Two bands that have gathered cult followings came to Niagara Falls Tuesday night, and luckily they did destroy the recently re-opened Rapids Theater.
The Used and Atreyu, both heavyweights in their own right, brought some West Coast sunshine to gloomy western New York.
Opening the evening was Drive A. This punk quartet may not have had the most original material – sounding like many other punk bands – but they made up for it with its enthusiasm.
Lead singer and guitarist Bruno Mascolo may have been singing generic punk lyrics, but his voice and love for the music shined through during Drive A's set. In order to get the crowd moving, he dropped his axe and did a balancing act on the barricade to get closer to the fans.
After literally performing 'on the edge' for half a song, Mascolo fully emerged himself into the crowd and joined the mosh pit, which resulted in much more crowd involvement.
As Drive A's night ran out of gas, the first of the two legends already had the crowd simmering with anticipation.
California-born Atreyu teased the crowd as an epic intro played for a minute before the band walked on stage. After playing a song off their latest release, Congregation of the Damned, the band dove right into its old stuff.
Dan Jacobs, the lead guitarist, stole the spotlight by performing face melting guitar solos with his six-string.
Lead singer Alex Varkatzas accompanied stellar guitar player, and his glass-shattering scream was near perfection. As the quintet played fan favorites 'The Crimson' and 'Bleeding Mascara,' Varkatzas hit the high screams and the low grunts as perfectly as he does on the album.
Even with the dynamic Jacobs and Varkatzas showed off their talent, the liveliest member of Atreyu was drummer Brandon Saller. The drum kit Saller performed with did not have just one kick drum; it had three.
Saller not only rocked out on the drums, he also did some serious singing for the band. When the band left momentarily, Saller showcased his dominance on the drums.
Atreyu performed a great variety of its music, sticking to a lot of classics, but also throwing in some great new songs.
To end out the set, Atreyu performed one of its earliest and hardest singles, 'Lip Gloss and Black,' resulting in one of the biggest mosh pits of the night.
Atreyu left everything it had on the stage and the crowd was finally warmed up for the main act of the night.
The band that helped form a scene that many bands followed into today was ready to show Niagara Falls why it has been around for almost a decade. When main singer Bert McCracken took control of the mic, it was clear what band the majority of the crowd came there to see.
The Used took no time to get to the point, coming out and jumping right into the first track off their new album, 'Blood on My Hands.'
Clearly not one for small talk, McCracken flowed through songs without much delay and moved right into 'Take It Away.' McCracken got the crowd two stepping as he sang the first song off the band's well-received 2004 release, In Love and Death.
The band members cruised through some of their most beloved songs like 'I Caught Fire' and 'Let It Bleed,' but the best song was a mash up of its two biggest songs.
The Used started to play 'The Taste of Ink,' the song that threw the band into the spotlight, but halfway through switched to 'All That I've Got.' The transition between the two songs was beautifully done.
While the band performed this masterpiece, McCracken was almost inaudible as the whole crowd screamed the lyrics, showing the musicians how much of an impact their music has had on an entire generation.
Before the band left the stage for the first time, the crowd separated into two sides. As 'Pretty Handsome Awkward' erupted, so did the mob of people participating in the wall of death.
When The Used came back out for the encore, fans got to hear two of the band's songs off the self-titled debut album.
The band first played the heartfelt 'On My Own,' which made almost every person in the theater tear up. But the group didn't want to leave on a lighter note as one of the hardest songs in the band's repertoire, 'Box Full of Sharp Objects,' was delivered next.
With everyone in the audience dripping in sweat and gasping for air, it was clear that The Used is better live than most bands are on CD.
If you are kicking yourself for missing the show, don't fret: The Used promised that the band would be back very soon.
E-mail: arts@ubspectrum.com
All they've got
More
Comments
