All posts by Rodrigo Izquierdo

Photographer, Author, Creative. International photo-comic book sales and museum photo displays. Entrepreneur, entertainer, motivator, animal lover, optimist, always evolving.

REVIEW: The Darkness Envelops & Excites Fans at Marquee Theatre… Again (10-7-23)

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Tempe, AZ — The Darkness returned to Arizona for a triumphant show as they celebrate the 20th anniversary of their debut album Permission to Land, and the special reissue collection that was released the day prior to the show: Permission to Land…Again. They last graced the Marquee Theatre stage in March of 2022 on their “Motorheart” tour. This October 2023 show was the 4th date of the US leg of the world tour celebrating their debut, and they played a setlist full of their biggest hits from that album and beyond. The Comancheros, a country/southern rock band from Missouri, opened the show with an infectious energy that warmed up the crowd for the high-octane headliner.

The Comancheros

The Comancheros perform energetically at Marquee Theatre
The Comancheros
| Photography:
Rodrigo Izquierdo © All Rights Reserved

They began with their powerful song “Mississippi”, which electrified the room, and they followed up with a string of other hits, including “Long Hair”.

The Comancheros rock Marquee Theatre
The Comancheros
| Photography:
Rodrigo Izquierdo © All Rights Reserved

The band asked the audience if there were any beer drinkers and hellraisers in AZ while holding beer cans up in the air, then drank it up and kicked into their song titled “Beer Drinkers”.

The Comancheros raising beer at their Tempe concert
The Comancheros
| Photography:
Rodrigo Izquierdo © All Rights Reserved

They continuously engaged with the audience throughout their set and completed it  with the songs “We Own the Night,” “George Jones,” “Cowboy Song,” “Drum/Gun/Chariot,” “Shoot Me Down,” and “Bird/Time Machine”.

The Comancheros vocalist and guitarist Tanner Jones
Tanner Jones (Vocalist, Guitarist), The Comancheros
Photography:
Rodrigo Izquierdo © All Rights Reserved

The Darkness

"Welcome to The Darkness" theatrical poster
“Welcome to The Darkness” theatrical poster

On October 2nd, just five days before this show, The Darkness announced the launch date of their feature-length documentary, Welcome to the Darkness, that adds to their extensive discography with seven studio albums since their start in the early 2000’s. The film will arrive in cinemas for one night only on November 9th, and will then be available on Blu-Ray and digital download on December 4th. 

The Darkness kicked off their set with a high-powered rendition of “Black Shuck.” Fans were immediately singing along and dancing fervently. The band followed that up with a string of their biggest hits, including “Get Your Hands Off My Woman,” “Growing on Me,” and “The Best of Me.”

The Darkness vocalist Justin Hawkins
Justin Hawkins (Vocalist, Guitarist), The Darkness
Photography:
Rodrigo Izquierdo © All Rights Reserved

Lead singer Justin Hawkins was in top form, delivering his vocals with power and precision. He showered the audience with guitar picks, ensuring the youngest fans got their concert memento by stretching and throwing as far as he could to get closer to them from the stage.

The Darkness frontman throwing a guitar pick to the crowd
Justin Hawkins (Vocalist, Guitarist), The Darkness
Photography:
Rodrigo Izquierdo © All Rights Reserved

He had the crowd in the palm of his hand with his witty banter and stage presence. Guitarist Dan Hawkins, bassist Frankie Poullain, and drummer Rufus Taylor were also on fire, playing with some truly impressive musicianship.

The Darkness performing at Marquee Theatre
The Darkness
| Photography:
Rodrigo Izquierdo © All Rights Reserved

During their performance, the engagement with the audience was ongoing, including a sing-a-long with a member of the audience, also named Justin (with Hawkins grinning after the audience member shared his name). The frontman also saw a group of 4 British fans in attendance, all dressed up in Union Jack patterned suits, with their companion in a full American flag outfit, wearing a bald eagle head mask that got thrown onto the stage. The drummer put it on and wore it while playing an entire song, before throwing it back to the audience member that threw it to the stage.

