Taken from Echelon22 @ ABB.net Forum
What can I say? When the people ON stage are happy and having fun, the crowd will respond in kind. Seeing these guys happy, energetic and having FUN just enticed the crowd to give back the same.
Waiting in line in the sweltering heat and humidity that IS Orlando, Florida, was well worth every moment of rocking out with 3 great bands in AC comfort. I bow down to whomever invented Air Conditioning.
May I add…PADDED railings are really nice And there are ALWAYS ways to sneak in cameras that don’t include sticking in the bra! LOL.
Phamily (family) – was the first band. They’re from Atlanta. It’s hard to describe them, but they were REALLY energetic and “peachy” LOL. When the drummer’s standing on the stool dancing and getting really into it…it’s really fun to watch. I THINK (cause other people heard it) a “slam” against Stapp in a song…but I had earplugs in and couldn’t tell.
SubmerseD – They’re getting better and better every time. Donald was more into it than I’ve ever seen…but I’m still not convinced. *shrug* I’m a hard sell. But I was having more fun when TJ or Kelan were in front of us. They announced Garrett as “official”. I think as a band though, they have yet to find a rhythm when they’re on stage. They sound great, but they’re not as tight as Phamily or AB when they play. I think that’ll come with time and with some experience…you can tell they haven’t had many SHOWS to get comfortable with playing in front of a bigger crowds. There were a few times when TJ or Eric would start solos, and they were REALLY short. Don’t tease…give us a 2 minute solo, or even a minute…show us what you’ve got…show the crowd what you’re really capable of. I was REALLY bummed they didn’t play “Complicated”. It’s probably the ONE song people are familiar with…since..guys, you do NOT have an album out yet. The average person’s probably NOT heard of SubmerseD, and if they have odds are the only song they’ve heard is what’s on the Punisher CD. They were good…but I’m eager for when they find their stride and can really shine up there.
Alter F*cking Bridge baby!! I got goose bumps before the curtains came up. That after all that’s happened the last few years to see the culmination of that, there, literally a foot in front of me…to feel that excitement and eagerness and “holy shit it’s really REAL”…Go get yourself a ticket!! It’s really hard to describe the feeling, but I was on an adrenaline rush most of the day anyway, and with Phamily and SubmerseD, there was another one…but hearing the opening sounds…It’s just a RUSH.
I believe they started with “One Day Remains” and lord have mercy the way the crowd just ERRUPTED in cheers and “rock-on signs” it made me happy for the band that people were responding so positively to them.
To finally get to see Myles Kennedy LIVE after learning about him last year…dear God, the man is just phenomenal. I have rarely seen a singer smile SO big before he’s even sung a note, just grinning like Santa just got him the gift he always wanted. There were only a few times there were pitch problems…but those were handled well and really, the mans voice is just fantastic, passionate and intense. If anyone doubts that Myles has talent, abilities (vocal and guitar), or stage presence, you WILL BE FLOORED! There is intensity, there’s passion, he feels the music, he connects with the crowd, he’s up there giving you all he’s got, and you can’t help but give back.
I’m still floored, and really humbled, that he gets the kicks he does and feeds off the people singing all the words to ALL the songs. There were many times he’d look into the crowd and people were singing along and he just smiled SO big, a great big “thank you” kind of smile…it just made us get into it all the more.
Brian I had never seen play before. I got into Creed when he was already gone, so I never knew what it was like to see him live. Even though I was in front of him (though more towards center), I didn’t watch him all that much…cause he never really “did” much, but stand and play. He did move a few times, but I found myself watching the others. I must admit, he’s an extremely talented musician. The times I did watch him, he was SO intense, and that’s always cool to see. After more shows, I hope I can get a better picture of how he plays/interacts and form a more solid opinion other than one show.
Flip…holy $hit dude!!! This man has grown SO much in his abilities and in showing what he’s really capable of…that I actually spent time just watching Flip beat the hell out of the kit. Most times with Creed, I’d kinda “remember” to watch, but now…hell, I spent most of “Find The Real” just watching Flip! The intensity is so much more apparent (aside for maybe one other time I’ve seen him SO intense when he’s played) now and you can tell there’s a “fun” aspect to it. A stick went flying forward a bit after a song, and it was just a “funny little mishap” thing…played off like no big deal and it was all good. I haven’t seen him smile SO big in so long.
Mark…ya know…it’s actually weird seeing him perform in..umm..not all black. But seeing his face, like Myles (heck all the guys)…light up so big, even before they started playing…you know the man is TRULY happy, is really getting to shine. And he’s just INTENSE. The “guitar faces” the head banging, the just playing like there’s no tomorrow…it just floored me. Again, I’ve seen that intensity, probably only one time before. I’m THRILLED that he’s singing more…because, he DOES have a really good voice, and it sounds SO good when blended with Myles’ voice. And that he’s having FUN up there. It just shows in his facial expressions, posture…it’s just really cool to see people having FUN doing what they love and live to do.
A few moments that stand out…
- Myles looking just floored that we all knew the songs are were singing along the whole night. I’m not sure quite what he was expecting, but I think the crowd exceeded them.
- Mark must remember that monitors are wedge shaped…and will TIP over when stepped on. Although, where in the past that would have been a ‘problem’ if it’d had happened, it was laughed at by Mark and Myles and us in front of them.
- During “Down to My Last” after the line ”To the ones in which we sing, we’re honored you let us in” Myles said “That’s you guys”. This song needs to be a single down the line. The crowd reaction was just…goose bumpy.
- “In Loving Memory” was acoustically done. I’ve NEVER seen Mark play a 12-string. It was truly beautiful. NOTE to ALL concert goers…I personally found it insulting and disrespectful to the song and the band, that people were calling out band members names during the song. It’s a truly beautiful song and I believe really honors the memories of those people have lost…the crowds should remember that and be more respectful of that.
Over all, what can I say…I was FLOORED. This band is just incredible, and you wouldn’t think that they’ve been together as a band less than a year. They mesh so well and feed off each other and “read” the cues it’s just ..it gives me goose bumps. One thing I said many times was that it’s SO nice to see them all HAPPY…that that just makes it worth it. People can see they’re happy, they respond in kind. Win-win! I can’t wait till the next show…It’s going to be hard to wait for that long.
Go see them. You won’t be disappointed at all.