Items filtered by date: November 2007

Look, I don’t want to waste your time, so I’ll preface this piece with a brief questionnaire determining your potential appreciation of Doug Stanhope and his comedic stylings…

1.)   Are you amused by freecreditreport.com and his hijinks?

2.)   Do you collar-color coordinate comedy?

3.)   Are you offended by anything?

If you’ve answered “yes” to any of these questions, I don’t know, go check out Robert Klein or something. If not, what’s wrong with you? And go see Stanhope. He’ll probably tell you.

Last Friday I was fortunate enough to witness his performance at the Lakeshore Theater, and he did not disappoint. Before I fill you in like a jelly doughnut, I should mention how unique and rare a talent he is.

Or maybe I should start with what he’s not:

- hip enough for alternative comedy.

- patient enough for observational comedy.

- patronizing enough to make a dick and/or fart joke without using it as an analogy to express a greater overarching statement about the hypocrisies of our sociocultural zeitgeist.

Still following? Thanks. I wrote this for you.

Stanhope showed the crowd where it’s at with two beer bottles and a microphone. Opening with a recollection of previous Lakeshore performances, Stanhope exclaimed “I can’t believe they still want me to perform here!” mentioning a time in which he may or may not have urinated into a bucket on stage, invited an audience member up to smoke a cigarette, and kicked aforementioned bucket into aforementioned audience member’s face. “When I got the call, I was like really?!” said Stanhope.

Those familiar with Stanhope’s material know that he is a libertarian with a reputation for lacerating political figures on the East and West coasts of ideology land. Fed up with bureaucracy preventing legislative progress, Stanhope briefly ran for president in 2008, but later changed his mind. Much like Lenny Bruce and Bill Hicks, two brilliant men whom many consider his predecessors, Stanhope is not a contrarian for contrarian’s sake. He believes in what he says.

This is perhaps why Stanhope’s performance was less political than usual. “I could go off on Glenn Beck, or Sarah Palin, or Nancy Pelosi, but I don’t fucking care anymore! I’ve done that shit before.” Said Stanhope “I used to believe I could create a better world by preaching to rooms of 100 drunk people.” Stanhope then poured beer into his eyes, ear, and shirt, while simultaneously vociferating the failures of past and present administrations. Well played, sir. Well played.

“Now I just get pissed about little stuff, like why whenever I peel the foil off the yogurt, a glob of it always gets on my fucking thumb!” adding “That’s why I hate observational comedy, there’s no bloodlust in it… I don’t know what the ‘deal-with-that’ is, Jerry [Seinfeld], but it makes me want to kill somebody!”

Spotting a camera, Stanhope called to an audience member “Dude, that blue dot; it creeps me out.” The audience member replied “My bad. Sorry.” Stanhope later told the audience “Don’t worry about it, I’ll whore it up with all of you after the show.” He even offered to sign a ball or two – pretty generous for a non-athlete!

I would have been happy as a clam to whore it up with this man, but that, unfortunately, did not happen. After the show, I spotted Stanhope chatting with someone at the merch booth for a moment, and decided to respectfully wait for their conversation to conclude before approaching him. A moment later, I turned around and noticed a person packing up the material from his table and leaving. No Stanhope in sight.

Overall, it was a great show from a fantastic performer. I could say more about Stanhope’s passion, style, and delivery, but it’s all been witnessed and articulated before. If you have thick skin and appreciate unflinching honesty and humor, be on the scene for one of the last few substantive comedians of our time, while you still can.

 “An Evening with Patti Lupone and Mandy Patinkin”

You may ask, what is so entertaining about two singer/actors, simply dressed all in black with nothing on stage except a pianist, bass player and thirty or so antique stage lanterns? Plenty, when the two accomplished singer/actors are Toni Award winners Patti Lupone and Mandy Patinkin.

In today’s’ world of reality TV stars and American Idol making the study of the craft of theater acting seemingly obsolete, I am sometimes embarrassed to admit that I have a degree in Theatre Arts and Theatre History. However Patti Lupone and Mandy Patinkin demonstrated in one fantastically inspiring evening of theatre song and dance at the Cadillac Palace Theatre in downtown Chicago, that when you have talent of their caliber and are as wonderfully skilled in movement, comedy and drama as they are, all you need onstage are the stars themselves.

