Underground punk turned mainstream: AFI rocks the Orbit Room

Review and photo by Elena Nieman

A modest but enthusiastic crowd gathered at the Orbit Room June 3 for AFI, (A Fire Inside), a West Coast based band that normally does not play shows in the Midwest unless it’s on Warped Tour.

The band’s set list included a well balanced mix of old and new tunes, covering albums The Art of Drowning, Sing the Sorrow, Decemberunderground, and its newest album, Crash Love.

Lead singer, Davey Havok, was makeup-free. He and the other members of AFI were all energetic performers. Havok’s vocals were strong; his body and hand gestures to the lyrics and the expressions on his face conveyed the emotion of each song strongly.

Onstage, there was a flurry of actions: running, jumping, and spinning taking place almost every song while fans were singing and yelling with Davey, putting as much of themselves into the music as the band was.

The Orbit Room Sells Out Another Show

Review and photo by Elena Nieman

Bullet for my Valentine rolled into Grand Rapids on May 28 to a sold out show at the Orbit Room. Even an hour after the doors opened the crowd outside was quite large with additional people looking for extra tickets. Inside, it was just as chaotic. At least two people passed out before Bullet even took the stage. Opening acts Airbourne and Arcanium hardly pacified the Orbit Room’s full house.

Chiodos was the other opening band. Having seen them numerous times when Craig Owens was the lead vocalist, I don’t feel that the crowd responded as enthusiastically to Brandon Bolmer, who has only been their vocalist since the beginning of this year. Still, Chiodos put on an energetic and musically pleasing set.

The tension of the crowd only increased while waiting for Bullet for my Valentine to play. Almost as soon as Chiodos exited the stage, concert goers were already chanting “Bullet, Bullet, Bullet”. When Bullet’s members hit the stage, they hit it hard. Musically, they were very tight with an arsenal of hard-hitting guitar and drum pieces that got the audience riled up. Two circle pits, numerous crowd surfers, and a full house of yelling and fans singing along with vocalist Matthew Tuck. Playing crowd-pleasers “4 Words” and “Tears Don’t Fall” off its album, The Poison, along with newer material, it is no surprise that this show sold out.

An Electrifying Performance

By Kelli Kolakowski

Photo: Roddy Chong, credit Marc Weiss

Trans-Siberian Orchestra Review
DeVos Performance Hall
April 20, 7:30 p.m.
myspace.com/tsoofficial


The magnetically charged performance of Trans-Siberian Orchestra took the DeVos Performance Hall by storm last Tuesday night. As TSO’s first non-holiday rock opera, Beethoven’s Last Night brought the audience back to 1827 in Vienna to tell the story of Ludwig Von Beethoven’s last night. Taking place during one of the city’s largest lightening storms, the story was every bit as electrifying as TSO’s energy-packed performance.

Aesthetically, the show was a feast for the eyes, with TSO’s signature flashing lights and the impeccable use of DeVos Performance Hall’s giant projection screen— complete with simulated stars and what felt like a real lightening storm, minus the rain. But it’s difficult to say which was more electric, the storm or the music.

Featuring songs from TSO’s album Night Castle, the show unfolds the journey of the triumphs and failures of man, but is ultimately an epic story of transformation and love. The album contains songs which have mostly never been performed live. It was certified gold within eight weeks of its release and features “Believe” and TSO’s debut of their cover “Nut Rocker.”

The music and the stage performance received multiple standing ovations at points. From unbelievable guitar solos and the immense energy of violinist Roddy Chong, who, at times, played his instrument high above his head, solidified the show.

TSO has played Grand Rapids previously, but creative director and guitarist Al Pitrelli was not part of that show. Tuesday night in Grand Rapids was an evening Pitrelli won’t soon forget.

“It was one of my favorite shows I’ve done in 30 years,“ he said. “I was really taken aback by the enthusiasm and excitement.”

Whether it was the lights, the realistic storm brought forth in front of the crowd or the incredible talent of the band, this show was one Grand Rapids won’t soon forget either.

TSO will continue its Beethoven’s Last Night tour through May 2010.

A Rocker's Paradise

Story and photo by Elena Nieman

As far as opening acts go, Dommin, far exceeded my expectations. The band hit The Orbit Room's stage with its dark new wave/semi-emo/post hardcore style. Intense vocals coupled with a five-string bass guitarist (who has Vic Victor looks), heavy guitar and keys set this band apart from other up-and-coming acts. I especially enjoyed its cover of Depeche Mode’s “People are People.” If you haven’t heard Dommin yet, I highly suggest you check it out.

