Tag Archives: heavy metal concert

REVIEW: Lacuna Coil Tours with New ‘Family’ (5-9-16)

Andrea Ferro - Lacuna Coil - Marquee Theatre
Andrea Ferro – Lacuna Coil © Kataklizmic Design

TEMPE, Ariz. — Lacuna Coil played at the Marquee Theatre Monday, May 9, as the third stop on their Delirium tour. The Italian metal band from Milan was preceded by Painted Wives, 9Electric, and label-mate Butcher Babies, who gave an over-the-top performance that left concert-goers in a frenzy before Lacuna Coil took the stage.

Finally, the introduction to “Nothing Stands in Our Way,” a track from Broken Crown Halo (2014), foreshadowed the headliner’s imminent appearance. And like true (Gothic) rock stars, the members of Lacuna Coil stepped out of the wings in their best psych ward escapee couture to screams and cheers.

Without a word and without missing a beat they launched into the song and followed it up with “Die & Rise” from the same album and “Kill the Light” from Dark Adrenaline (2012). After indulging fans for the first three songs, vocalist Cristina Scabbia addressed the audience for the first time. “This one is for everyone who tries to make this world a better place,” she said before playing “Victims.”

Cristina Scabbia - Lacuna Coil - Marquee Theatre
Cristina Scabbia – Lacuna Coil © Kataklizmic Design

The show included a good mix of the group’s older and newer songs, like “Spellbound” from their 2009 album Shallow Life. After “Spellbound,” they announced their new album, Delirium, which drops on May 27, and played the newly released track, “The House of Shame.” That’s when Scabbia demonstrated why she has been called one of the most influential women in metal. Her voice dominated the room into silent awe at the song’s climax. After that they returned to another classic, “Heaven’s a Lie,” from their 2002 breakout album, Comalies.

Diego Cavallotti - Lacuna Coil - Marquee Theatre
Diego Cavallotti – Lacuna Coil © Kataklizmic Design

After playing “To the Edge” from Karmacode (2006), vocalist Andrea Ferro admitted that the group was a bit jet-lagged after their recent return from Asia, though you wouldn’t have known it from their performance. “This is such a great welcome back to the United States,” Ferrero told fans. That’s when Scabbia introduced the band’s new guitarist, Diego Cavallotti.

Marco Coti Zelati - Lacuna Coil - Marquee Theatre
Marco Coti Zelati – Lacuna Coil © Kataklizmic Design

“We’d like to introduce you to Diego, who joined us and is family now,” Scabbia announced warmly. Cavallotti replaced the group’s former guitarist, Marco “Maus” Biazzi, after it was revealed in January that he would be leaving the group. Biazzi played with Lacuna Coil for more than 17 years before retiring to pursue other projects.

Although the core members–Scabbia, Ferrero, and bassist Marco Coti Zelati–are still together, Lacuna Coil also saw the loss of guitarist Cristiano “Pizza” Migliore and drummer Cristiano “CriZ” Mozzati when, tired of touring, the two decided to retire from the group in 2014. Since then, Ryan Folden has joined as the group’s drummer.

Ryan Folden - Lacuna Coil - Marquee Theatre
Ryan Folden – Lacuna Coil © Kataklizmic Design

Nevertheless, Lacuna Coil delivered a seamless performance, with nothing to evidence Cavallotti and Folden hadn’t been part of the band all along. Other songs in the night’s setlist included “Upsidedown”, “Swamped,” “Fire,” “Cybersleep” and “Delirium” from the group’s forthcoming release.

Toward the end of the show, Scabbia and Ferrero wanted concert-goers to sing along with them to one more song. “Have you heard of Depeche Mode?” Scabbia asked. “I’m totally sure you will know this one,” she promised before they played their popular cover of “Enjoy the Silence” with concert-goers singing along. Then, midway through the song, Scabbia enticed the audience to do better. “That was very good, but I’m sure we can sing louder!” she taunted to enthusiastic response.