Mandy Patinkin absolutely wowed me with his stunning rendition of “Some Enchanted Evening” from South Pacific. At the end, Mandy hit a glorious falsetto on the last lines “Once you have found her, never let her go” that sounded just like the voice of a 1930’s radio show star. It has got to be the most delicious sound and interpretation of a classic song I have heard come out of a singer’s mouth this entire year. Mandy is also widely known to be one of the best interpreters alive today of Sondheim’s classic music.

Likewise, the adorable Patti Lupone, who still has an opera quality singing voice, showed her delightful mastery of comedy in “Not Getting Married Today” from the musical “Company”. Her heart wrenching and soul-stirring rendition of “Everything’s Coming Up Roses” from Gypsy one of her recent triumphs on Broadway also blew me away.

Together these two have such a great chemistry onstage- it sizzles and crackles like electricity- making the audience wonder what is going to happen next between these two and what could possibly keep them from falling into each others arms and making love right there on the stage!

I also loved the hysterically funny stage dance performed to Murray Grand’s “April in Fairbanks’, while seated in spinning office chairs, which was so cleverly choreographed by Anne Reinking.

Grace, humor, stunning voices, sex appeal, great songs and high romance, “An Evening with Patti Lupone and Mandy Patinkin” is an evening of high styled and masterfully delivered entertainment, not to be missed.

Alicia Keys is a huge star in the entertainment industry, and it doesnt take her dozens of appearances on the Oprah show to convince me of that. She's backed by music powerhouse Clive Davis and has thrown out hit after hit ever since appearing on the music radar years ago. While she's toured before, her current tour is her biggest yet, and it started here in Chicago Wednesday night.

"The Element of Freedom Tour" follows the recently released album of the same name, and it's a very good album. However, Keys has problems in the delivery of her show. While she's a very powerful, independently strong woman, her songs and video images just don't match up. While throwing up words like "freedom" and pictures of Martin Luther King, Keys was busy singing dopey, fast-paced love songs and doing her best "Sasha Fierce"  impression. Understandably in this day in age to compete with the Beyonce's, Lady GaGa's, and Britney's you just can't just sit at a piano all night...however its on the piano where Keys does her best work. Oh by the way...Keys is smoking hot, wether she's dancing or playing piano.

The night started with newcomer Melanie Fiona, who had a solid performance as an opener, highlighted by her hit "It Kills Me". Up next was an energetic set by crowd favorite Robin Thicke. With an arena filled with mostly women, Thicke had the ladies in his hands all night long, dressed upas a grown up Justin Timberlake in a suit. The band was solid, and the songs he chose connected with the crowd very well, especialy for a balladeer. Thicke went with to the Lil' Wayne well twice, with a fun performance of the Lil' Wayne assisted "Shooter", an under-appreciated favorite, while still getting great reactions for the love songs, especially his current hit "Sex Therapy". Thicke's show looked more like a modern version of old Marvin Gaye footage. Overall it was a great perfromance by Thicke and his gang, who were clearly having fun as they left the stage rapping and dancing to Lil' Wayne's"a Milli"

Then came the main event, Alicia Keys. Now again,you don't have to tell me twice what a huge star Keys is...its clear just from the auidence she attracts. It wasn't just a black crowd, or younger crowd, or female crowd, or anything you'd picture...every aspect of America was in the audience, older, younger, black, white, men,women,Asian, Hispanic...I spent my night with an older white couple on on side of me, an older black and Hispanice couple in front, 4 drunken white ladies behind me, and 2 pre-teen girls,one white, one black, just bopping away next to me,definitely inspired by every word Keys said or put on the screen.

Keys; show started with a cage around the stage while trapped in a cage singing "Caged Bird"...clever, even clever was her escape. And while the show wasnt exactly fluid and had several bumpy and dis-jaunted moments, Keys did her best work with her voice and her piano. Shei s un-matched talent-wise when its just singing...no Tori Amos or Ben Folds antics, just an amazing voice and a piano, and its that the crowd came to appreciate most.