Fans of The Darkness in British and US themed costumes at Marquee Theatre
Fans of English rock band The Darkness donning British and US themed costumes at Marquee Theatre concert
Photography:
Rodrigo Izquierdo © All Rights Reserved

They closed out their set with a rousing performance of their signature song, “I Believe in a Thing Called Love”. The crowd went wild, with smartphones raised from almost everyone in attendance, prompting Justin Hawkins to stop and playfully ask the audience to ‘place themselves in their place, and to not record the performance’ before starting back up and, delighting the audience with a fantastic show, giving it his all. 

Justin Hawkins of The Darkness doing a headstand in front of their drum kit
Justin Hawkins (Vocalist, Guitarist), The Darkness
Photography:
Rodrigo Izquierdo © All Rights Reserved

For their encore, they emotionally played “I Love You 5 Times” before the vocalist announced they had one song remaining, and with a mischievous grin stating, “but is a pretty f***ing long song.” The Darkness closed the set with “Love on the Rocks with No Ice”. The shower of guitar picks continued as the band did their goodbyes, with no pick left behind. 

Justin Hawkins smiling widely as he plays the guitar, with Frankie Poullain playing bass in the background
Justin Hawkins (Vocalist, Guitarist) & Frankie Poullain (Bassist), The Darkness
Photography:
Rodrigo Izquierdo © All Rights Reserved

Overall, The Darkness put on an incredible show at Marquee Theatre. They played a setlist full of their biggest hits and deepest cuts, and they delivered a performance that was both energetic and entertaining. If you have the chance to see them on this tour, you will be lucky to witness one of the best live bands in the world, with (at the time of publication of this article) just 9 more dates left for the US leg, and 36 upcoming world tour dates before coming back to the US in 2024 for the Monsters of Rock cruise festival in Miami, Florida. 

If you’re a fan of rock music, then you need to see The Darkness live, and they’re sure to put on a show that you’ll never forget. Make sure to catch a screening of their feature documentary on November 9th, or look for it on Blu-Ray on on its December 4th release date.

View Setlist

Photo Galleries

Photographer: Rodrigo Izquierdo

View Separately: The Darkness* | The Comancheros

*includes additional photos

The Darkness & The Comancheros – Marquee Theatre 10-7-23

Photography © Reagle Photography
All Rights Reserved

REVIEW: Saints and Sinners Celebrated in the Mosh Ring of Fire with Flogging Molly & Social Distortion at Mesa Amphitheatre (9-29-19)

Mesa, AZ — Flogging Molly, closing their “Life is Good” tour, and Social Distortion, about to hit the studio again, put on a spectacular show of endurance and exuberance for an all ages crowd at the Mesa Amphitheatre. Together, they demonstrated that punk’s not dead, but alive and well, with new albums and more tours to come for future fans in attendance that were not even born yet.

Openers  — Le Butcherettes & The Devil Makes Three

The opening bands, Le Butcherettes and The Devil Makes Three, did a fantastic job at getting the crowd pumped and ready for the headliners. With spastic moves and strong vocals, Le Butcherettes surprised and impressed the audience with their style and polished delivery. Then, the bluegrass punk mix brought in by The Devil Makes Three brought in their excellent performance, gaining fans throughout the audience that came in early enough to be rewarded by their unusual, yet fantastic musical talents. 

Social Distortion

Social Distortion’s Mike Ness and his 40 years of rock and roll experience kept the crowd cheering and fired up during their energized performance. Early into their set, Ness thanked the openers one by one, encouraged the crowd to cheer for them, as he then also shared how the Mesa crowd was so far superior from all the other ones, especially the recent night in Las Vegas. There were nonstop mosh pits during Social Distortion’s performance, staying true to the punk tradition of chaos and high energy.  

Mike Ness (Lead Vocals), Social Distortion
| Photographer:
Rodrigo Izquierdo © All Rights Reserved

Halfway through the set, Ness made an announcement that their fans were ecstatic to hear by saying, “I have some great news! Social Distortion is going into the studio in January to record a new album.” Since their last album release was Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes back in 2011, the crowd went crazy. Social Distortion rewarded their fans’ loyalty with a new song called “Over You” from the not-yet-recorded new album. 