[Setlist]
#1 Nothing Stands in Our Way
#2 Die & Rise
#3 Kill the Light
#4 Victims
#5 Spellbound
#6 The House of Shame
#7 Heaven’s a Lie
#8 Upsidedown
#9 Swamped
#10 To the Edge
#11 Fire
#12 Cybersleep
#13 Delirium
#14 Enjoy the Silence–Encore–
#15 Trip the Darkness
#16 Zombies
#17 Our Truth

Before their encore performance, Scabbia made a quick costume change into a short white dress with “DELIRIUM,” “LEAVE ME ALONE” and “TAKE ME HOME NOW” scrawled across the front in large, black print, in keeping with their psych ward theme. For the encore, they played “Trip the Darkness,” followed by “Zombies,” and “Our Truth.”

“It’s been an honor and a privilege to perform for you here tonight,” Scabbia told concert-goers at the conclusion of the show and let fans know the band would be signing autographs at the merchandise booth. With no word on when the European metal group might return to Arizona, a line formed in front of the booth almost immediately, full of fans anxious for one last encounter with Lacuna Coil.

Photo Album

Photographer: Katherine Amy Vega

Lacuna Coil – Marquee Theatre 5-9-16

Photography © Katherine Amy Vega, Kataklizmic Design
All Rights Reserved.

REVIEW: Butcher Babies Makes Tempe Scream (5-9-16)

TEMPE, Ariz. — Butcher Babies wouldn’t have been an easy act for anyone to follow Monday night. The heavy metal band from Los Angeles was the final opener for Lacuna Coil, taking the stage right after 9Electric at the Marquee Theatre. And if synchronized hair tossing and head banging were an Olympic sport, frontwomen Heidi Shepherd and Carla Harvey would have taken the gold.

Carla Harvey, Heidi Shepherd - Butcher Babies - Marquee Theatre
Carla Harvey, Heidi Shepherd – Butcher Babies © Kataklizmic Design

Butcher Babies’ set was short but memorable, especially when, at one point, Shepherd decided that security would help them play a game with concert-goers. “You ready to catch some bodies?” she asked before announcing that during the next song she wanted to see how many high-fives they could collect from fans crowd-surfing to the front of the stage. And they received a lot more high-fives than one might expect from the modest number of concert-goers that attended the show.

Butcher Babies - Marquee Theatre
Butcher Babies © Kataklizmic Design

Watching Butcher Babies play to a crowd is akin to watching parents dropping their kids off with two favorite aunts who then spend the weekend spoiling their nieces and nephews—deliberately getting them wound up and hyped full of sugar before letting them return home to terrorize their parents. By the time they demanded concert-goers start a circle pit in front of the stage, the audience was already wild with adrenaline and excitement.

Jason Klein - Butcher Babies - Marquee Theatre
Jason Klein – Butcher Babies © Kataklizmic Design

The band itself was a sight to behold on the stage. They brought an immense amount of energy and enthusiasm to the show, every member dancing and head banging in time with the music. Harvey was even seen cartwheeling mid-song. And crowd participation wasn’t just an option, it was a requirement.

“We absolutely will not start this song without you… I want them to hear us in Utah!” Shepherd shouted. “Let me hear you scream!” she roared as they launched into “Magnolia Blvd.” from their self-titled album.

Toward the end of their set, while singing, Shepherd made her way down from the stage into the center of the circle pit with a member of the security staff shining a flashlight on her as a makeshift spotlight. She then finished the song from the center of the pit while the moshers flung themselves about recklessly around her. Lacuna Coil couldn’t have asked for a better opening act.

Carla Harvey - Butcher Babies - Marquee Theatre
Carla Harvey – Butcher Babies © Kataklizmic Design

Butcher Babies will play with Painted Wives, 9Electric, and label-mate Lacuna Coil during the first leg of their North American tour to promote Lacuna Coil’s upcoming album, “Delirium”, which hits record stores on May 27.