Keys put on a good performance, but again, she really didnt seem sure if she wanted to be Beyonce or Bono, when she should've just stuck to being Alicia. Keys may be one of music's top artists, but her stage show is clearly built to be a opener for concert professionals like Jay-Z (which ironically is how she ended the show, singing her version of the hit song she has with the rapper, having many in the crowd hoping for an appearance by Mr. Carter).

Set-List:
opened with "Caged Bird”

encore : “Empire State of Mind (Part II) ” Mike Kincaide

On the heels of the sprawling 2009 double album Communion, which has earned the band some of the most favorable reviews of its 15-year career, Swedish psychedelic rock veterans The Soundtrack of Our Lives returned to Chicago and wrapped up a three-week US tour at Lincoln Hall Sunday night. The show began slightly later than the scheduled 9:15 start time, which was appropriate – fans possibly suffering from Olympic fatigue arrived in a steady trickle up until the band took the stage to a mostly full house.

The band played a varied set drawing equally from Communion and from the rest of its catalog. Highlights included a muscular version of “Big Time” that breathed new life into the single from 2005’s often-overlooked Origin Vol. I, Communion track “Flipside,” and a radical reworking of Nick Drake’s  Bryter Layter classic “Fly” that frontman Ebbot Lundberg claimed was “one of our favorite songs, mostly because we didn’t write it.”

Much has been written about the iconoclastic Lundberg and his larger than life stage persona.  The singer was a treat as always, resplendent in robes and scarf and in particularly fine voice (especially considering that it was the final night of the tour). Lundberg’s announcement to the crowd that T.S.O.O.L. was here to “take it easy and relax” was belied by the band’s intensity and energy level, in particular the high-kicking theatrics of red-clad guitarist Mattias Bärjed. To close the set, Bärjed and guitarist Ian Person traded kicks and heroic riffs during a rousing combination of Stones-y Communion track “Thrill Me” and “Sister Surround,” a single from the band’s 2002 stateside breakthrough Behind The Music.

Late in the show, Lundberg remarked to the crowd that the show “(felt) like a really short concert,” and it was. At 55 minutes and with only two bands (the opener Empires playing for only 30 minutes), the main set was disappointingly brief. The band satisfied, though, with a nearly thirty-minute encore featuring Behind The Music’s “Mind the Gap” and a transcendent   “The Passover ” that saw Lundberg wander into the audience (a common occurrence at T.S.O.O.L. shows) and commandeer an obliging fan’s cowboy hat.

The performance was not without its hiccups. Though the sound at Lincoln Hall was excellent as always (especially in the treatment of Lundberg’s voice and the crystal-clear thump of Åke Karl Kalle Gustafsson’s bass guitar), there were continual problems with the visual component of the band’s show. A projected collection of images, video clips and visual effects was often out of sync with the songs and interrupted by computer command prompts.  I was left wondering if the distraction of an elaborate and imperfect video presentation was necessary given the band’s formidable stage presence and constant movement, particularly in such a small venue. Also, the energy built up by the band’s magnetism in-song was occasionally derailed by long, awkward breaks.  Lundberg’s banter (with the crowd, the band, and at times himself) amused, but a fairly quiet crowd and short set left one wanting for more fluidity between songs and downtime.

Ultimately, bearing witness to The Soundtrack of Our Lives is a strange and satisfying experience, and is highly recommended. The band’s energy is unmatched by most, the songs are tightly played but given a satisfying amount of room to “stretch out” sonically, and Lundberg’s unique personality and presence can only be fully appreciated in person.  Sound clips, updates and more can be found at http://www.tsool.net or at http://www.myspace.com/officialtsool .

New York, NY: SOULFLY are wasting no time getting out on the road for a month of advance touring in support of their forthcoming seventh album, Omen, due in stores May 25, 2010. The tour kicks off March 2 in San Antonio, Texas and runs through April 1 in Reno, Nevada.

The bill will feature Prong, Incite and Rotting Corpse as the support acts.

