Avenged Sevenfold first appeared on the rock scene in 2001, when they dropped their first album. Not much noise was made though, until their smash single "Bat Country," was released in 2005. The hard rocking group has now graduated to playing arenas. Avenged Sevenfold headlined the bill as their tour rolled through the Oracle Arena. Vacaville natives Papa Roach delivered with everything a rock show should be. The hometown band supplied solid performances of old and new songs that the fans ate up. "Last Resort," as well as "Scars," were met with huge ovations. Lead singer Jacoby Shaddox, most recognizable nowadays for his stint as the host of MTV's Scarred, is obviously no stranger to the big stage. Shaddox ran the length of the stage many times, ending a few songs in the middle of the general admission crowd. Papa Roach may not be the most talented band out there but they do provide catchy songs and a front man who is extremely entertaining. The night took a turn from pop punk to hard rock when Buckcherry hit the stage. The tour veterans are best known for hits such as "Sorry," and "Everything." They can certainly crank up the amps though. Many fans in the audience may have been expecting the radio version of this band to show up at the live show and that was not the case. Lead singer Josh Todd was shirtless for the bulk of the set, playing to the girls who were pushed up against the stage. Todd's stories between songs, mostly about his drug use, were not only funny but kept the pace moving as well. The general admission floor flooded with fans when Buckcherry took the stage, and the mosh pits started shortly after the first song had begun. The set concluded with "Crazy Bitch." The bands performance overshadowed those of their tour mates, with amps still buzzing, the band exited.Avenged Sevenfold brought an elaborate stage with them. It was hard not to look at the bands logo as it was plastered on every possible empty surface. Lead singer M. Shadows emerged and was met with huge screams. Donning his signature aviators and all black attire he launched into "Almost Easy." Avenged Sevenfold gives off the vibe that they are trying way too hard to be a hard rock group. While most of their songs fall under the pop rock title the band tries to sound, and look, edgier live with stacks of amps and black leather jackets. Whatever they're trying to do it doesn't quite work. The huge advertisement behind them, that apparently the band calls a stage, negates the indie underground vibe the band is trying to emanate. Minus all the showmanship the group is solid musically. M. Shadows has a voice made for rock and Synyster Gates provided guitar riffs that shortly took the attention away from the overuse of the lights and smoke. Judging by the attendance, the arena was about a quarter full, it doesn't seem that Avenged Sevenfold is ready for gigs of this size. They closed out the show with the aforementioned hit "Bat Country." The show would've been better suited to a smaller more intimate venue, maybe in a few years, with a few more singles under their belt, the band will be back.Concert Review By: Tyler Sobie DoubtingSalmon
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
AVENGED SEVENFOLD CONCERT REVIEW
Avenged Sevenfold first appeared on the rock scene in 2001, when they dropped their first album. Not much noise was made though, until their smash single "Bat Country," was released in 2005. The hard rocking group has now graduated to playing arenas. Avenged Sevenfold headlined the bill as their tour rolled through the Oracle Arena. Vacaville natives Papa Roach delivered with everything a rock show should be. The hometown band supplied solid performances of old and new songs that the fans ate up. "Last Resort," as well as "Scars," were met with huge ovations. Lead singer Jacoby Shaddox, most recognizable nowadays for his stint as the host of MTV's Scarred, is obviously no stranger to the big stage. Shaddox ran the length of the stage many times, ending a few songs in the middle of the general admission crowd. Papa Roach may not be the most talented band out there but they do provide catchy songs and a front man who is extremely entertaining. The night took a turn from pop punk to hard rock when Buckcherry hit the stage. The tour veterans are best known for hits such as "Sorry," and "Everything." They can certainly crank up the amps though. Many fans in the audience may have been expecting the radio version of this band to show up at the live show and that was not the case. Lead singer Josh Todd was shirtless for the bulk of the set, playing to the girls who were pushed up against the stage. Todd's stories between songs, mostly about his drug use, were not only funny but kept the pace moving as well. The general admission floor flooded with fans when Buckcherry took the stage, and the mosh pits started shortly after the first song had begun. The set concluded with "Crazy Bitch." The bands performance overshadowed those of their tour mates, with amps still buzzing, the band exited.Avenged Sevenfold brought an elaborate stage with them. It was hard not to look at the bands logo as it was plastered on every possible empty surface. Lead singer M. Shadows emerged and was met with huge screams. Donning his signature aviators and all black attire he launched into "Almost Easy." Avenged Sevenfold gives off the vibe that they are trying way too hard to be a hard rock group. While most of their songs fall under the pop rock title the band tries to sound, and look, edgier live with stacks of amps and black leather jackets. Whatever they're trying to do it doesn't quite work. The huge advertisement behind them, that apparently the band calls a stage, negates the indie underground vibe the band is trying to emanate. Minus all the showmanship the group is solid musically. M. Shadows has a voice made for rock and Synyster Gates provided guitar riffs that shortly took the attention away from the overuse of the lights and smoke. Judging by the attendance, the arena was about a quarter full, it doesn't seem that Avenged Sevenfold is ready for gigs of this size. They closed out the show with the aforementioned hit "Bat Country." The show would've been better suited to a smaller more intimate venue, maybe in a few years, with a few more singles under their belt, the band will be back.Concert Review By: Tyler Sobie DoubtingSalmon