PHOTO ALBUM

Photography: Katherine Amy Vega

Butcher Babies – Marquee Theatre 5-9-16

Photography by Katherine Vega, © Kataklizmic Design
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Related: REVIEW: 9Electric Gets New Fans in Tempe 5-9-16

REVIEW: 9Electric Gets New Fans in Tempe (5-9-16)

When 9Electric took the stage at the Marquee Theatre Monday night, the crowd gathered before them was a small one. Most of the concert-goers were at the back of the house buying drinks at the bar or socializing on the patio. But it wouldn’t stay that way for long.

Mikey Lopez - 9ELECTRIC - Marquee Theatre
Mikey Lopez – 9ELECTRIC © Kataklizmic Design

9Electric along with Painted Wives and Butcher Babies opened for Lacuna Coil as part of the first leg of their North American tour to promote Lacuna Coil’s upcoming album, “Delirium”, which hits record stores on May 27.

Opening with lyrics like “Let’s start a fire. Let’s burn it down,” from “New God”—a track off 9Electric’s forthcoming album—and filling the room with smoke and laser light, it wasn’t hard to tell what kind of show it would be. Between the songs “New God” and “Time Bomb,” the audience began to grow as the electronic metal beats lured concert-goers back to the stage.

CaseyDC - 9ELECTRIC - Marquee Theatre
CaseyDC – 9ELECTRIC © Kataklizmic Design

Lead vocalist Ron “Thunderwood” didn’t waste any time. From the first song to the last, he continually engaged with fans from stage right to stage left to right behind the barricades. He brought a staggering amount of energy to the show, but what was truly impressive was that he had the stamina to keep it up for the entire performance.

Ron Underwood - 9ELECTRIC - Marquee Theatre
Ron Underwood – 9ELECTRIC © Kataklizmic Design

During “The Damaged Ones,” another song from their upcoming album of the same title, Thunderwood got up on top of the barricades in front of the stage. “I want to see you move!” he shouted to the growing audience. And by the time they started playing “Beautiful,” people were moving to bass beats so hard, it felt like it could make someone’s heart explode.

“You ready to go ape shit?” Thunderwood asked the crowd. “This one’s about people who are full of shit,” Thunderwood told concert-goers before playing “Lies”. Afterward, he announced that their first full-length album would be released in July. “So fuckin’ buy it or get fucked!” Thunderwood said with an unapologetic smile.

Although 9Electric hails from Los Angeles, Thunderwood himself is a Phoenix native. Before singing “Beautiful” for his hometown audience, Thunderwood, who had periodically been standing on a platform at the center front of the stage for better visibility, joked that the height difference between him and their towering bass player, CaseyDC, was an “optical illusion.”

Micah Electric - 9ELECTRIC - Marquee Theatre
Micah Electric – 9ELECTRIC © Kataklizmic Design

The group’s setlist included “Goodbye,” “More More,” and “Naked.” By the time they finished “Naked,” drummer Micah Electric was shirtless, and they were playing to a much bigger audience. “It’s like they know we’re here now,” Thunderwood said to CaseyDC, both of them laughing. “Yeah, we’re doing something right… Let’s end this one on a high note!”

Ron Underwood - 9ELECTRIC - Marquee Theatre
Ron Underwood – 9ELECTRIC © Kataklizmic Design

For their finale, 9Electric covered AC/DC’s “Dirty Deeds,” lending their unique electronic rock sound to an old classic. Nearly everyone in the room sang along as Thunderwood made his way from one end of the stage barricades to the other, exchanging fist-bumps and high-fives with concert-goers along the way.

After the show, Thunderwood, CaseyDC, Micah Electric, and guitarist Mikey Lopez all took time to talk to fans, sign merchandise and pose for selfies. If 9Electric returns to Phoenix to promote “The Damaged Ones,” they may find a whole new clutch of fans waiting for them.

PHOTO ALBUM by Katherine Vega

9ELECTRIC – Marquee Theatre 5-9-16

Photography by Katherine Vega, © Kataklizmic Design
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. (THAT MEANS NO STEALING)