Tommy Victor of tourmates Prong lends his voice to the song "Lethal Injection," which appears on Omen, and fans will experience Soulfly frontman Max Cavalera singing the song live with Victor on this tour!

In addition to the tour, a video for "Rise of the Fallen" will be shot next month. The song features guest vocals from Dillinger Escape Plan vocalist Greg Puciato. Omen, by far the band's most in your face, punk leaning album, will feature an original cover illustration by artist David Ho, depicting the seven deadly sins.

Tour dates are as follows:

March 2 - Scout Bar - San Antonio, TX
March 3 - Scout Bar - Houston, TX
March 6 - Culture Room - Ft. Lauderdale, FL
March 7 - Firestone - Orlando, FL
March 8 - State Theater - St. Petersburg, FL
March 9 - The Loft at Center Stage Atlanta - Atlanta, GA
March 11 - Starland Ballroom - Sayreville, NJ
March 12 - Crazy Donkey - Farmingdale, NY
March 13 - The Expo Center at Marriot Hotel - Fitchburg, MA
March 15 - Higher Ground - South Burlington, VT
March 16 - Lupo's - Providence, RI
March 17 - Chance - Poughkeepsie, NY
March 19 - Peabody's Downunder - Cleveland, OH
March 20 - Al Rosa - Columbus, OH
March 23 - The Midland Theatre by AMC - Kansas City, MO
March 27 - MacEwan Hall - Calgary, ALB
March 28 - Starlite Room - Edmonton, ALB
March 29 - Knitting Factory Concert House - Spokane, WA
March 30 - The Venue - Vancouver, BC
March 31 - Knitting Factory Concert House - Boise, ID
April 1 - Knitting Factory - Reno, NV

(photo by Carl Burke)

Retribution Gospel Choir opened their concert with a proclamation of straight forward rock music that is artistic and yet very satisfying.  Singer/guitarist Alan Sparhawk has one of the best tones of a live guitar that this reporter has ever heard.  He is able to combine the perfect combination of distortion and cleanliness that people like Subpop veteran artist Dave Grohl should look into.  Bassist Steve Garrington performs like a humble musician that allows his instrument to do the talking for him.  Garrington steps into the spotlight when he is the lead and fades away when he is needed for support.  Drummer Eric Pollard collaborates on vocals nicely while providing a minimalism pulse that never lets go. 

Retribution Gospel Choir are able to make the middle-aged grunge fan remember why they became fans of Subpop records.  Subpop’s fans were able to see musicians create a great show while providing musical entertainment without the use of computers.  Retribution Gospel Choir displayed knowledge intellectually through their tools of craftsmanship. This band knows their tools like the back of their hand and they are able to create a piece of art that will be around for years to come.

Bored? Are you also so stressed out about your finances you feel you're going to "lose it" and end up in a psych ward? Do you feel desperate to escape the norm and everyday worries galore, but can't think of how to do it or what kind of getaway you can afford?

The lyrics, harmonies and melodies of the indie pop band, Wild Beasts, beat any Sanford and Son, Saved by the Bell, or The Maury Povich's Show, "Who's her baby's daddy?" episode. I have a suspicion the Wild Beast's titles of their tunes, alone, will too put your mind into a Sherlock Holmes's mode.

For instance, some of the names of Wild Beast's songs include: "The Fun Powder Plot," "The Devil's Crayon" and "Please Sir (www.wild-beasts.co.uk 2010.")

I'll let your intellect and imagination decipher what the Wild Beasts are trying to say, because that's a lot of the fun one can get while reading their song's titles and listening to the lyrics they deliver. But, can the Wild Beasts be sufficient in being a Chicagoan's reliever of economic headaches and "cabin fever?"

On February 13th I was in a real crappy mood. My disposition wasn't even being lifted by fulfilling my chocolate addiction or "scarfing down" other A-Z junk food. Seeing the Wild Beast's show at Schubas in Chicago was my last conceivable option for some way to be comforted and soothed.

