd favorite.
Brennan and Levesque showed a rare talent, switching instruments during "I Met a Girl," the single from their 2003 breakout "Per Second, Per Second, Per Second ... Every Second" (Columbia).
The crowd favorite of the night was a song called "Closer to Mercury," also off of their most recent album. The song had guitar riffs that felt as if they'd never end, and Harney played his set with the sort of potency a drummer needs to get attention.
From the tables on the sides, the floor in front of the stage, even the barroom in back, one thing was clear: Wheat is becoming popular for a reason. They've got charisma.
Nietzsche's cozy confines won't be big enough next time.