Brent Harding (Bass), Social Distortion
| Photographer:
Rodrigo Izquierdo © All Rights Reserved

Ness connected with the audience between every song, telling stories about his musical journey and pouring his all into each song. One of the stories that stood out the most was about an assignment he received while in high school back in September of 1980 where he was told to read about WWII. Ness, with a smile, commented that he spent that time writing a song, and shortly after he dropped out of high school because it was getting in the way of his rock and roll life. That song is called “1945”.

Social Distortion
| Photographer:
Rodrigo Izquierdo © All Rights Reserved

As their set was nearing its end, they were joined by band members from The Devil Makes Three and Flogging Molly for the song “Sometimes I Do”. Social Distortion closed the last stop of their tour with an appropriate song for their 40th anniversary tour; “Story of My Life”. 

Flogging Molly

Flogging Molly hit the stage to end what, for them, has been long 3 years of constant touring.  Their well-deserved break will include a couple of weddings and international trips: Spencer Swain, who plays the mandolin, banjo, guitar, and vocals, is to be married within a week of the show’s end; Nathen Maxwell, who plays bass guitar and vocals, is also getting married within a week after the show; finally, band leader Dave King — their lead vocalist who plays the acoustic guitar, and bodhrán, and his wife Bridget Regan, who provides backing and lead vocals and plays the violin and tin whistle, were going on a trip to Ireland almost immediately after the show at 7:30 the next morning.

Flogging Molly
| Photographer:
Rodrigo Izquierdo © All Rights Reserved

King and company rocked the stage and brought a performance to Mesa that was a prime example of fun, energy, and professionalism, demonstrating their 22 years of experience and true dedication to their fans. 

A memorable moment arose in the middle of their set as King wanted to give a special shout-out to a fan that flew all the way from Tokyo, Japan, just to see them play here. King greeted this young fan, Kazu, in what seemed to be fluent Japanese, causing an explosion of cheers and clapping from the audience. Flogging Molly played one of their most popular songs, “Tobacco Road”, for this traveling fan. 

Matt Hensley (Accordion), Flogging Molly
| Photographer:
Rodrigo Izquierdo © All Rights Reserved

As Flogging Molly played the energetic, musically and lyrically powerful song “Crush,” King stopped mid-song and said, “On the last day of our tour, after 3 years without emptying our suitcases, let’s have some fun,” and started to sing “We Will Rock You” by Queen with the crowd chanting loudly, then seamlessly went back to the song “Crush”. 

King then introduced each one of the 7 Drunken Pirates, as the band members call themselves, one by one and thoroughly thanked the entire crew. He stated that after touring for years, this was the best crew they’ve ever had — “except for this asshole right there,” he jokingly said while pointing towards the backstage area without specifically singling anybody out. 

Spencer Swain (Guitar), Flogging Molly
| Photographer:
Rodrigo Izquierdo © All Rights Reserved

“If I Ever Leave This World Alive” was their last song, powerfully and beautifully performed from the stage to a cheering crowd that didn’t want to see this show end. These fans had been gifted with phenomenal performances from two of the most recognizable punk bands of our time. 

Dave King (Lead Vocals), Flogging Molly
| Photographer:
Rodrigo Izquierdo © All Rights Reserved

As their last song came to an end, the speakers began to play the theme song of Monty Python’s The Life of Brian, a British comedic classic, with their positive and uplifting message: “Always look on the bright side of life.” The stage began to fill back up with the members of Flogging Molly and The Devil Makes Three as they said goodbye to their fans, throwing guitar pics, drumsticks, playlists, and anything else they could find to give away while King waved away his fans, ready for their well-earned break.