Next to hit the stage was We Are the Fallen. Former Evanescence band members back up Carly Smithson, who is former American Idol finalist.

Then, finally the moment I’d been waiting months for. HIM took the stage in a flurry of screaming fans. The set list was a crowd pleaser, including songs “Wings of a Butterfly,” “Join Me,” “Killing Loneliness,” “Poison Girl,” and my personal favorite, “Wicked Game,” a Chris Isaak cover song gone dark metal. As far as stage presence goes – aside from Ville Valo’s incredible singing voice – Valo was almost immobile, only moving slightly and stomping out beats while never leaving desired place on stage. He also made a point to do a lot of conversation with the crowd between songs, but his strong Finnish accent made it hard to understand what he was saying. Musically, my months of waiting paid off big. The songs sounded a lot like they do on the albums, but with much more feeling.

Joanna Newsom Opens Tour in Grand Rapids

Review and illustration by A.E. Kieren

Friday, March 12, Joanna Newsom performed the opening date of her new North American tour in Grand Rapids, at the Calvin College Chapel. The Chapel was an ideal venue for Newsom. The audience was seated in 360 degrees surrounding Newsom and her enormous orchestra harp. Calvin's Show Promoter, Kenneth Heffner rightfully bragged that even when filled to its 1,000 seat capacity, no audience member is ever further than 50 feet away from the act.

Newsom played a two-hour set of mostly new material, with the occasional bone thrown in for the fans of her previous albums. The new songs are all wonderful and she gave a great show. It should be mentioned though, that apart from a Joanna Newsom concert, there might be few opportunities to watch a beautiful woman play a full-size pedal harp. The visual element of the experience adds another dimension of value to the concert tickets. After the set, Miss Newsom graced the audience with an encore, followed by a brief, moderated Q&A.

The show was a unique and extraordinary live music experience.

Nonpoint and Cold Rock The Orbit Room

Photo and review by Elena Nieman

If you weren’t lucky enough to make it to the Orbit Room Saturday for Nonpoint and Cold, you missed out. Nonpoint gave a stellar performance, and its cover of Phil Collins “In the Air Tonight” definitely had a hard rock spin to it.

After the band got off stage the lead singer of Nonpoint, Elias Soriano, was up by the merchandise signing things and taking pictures with his fans. It’s refreshing to meet a national touring band and not feel intimidated. Elias radiated kindness to the fans.

Cold then took the stage to close the night and what a night it was. Cold's trademark psychedelic spider whirled onstage and the drummer’s face was painted with black light reflective paint. Additionally, the black lights hanging from the drum set it certainly set the mood for something spectacular, and it was.

Cornmeal puts on diverse show

Story and photo by Melinda Wilcox

It was cold outside, but inside the Intersection was on fire. Blazing fiddle, smoking banjo, and hot bass lines. Chicago's own progressive bluegrass band Cornmeal brought down the house Friday night. With a mix of long improv jams and shorter structured songs the band had something for everyone. My personal favorite being the second song in the set, “Calling Me Back Home.” This is a different and new sound that you should definitely check out. The crowd was as diverse as the music itself, the front lounge was full of people stomping their feet, tapping their toes, and dancing around. It was a fun time to check out something new, and I will definitely be checking out more of their stuff.

Musical Comedy

Story and photo by Melinda Wilcox

I have met and seen a lot of bands over the years, but no band can satisfy my musical tastes -- and funny bone -- like Bowling for Soup. The first time I saw the band was five years ago at Warped Tour. At that time, it was still pretty unknown. When I heard these guys were coming back to the Intersection, I knew I would be there front and center. I am always amazed by the members of BFS, they are so funny and down to earth. They have no diva attitude, always willing to meet and greet, sign autographs, and take photos with fans. They put on a great high-energy fun show, with bits of comedy thrown in. They even do a photo opportunity moment in the middle of the show, posing for the crowd on stage. The band rocked songs from its new album, properly titled Sorry for Partying, along with favorites such as "Punk rock 101." The band even threw a cover of Katy Perry's song "Hot N Cold" into the set. I stuck around for a bit after the show and ended up hanging out with a couple of the guys. I have to say, even with their growing fame they are still some of the nicest and funniest celebs that I have ever met, and I can't wait to catch them again.