09/30/2004 - Chicago, IL - House of Blues

[Steve]

Went to this show? Post your review...

[Chris98GT]

Well, AB officially kicked my ass tonight, and they get to do it again tomorrow too.

So my girlfriend and I got into the HOB a few minutes after 6pm. We ran to the front of the stage, and I got right to the area where Mark usually stands. Right where I wanted to be. I'm a big fan of Mark's, so I was without a doubt pumped up and ready. I knew I had about 2.5hrs to wait, but I didn't care. I was ready. Bring it on!!!

SubmerseD – Well I had never seen/heard these guys before, but they sure had some good riffs! Their lead singer had a Todd Walker Cubs jersey on, and he commented on the Cubbies a few times, drawing lots of cheers and a "Cubs suck!" from 1 of the several White Sox fans in the entire city. He said we should take out the pent-up aggression from the Cubs loss today inside the concert tonight. Oh yeah! Their guitarist with long blonde hair was standing right by me, he was rockin' out. He gave me a pick at the end of their set. Very nice of him, thanks man!

Crossfade - Same thing, I had never seen these guys before, although I did recognize the song, "Cold." They were good, but their backup singer/keyboard guy just seemed really out of place, in my opinion. If I had to pick between the 2, I'd go with SubmerseD, but both were decent opening bands.

Ahh yes, Alter Bridge. It was great to see Mark and Flip back onstage, as well as Brian. I had not seen Brian up on stage since Creed played the Aragon in October 1999. And Myles, wow, he just has so much energy, talent and passion, not to mention a good sense of humor. He fucking rocks. He said that the guys told him Chicago was gonna be off the hook, and how he cannot wait to come back MANY, MANY, MANY MORE TIMES!

At one point, Myles looked into the crowd and noticed a certain girl's hat. He said, "What does your hat say? Happy Birthday? It's your birthday? Should we sing?!" and everyone cheered. He asked her name, and right as he started to sing, Mark interjected and told her to come up on stage with them. So she came up there and Myles put his arm around her and everyone sang Happy Birthday. Out of all the concerts I've ever seen, this was definitely a first! So after they were done singing, Myles gave her a big hug and then she kinda gave Mark a kiss, and went back into the crowd. Her hat had "Happy Birthday" kind of dangling off the top, and Myles said something to the effect of, "We need to get Mark one of those that says DORK on it."

The setlist was the usual... the entire album, acoustic ILM, and "Highway Star" by Deep Purple. Now that was a fun jam! My neck is sore from headbanging so much, especially to Watch Your Words, The End is Here, and Metalingus.

The acoustic rendition of ILM gave me a little bit of that feeling you get before you get teary-eyed. It was quite intense to be within 3 feet of Mark, watching his demenor go from the usual grit-your-teeth-and-bang-your-head-metal look to this stone serious glare while he picked away at his 12 string. Knowing that Mark's family was there also added to the overall vibe of the song. Myles said it's a beautiful song; how right he is.

I was hoping Mark would toss me a pick at the end of the show like he did with Creed a couple years ago, but no luck, maybe tomorrow. But I was basically the first one to get a nice handshake from him at the end of the show. That was good enough for me. I also got high fives from Myles and Brian.

I get to do the same thing again tomorow and I can't wait. I shall report back later...

[soxfan23]

I completely agree with the last post. Considering the last time I Tremonti and Flip rock was their well known "Chicago" concert with Creed, this was a welcome return. Miles had a ton a energy and seemed to be having fun as well. I can't wait to see them again in Milwaukee tomorrow!!!

[hockeymom97]

My review from the AB Chicago 09/30 show.

The day started out with my sister and I (the pregnant lady for those of you we met there) headed downtown about 12:30pm to meet up with Erin. From there we settled into our hotel room. We then went to have a late lunch prior to the show. About 3:00 we went to get in line. There were only 2 people in line at that point. After standing around waiting I met Corryn & Lisa. Before we knew it the doors opened and we were in. We were probably about 8 rows of people back from the stage on Mark’s side. I was really excited.

Out came Submersed. They were great. Very energetic and really got the crowd into the night. They definitely have quite a stage presence and I believe that they are going to be a great band. During the set I was kind of just looking around and absorbing the whole thing when I looked up in one of the balconies there was all the guys. They were really showing support for their opening bands. Along with seeing Mark, Flip, Brian and Myles aside Flip was Cadence. What a cutie she is. He is going to have his hands full when she gets older.

Next came Crossfade. They were ok, but I really didn’t get a great stage presence from them. They sounded good.

Next out came the boys. The place was packed and the crowd was excited. Don’t ask me what the set list was; I was just so into watching them I don’t even remember. Myles expressions were priceless. You could really see that he was just in awe of the reaction that the band was receiving. At one point he told us that we were spoiling them and that they would never want to leave Chicago. Of course the crowd just went wild. What a stage presence he is. He was so interactive with the crowd. Anyone who doubts his ability to get the crowds attention really needs to attend a concert. He is truly amazing. Mark played his ass off. He is just so amazingly talented and a pleasure to watch. Mark walked across the stage a lot more during this concert. Brian was also amazing. It was great to see him back with Mark and Flip. The chemistry that they have is incredible. Flip was also amazing to watch. He is so hard to see back there though. During the cover song Highway Star Mark and Myles really shred it up together. Their faces with each other made it look like they were having a shredding competition. They looked like they were all having such fun together. During ILM the crowd was just singing their hearts out with them. Giving the song the respect that it truly deserves. During OYE Myles said to the crowd I want to hear you sing this part. The crowd did just that and he told us that we made his night.

It was truly amazing. Everyone must see them.

After the show I had the honor of meeting them all. They are so humble and appreciative of the fans. It is so refreshing. I have pics to post after I get them developed.


To Michael, Mark, Brian, Myles and Flip. Thank you for making this such a memorable night. I will truly cherish it forever. You all ROCK and I can’t wait to see you again.

[Dogstar]

Awesome reviews, you guys!!! Thanks...My first show is Tuesday...Woooo-hoooooo!

[hockeymom97]

Quote: (Originally Posted by Dogstar)

Awesome reviews, you guys!!! Thanks...My first show is Tuesday...Woooo-hoooooo!

Have a great time!!!!!