Photo Galleries

Photographer: Rodrigo Izquierdo

View Separately: Flogging Molly | Social Distortion

Flogging Molly & Social Distortion – Mesa Amphitheatre 9-29-19

Photography © Reagle Photography
All Rights Reserved

REVIEW: Supergroup Angels & Airwaves Plays to a Sold Out Marquee Theatre (9-4-19)

Tempe, AZ — Supergroup Angels & Airwaves headlined an amazing night, supported by The New Regime and Charming Liars, at an absolutely full Marquee Theatre. Angels & Airwaves is led by singer Tom DeLonge (blink-182), who is accompanied by David Kennedy (Box Car Racer) on lead guitar, Matt Rubano (Taking Back Sunday) on bass, and Ilan Rubin (Nine Inch Nails, Paramore, The New Regime, Angels & Airwaves) on drums. 

Charming Liars

This show commenced with Los Angeles rock band Charming Liars, who just released their new EP, Bare Bones on August 2nd.

Kiliyan Maguire (Charming Liars)
| Photographer:
Rodrigo Izquierdo © All Rights Reserved
Photo Gallery

The audience’s engagement crescendoed, beginning with a feeling of curiosity and enthusiasm and ending with full crowd participation of chanting and clapping. The pumped-up fans were rewarded by a visit in the pit from vocalist Kiliyan Maguire.

Charming Liars Photo Gallery

The New Regime

Next up was The New Regime, led by child prodigy and Guinness World Record holder Ilan Rubin. Rubin brought years of experience and tremendous talent and dedication to the stage. He served double duty as the drummer for Angels & Airwaves, and he was recently called “Nine Inch Nails’ secret weapon” (Metal Injection) and “one of rock’s most in-demand drummers” (Louder).

Ilan Rubin (Angels & Airwaves)
| Photographer:
Rodrigo Izquierdo © All Rights Reserved

In addition to his world record for being the youngest musician to ever play at Woodstock, Rubin contributed his talents to Beck & Paramore’s Grammy-winning albums, and he closed The Grammy Awards with Nine Inch Nails, Queens of The Stone Age, Dave Grohl, and Lindsey Buckingham. He has toured with Muse, The Killers Nine Inch Nails, Alice In Chains, The Used, and The Joy Formidable.

Ilan Rubin (The New Regime)
| Photographer:
Rodrigo Izquierdo © All Rights Reserved
Photo Gallery

The New Regime performed tracks off of their forthcoming album Heart Mind Body & Soul, which will be released in four installments between the end of 2019 and the first quarter of 2020; Heart is part 1 of this album.

Despite technical issues during the third song of The New Regime’s set, “Turning A Blind Eye” from Heart, the band gracefully handled the hiccup with a sense of humor. They joked that the song “should sound like this” and the crowd erupted with laughter.

Closing their set, The New Regime led them in a chant of “I want your heart, mind, body, and soul,” which echoed throughout the venue above the throng of happy concertgoers.

The New Regime Photo Gallery

Angels & Airwaves

As the dark theater lit up to welcome Angels & Airwaves to the stage, Tom DeLonge appeared and the sold-out crowd sang along with him to every song.

Tom DeLonge (Angels & Airwaves)
| Photographer:
Rodrigo Izquierdo © All Rights Reserved

After singing their fifth song, “Everything’s Magic” from I-Empire (For Puretracks), DeLonge finally addressed the audience, making fun of himself for not yet giving an introduction. This showed how engaged and dedicated to their music the band was. He then announced the hit song “Paralyzed” and the crowd went crazy.

Matt Rubano (Angels & Airwaves)
| Photographer:
Rodrigo Izquierdo © All Rights Reserved

He poked fun at the heat in the Valley of the Sun by explaining that his friend visited the Sahara desert and stated that it was almost as hot as Tempe. DeLonge then began to engage the audience much more often, sharing his experiences while growing up in the punk scene and his love of his music and the opportunity to share a positive message with his fans via his lyrics. 

Tom DeLonge (Angels & Airwaves)
| Photographer:
Rodrigo Izquierdo © All Rights Reserved

Phoenix was the first stop on Angel & Airwaves’ comeback tour, their first in seven years. They performed an ambitious setlist of 21 songs with friendly crowd engagement throughout, and a quick encore of the final 2 songs: “Do It for Me Now” and “Heaven.” Angels & Airwaves demonstrated the next-level show that a culmination of great established artists brings, and it was well-worth the wait to watch them grace the stage of Marquee Theatre.

