And the Lord said unto Moses atop Mount Sinai, "If thou has not experienced the Chiodos, thou has not lived." Now it's possible that the origin of that statement is slightly off-kilter, but stating that Chiodos sold out the hefty Club Infinity Saturday night on their name alone is proven fact.
Fans camped out front of the venue in hopes of snagging those few, coveted door-tickets. The line of ticket-toting and na??ve "at-the-door" buyers stretched further than a contortionist, snaking along Club Infinity's east side and maneuvering itself throughout a packed parking lot. Fans would have to sit through thick, thin and mediocre to hear their scene idols, but the wait could not have been more worth it.
As the lights dimmed for the final performance and the sound of a scenic breeze grew louder and louder, the once impassive fans began to erupt. What started off as a quiet cheer quickly escalated into a barreling battle cry. Cue the Chiodos.
Beginning their Bone Palace Ballet Tour in the place where they finished their album of the same name, the Detroit six-piece unleashed its heaviest and best-named track, "The Undertaker's Thirst for Revenge is Unquenchable (The Final Battle)." This not-so-subtle hint immediately notified fans of the auditory and physical beat-down that they were about to experience. Underminded's vocalist, Nick Martin, aided with backing screams.
Heavenly presence and vocalist Craig Owens took the reigns of his mighty musical steed, cracking the whip and kicking it into overdrive. With his snazzy white dress shirt and form-fitting suit-coat, he looked like a cross between Barry Gibb and Jude Law. Underage girls screamed out their adoration for Owens, while awestruck male fans quietly felt the funk below the equator.
University at Buffalo alum David Jarka explained the age situation and offered his view on the show.
"I thought they did a pretty good job," Jarka said. "They were really over with the young crowd. I was probably the only one there with a Bachelor's degree."
"The Words 'Best Friend' Become Redefined" maintained the heightened pace and energy as Chiodos thundered along and fans screamed every lyric. Switching back to Bone Palace Ballet, the band launched into "Bulls Make Money, Bears Make Money, Pigs Get Slaughtered" and "A Letter From Janelle," respectively.
Owens offered his appreciation to the fans that propelled BPB to a shocking number-five spot on the Billboard chart during its inaugural week.
"How many of you guys bought our new record," asked Owens. "How many of you bought the record the first week it came out? Thank you - together we beat Nickelback, and that's all that matters."
Owens continued his vocal appreciation, stating he was more than grateful for the fans who understood their progression and evolution, all the while joking about their shying away from breakdowns.
Alls Well That Ends Well favorite, "There's No Penguins in Alaska," was clearly what the fans craved, as Owens' vocals were drowned out by a crowd that was quickly being consumed by an ever-growing pit.
"You want breakdowns? We'll give them to you right now," assured Owens, as Chiodos stretched out the final "Alaskan" breakdown, gladly bruising a few more bones and bodies.
Up next was "If I Cut My Hair, Hawaii Will Sink," which was immediately followed by "We're Gonna Have Us a Champagne Jam." Before playing "Is It Progression If a Cannibal Uses A Fork," Owens launched into another lengthy speech.
"It took a lot for us to write this record," Owens said. "We progressed as a band and as human beings. We had a lot of people in our ears telling us who we should be and what this record should sound like, but the only thing we know is how to be ourselves. Anyone who says this is a fad is f*cking wrong, we're going nowhere."
"Lexington," a song that Owens claimed helped him get to a point in his life when he no longer cared what others thought of him and his band, followed suit. The supposed closer "Baby You Wouldn't Last a Minute On The Creek" had bodies flying, voices screaming and fans chanting "one more song" upon its conclusion.
After a brief break, the Chiodos boys returned to play "No Hardcore Dancing In The Living Room." For the last time, the crowd exploded into a music-fueled frenzy. As the band of choice left their podium and fans began to file out, Owens' parting words rang true.
"We're Chiodos, you guys have been nothing but amazing."
Christian metal-corers, The Devil Wears Prada, prepped the crowd for the night's headliners with their ultra-heavy back catalog. The pit was in full effect and there was some vocal accompaniment sprinkled throughout the venue, but it clearly wasn't what a band like TDWP would have hoped for.
"We've actually never had a negative reaction," said vocalist Mike Hranica, "but a lot of the time, people just stand in front looking to see Chiodos."
Guitarist Chris Rubey talked about how different it was to play in front of a crowd that couldn't be classified as their own.
"These definitely aren't metal kids," said Rubey. "They're more mainstream-listening kids, as opposed to Sounds (of The Underground), which was more metal kids."
Though their quiet demeanor doesn't match their slap-in-the-face metal-core, there is no doubting that the future for The Devil Wears Prada is anything but vivid. With dates booked all the way through '08 and big tours that they made wind of, but weren't allowed to spill the beans on, there will be more than enough opportunities for one to catch these promising up and comers.
Raleigh's Alesana garnered a surprising amount of crowd response, sounding like some sort of Chiodos/Circa Survivee mixture, only not nearly as good. Rounding out the bill and commencing the show with the all too familiar sound of duel vocals - one high, one screaming - was Underminded.
The Bone Palace Ballet Tour heated up an otherwise frigid and boring October night. The heavy music brought smiles to the youngest of faces and bruises to the most unsuspecting of bodies.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