And, let me tell ya, I seriously practically had to "pick my jaw up off the floor" after hearing the Wild Beast's first song, "The Fun Powder Plot"--the singer's voice was countertenor and to almost die for!

The song was sung by, Hayden Thorpe, who I swear must have been abducted by some extraordinarily kind and generous aliens who gave him his vocal abilities. His vocals were that amazingly different, they were out-of-this-world--surely seemingly extraterrestrial, from outer space and/or the heavens.

However, Hayden Thorpe (Lead singer, guitar, bass and keys for Wild Beasts) is not from galaxy "whatchamacallit"--nor does he look like an alien by any socially contrived means. He's from England and so is the rest of the constellation, whose performance I also fancied: Ben Little (guitar and keys), Tom Fleming (bass, vocals, guitar and keys) as well as (Chris "Bert" Talbot (drums and vocals) (http://en.wikipedia.org 2010.)

The Wild Beast's first tune also set the stage for shock value because of it's lyrics, which partially include, "With courage and conviction, in donkey-jaw diction, we cry for the cause because the courts have left us lonely; disowned us daddies like the poopers of the party. Gently, gently take them from me… gently, gently take them from me…gently, gently take them from me, and I’ll be left dumfound as a donkey. This is a booty call; my boot up your arse hole. This is a Freudian slip; my slipper in your bits (www.wild-beasts.co.uk 2010.")

Plus, the "gents" moved their heads and necks similar to that of a camel from the start of their show, "stirring up" a goofy, highly "groovalicious" tone. Speaking of camels, five plus of their song's melodies lead me to think of the sound of a camel's hooves on the ground, and I felt as though I was riding on the back of one in the desert on a cemented path--I was baby steps away from my ideal new home and life in my very own human-sized sand castle.

Other times during the Wild Beast's performance, I continued to be "swept away" by a camel in the desert, but I received the vision and emotions of going in and out of circles that were comprised of eye-popping varying indigenous tribes playing primitive, enchanting, hypnotic all-four-senses-fascinating, invigorating and ever-so-soul-refreshing music.

(And, I wasn't too hot or thirsty for a drink one bit on my trip.)

The only bad things I can think of about the show were for one, Schubas was like what I would imagine being in a sardine can would be like--truly a claustrophobe's nightmare! The Wild Beasts had to be exceptionally good for me to not have seen a single soul fight his or her way the hell out of there! I had to stand on one of the two benches they had along each of the walls of the sides of the venue in order to get a decent view of the band and to move or dance had to be done with great care--I could seriously only budge a hair--I couldn't even stand with my legs apart in there!

(I hate to be a "Debbie Downer" for anyone who has tickets at Schubas for an upcoming show, I can say their employees I encountered ranked high in regard to their customer service skills, though.)

My second complaint is, the Wild Beasts had to have been a half an hour or more late to take the stage, but Hayden Thorpe and Tom Fleming apologized for the delay and thanked the audience for waiting and being such great fans more than a few times throughout their performance. They had come straight from an especially rushed and long road trip (all the way from the west coast to Chicago.)

With that being said, I'd like to give the Wild Beasts some well-deserved kudos for still being able to be so gracious toward people and sing and play their instruments with razor-sharp precision. They did have a bit of a problem with the sound system and broke a guitar string about four songs into their show, also. Yet, each of the "brutes" handled his extreme fatigue and the technical difficulties like a triathlete and entertainer pro.

My third and final "bone to pick" with the Wild Beasts is I, along with other audience members I had talked to right after the performance, wish they had played more. Their performance wasn't the slightest bore and it made all my problems go out the door. It's worth the price of a ticket ($20 or so), and I'm going to spend the money to buy both of their CDs ("Limbo, Panto" and "Two Dancers") from the store.

The journey of my entirety the Wild Beast's live show took me on covered as many as three differing cultures and countries. Which, in reality, would have been a vacation that would have cost me far too many "pretty pennies." And, in my humble opinion, you have to see one of the Wild Beast's performance's in order to fully believe their musicianship bestows such transcending properties.

