When: 3/12/03
Tickets: $30.00ea.
Venue: Kellogg Arena in Battle Creek, Michigan
Start time: 7:00pm
Bands: Some small band I missed, Chevelle, Tap Root, Disturbed
Chevelle--- I liked them. I thought they were much better than Tap Root. Their music is just more of the same old college rock/heavy metal blend that you hear on the radio day in and day out. Don’t get me wrong; teen angst has resulted in some of my favorite songs of all time. However, if your angst isn’t focused towards something, it tends to just be kinda whiney, so you’d better hope you have decent hooks and beats to draw me in. Chevelle had that ability. Special props go out to what I later found out to be their “one big hit”, called “The Red”. I felt pretty dirty when I realized my favorite song that they played was also their only single. That song is very good and it’s a decent bit of song writing. They played about ½ hour.
Tap Root--- This is the 3rd time I’ve seen them since they seem to open up for virtually every concert in the area because they’re from Ann Arbor, MI. I actually made an effort to listen to their CD in preparation for this performance, hoping that would help me appreciate their set a bit more than in the past. It didn’t. Unlike Chevelle, Tap Root doesn’t direct that teen angst to try and combat something, or point out what is whipping them up into such an angry group of young white males. They just yell a lot and grunt about nothing unparticular. They played about 45 minutes, which was about 30 minutes too long, IMO.
Disturbed--- Let me preface this by stating I consider Disturbed as Creed v2.0. Neither band can seem to diverge too far from a given formula, although they both milk that formula for all it’s worth and have garnered a legion of fans in the process. Oddly, I have never met a die-hard fan of either. That’s not to say that I don’t like Disturbed. Hell, I even like a couple of Creed songs, even though it makes my stomach churn when I hear them referred to as a Heavy Metal Band. Sorry guys, you’re not heavy metal. Anyway, I need to backtrack on my previous statement and admit that I actually do know one Disturbed fan. She happens to me my GF. So when she heard they were coming to town, she had tickets in her hand faster than I could say “Isn’t that the band that thinks they’re heavy metal”?
I give credit where credit is due, and Disturbed deserves credit for a good formula. They sounded crisp and their performance was tight. The crowd was obviously full of die-hard fans. My GF absolutely loved the show. I didn’t dislike the show by any means, but something was a little off that I still can’t quite put my finger on. Perhaps it’s because I’ve seen what I consider to be real heavy metal bands perform, and it’s always a lot more “real” for lack of a better term. They played for a solid hour+ and I’d give their performance and set a 9 out of 10. They did everything they do, very well. However, I don’t really care for what they do all that much. Overall, I personally ranked the experience as a 6.5. The best part was being there with my GF and seeing her enjoy the show so much. Her happiness and excitement was contagious.
Side Note: I made a stunning realization when the lead singer of Disturbed strutted down his ramp, barking out his lyrics. I’m going to diverge for a moment, so bare with me…
Anyone remember Rob Halford? He was the lead singer to the 80’s heavy metal group, Judas Priest. Well, years later, good ‘ol Rob came out of the closet to the world and announced that he was gay. Not just gay, but some kind of super-gay. I remember seeing an interview with him on TV and he sorta chuckled, wondering how anyone could NOT know he was gay by looking at his past performances, what he wore on stage, and the very lyrics he wrote and sang.
Based on Rob Halford’s above testimonial, I would have to say that the lead singer of Disturbed might very well be gay. Not that that’s a bad thing. I’m just saying I won’t be surprised if/when he does come out of the closet.