Seeing the play Twelve Angry Men, you get exactly that: twelve angry men. Twelve jurors locked in a room on a scorching summer day, wiping sweat from their necks and foreheads, fanning themselves with their hats, gulping down water -- it's the hottest day of the year onstage, and sitting there in the audience you can't help but start to tug at your collar a little bit yourself, despite the single digit temperatures of our fair city and the constant snow outside. The men yell and they bicker, they shout and accuse, they're constantly at each others' throats. A two-act play with the same twelve nameless characters in the same room the entire time. But how to make it interesting? Well, the Raven Theatre Company sure knows how.

Located at 6157 N Clark St, the Raven Theatre is an intimate venue with, for this particular show, seating on three sides, where the audience is either eye-level with or slightly looking down at the stage. Furnished with only a long table and twelve single chairs, the set is that of a 1950's, un-air-conditioned jury room. But it's not the set, or the lights, or the rare occurences of sound effects and music that give life to the play, but the actors themselves. Yes, certainly every play is brought to life by its actors, but in Twelve Angry Men interesting acting is crucial, seeing as it is the singular thing that develops, complicates, and eventually resolves the story; this play could be performed without a set at all, could be performed with just twelve men, and it could be just as dramatic and enthralling.

"...However you decide, your verdict must be unanimous. I don't envy your job, gentlemen. You're faced with a grave responsibility." And so begins the tortured struggle amongst twelve ordinary men who must decide whether a 16-year-old boy is guilty of murdering his father with a switchblade. These words are spoken by the judge of the case, whom we never see; nor do we see the teenaged defendent, the supposed murderer, because it is not important that we do. What is important is that we see (and inadvertantly become one of) a jury of individuals from different backgrounds, with different prejudices and different convictions, decide the fate of a young man -- who will mandatorily be sent to the electric chair in the case of a "guilty" verdict.

At the start, all the men are convinced the boy is guilty; the kid is from the slums, he's been arrested for mugging and knife-fighting before, it's an open-and-shut case, or so it seems. They take a vote: 11 guilty, 1 not guilty. Many of the men lash out at Juror #8, who believes that there may be reasonable doubt that the boy did not commit the murder. It's hot, they've spent three long days in court, one has tickets to a baseball game -- it's obvious he's guilty, so why not just call it a day? the other jurors think. Although opposed by everybody at first, Juror #8 stands firm and states that he cannot so easily send a boy off to the electric chair without talking about it first. After bringing up details that were not addressed during the trial (and questioning or re-evaluating details that were), the votes slowly turn over... 10 guilty, 2 not guilty...7 guilty, 5 not guilty...6 and 6...until finally only one stubborn juror remains convinced of the young man's guilt. The story, although simple in structure, is highly complex; the details of the trial are hashed and re-hashed from every possible angle, the drama is so palpable at certain points of argument or revelation that you can taste it, there are well-chosen moments of humor amidst the drama, and each juror's personality manages to shine through during the discussions and arguments that take place among them.

Raven presents a highly varied cast, with men of all ages, black, white, Asian-American, and Latino. C. L. Brown is a gentle and pensive Juror #8, while Dan Loftus plays a jaded and hateful Juror #3. Bryson Engelen is the intellectual Juror #4 and Reginald Vaughn is the volatile and highly prejudiced Juror #10. And some of the actors are stepping onto the professional stage for the first time, but I wouldn't have known had I not read it in the program. Despite a few opening night fumbles of tripping over words in certain lines, the actors performed superbly, especially considering the circular format the script takes that allows much room for accidentally jumping ahead lines, as the same topics are addressed multiple times throughout the show. Furthermore, a factor often taken for granted in theatre is blocking; with direction from Aaron Todd Douglas, the play stays visually interesting despite the limited setting and time frame. The actors are constantly moving, whether it's standing up, pacing, fidgeting, changing positions, moving to a different seat, et cetera...the audience will not even realize that they're not bored watching twelve men talk for nearly two hours.

The play itself is a timeless piece that brings up issues that are relevant today and have been relevant since the play was written in 1955. After witnessing such a compelling, revealing, and oftentimes frustrating, story, one cannot help but question whether or not things are as black-and-white as they seem. "But it's possible..."

 Like many of the newer productions hitting Broadway, 101 Dalmatians caters to the children in the audience. Regardless, the show tries to incorporate some more adult oriented lines to stimulate the adults in the audience. Unfortunately these lines are rather low brow and barely register a laugh. At least they tried to throw ‘em a bone. The show, in my opinion, is not of the same caliber of heavy hitting musicals but is still fun none-the-less. The kids in attendance seemed to love every minute of the show which is priceless in its own right.

This production is the non-Disney interpretation of the book, "101 Dalmatians," by Dodie Smith. Like the book, the production is meant to be seen through the eyes of the dog.  Director Jerry Zaks tried to do his best to stick to that vision which has led to mixed reviews. I, for one, thought it was clever to have the actors playing humans use stilts to effectively differentiate them from the actors playing dogs.

If you have young children and they have never seen a theatre production, this would be a great first show for them to see. The production is only in town for a two-week engagement and will continue their cross country tour after their final local performance February 28th. Tickets range from $18-$85. For more information, check out www.broadwayinchicago.com or call (800) 775-2000.

Killswitch Engage - photos and story by Carl Burke

The curtains are pulled and Yello’s “Oh Yeah” is blasted from the front speakers.  The crowd starts banging their heads and pumping fists.  The energy of the crowd has just taken a booster shot like Uma Thurman in Pulp Fiction.  The people behind me form a chain with interlocking arms and prepare themselves for the hostilities of blaring guitars and homemade superhero costumes.  Drummer Justin Foley approaches his kit in a quiet and calm matter and clicks four quarter notes.  The lights match the intensity of the crowd and there is no turning back.  Killswitch Engage is able to show their enthusiasm and enjoyment for what they do: playing a kick-ass metal show that can appeal to anyone.  They are able to appeal to the Dungeons and Dragons geeks, the people in Wall Street and the ultra hot stripper with 36 DD’s. 

Drummer Justin Foley and bassist Mike D’Antonio play in a pocket that can only be touched by the likes of Flea and Chad Smith or Paul and Ringo.  Foley and D’Antonio are able to fill a quarter note pulse better than most rock bands out today.  They quickly remind me that playing an instrument isn’t always about playing as fast as you can, but how much emotion goes into what you play.  Foley and D’Antonio are able to make simplicity sound masterful and they are just the backbone of what makes this band such an awesome site to see. 

Guitarists Adam Dutkiewicz and Joel Stroetzel are able to have their instruments talk to each other and to the crowd in a matter that actors could only dream of.  They’re able to play and converse in ways that are similar to Abbott and Costello in “Who’s on First?”  The two of them are lightning quick and express a tone of excitement that continue to impress musicians worldwide.  The only thing missing from this five star revue is the singer.

Killswitch Engage’s lead singer, Howard Jones, is not on tour with the band due to an “unexpected absence”.  Phil Labonte of the band All That Remains is performing vocals for Jones for the duration of the tour or until Jones is ready to return to the stage; Phil Labonte also auditioned for being the singer during the same time Howard Jones did.  With that being said, one cannot compare the state of Killswitch Engage with Phil to the Killswitch Engage with Howard.  Even Dutkiewicz said on-stage: “We are Killswitch Engage.  As many of you know, Howard is not able to make it tonight.  So, instead, we have Phil Labonte on vocals.  Tonight, we will be known as Philswitch Engage!” 

Phil appears on the stage as a veteran, but as a rookie with his mates.  He doensn’t have a problem showing his enthusiasm or his intensity as a metal singer. Labonte did a great job for stepping in when he needed to.  He brings emotion and passion when it is required most.  The worst part of his performance is the lack of chemistry between him and the rest of the band.  For example, there were times when Phil was on top of a speaker, while the rest of the band was jamming together on the other side of the stage.    

With rumors continuing to speculate confusion of what is happening with Jones, Killswitch Engage did their best with the situation they were given.  They did a kick-ass job with knowledge of presence and power.  Despite having Phil Labonte as the singer, the band still knows how to rock hard with passion and dedication to their fans.  Job well done, guys!