Photo Galleries

Photographer: Rodrigo Izquierdo

Openers: The New Regime | Charming Liars

Angels & Airwaves – Marquee Theatre 9-4-19

Note: The article previously had David Kennedy incorrectly labeled as James Kennedy, which has since been corrected.

Photography © Reagle Photography
All Rights Reserved

REVIEW: The Growlers Kickoff Tour with Heaven in Hell — A Sold Out Show in Phoenix (7-17-19)

PHOENIX — Opening their headlining Arizona show with an aptly titled track, “Heaven in Hell”, California beach goth rockers The Growlers played to a sold-out Van Buren venue that prepared them for their ambitious 2019 tour. The tour will include 52 concert nights over the next four months, finishing up in the heavenly City of Angels and Stars on Halloween night. Supporting The Growlers is Rinse & Repeat, an Orange County post-punk band.

Rinse & Repeat
| Photographer:
Rodrigo Izquierdo © All Rights Reserved

Rinse & Repeat

Rinse & Repeat can be best described as a space age psychedelic synth group that have a perfect mix reminiscent of The Aquabats, Divo, and maybe even some Peter Gabriel. Full of energy and theatrics, the nice commenced with their performance that was engaging, fun, and showed much dedication from the band members: Aaron Bones on bass, Riley on guitar, and Rodney on the drums. They put on a show that went beyond their songs and took us through their “space” struggles and successes. 

The Growlers

Sufficiently warmed up and likely grateful the show was in the climate-controlled venue, the crowd thoroughly enjoyed and sang along to each and every song with lead singer Brooks Nielsen, as if the lyrics popped up before them like a karaoke video.

The Growlers - Photo Credit: Rodrigo Izquierdo
Brooks Nielsen (Vocalist), The Growlers
| Photographer:
Rodrigo Izquierdo © All Rights Reserved

The Growlers went through a total of 23 songs and 2 encore pieces, and unlike most mainstream bands, did not spend much time talking to the crowd in between songs, instead engaging them through their music. 

Setlist:

Heaven in Hell
One Million Lovers
Dope on a Rope
Orgasm of Death
Naked Kids
The Daisy Chain
Someday
Love Test
Beach Rats
Rare Hearts
Hiding Under Covers
Who Loves the Scum?
Problems III
When You Were Made
Monotonía
Pavement and the Boot
Empty Bones
Vacant Lot
Night Ride
City Club
Drop Your Phone in the Sink
Chinese Fountain
I’ll Be Around

Encore:
Humdrum Blues
Going Gets Tough

With such a jam-packed setlist, the fans got what they paid to see, The Growlers singing their favorite songs live, with an extensive sample of their successful discography. Perhaps, referencing lyrics from the opening song, their fans were able to “find a haven” in their immersion in the music and energy of one of their favorite bands. 

Nielsen seemed shy and tired, as he himself mentioned after singing just a few songs, “I’m tired, and it is only day one”, but as the show evolved, so did his energy and engagement. As their night ended, he expressed his gratitude to the audience for the boost, saying “Thank you Phoenix, we’re ready to tour now!

The lyrics from their closing song “Going Gets Tough” seemed to be applicable for The Growlers that night:

Still always remembering
When the going gets tuff
That the labor of our love
Will reward us soon enough

Photo Gallery

Photographers: Rodrigo Izquierdo (Reagle Photography) & Andrea Stoica

The Growlers and Rinse & Repeat – The Van Buren 7-17-19

Photography © Reagle Photography & Andrea Stoica, Respectively.
All Rights Reserved

Featured (top) photo by Rodrigo Izquierdo

 

REVIEW: Chase Atlantic and A Hot Stop in the Desert With a Sold Out Show at Crescent Ballroom (6-27-19)

PHOENIX — On the cusp of their sophomore album release, Chase Atlantic and opener Lauren Sanderson celebrated at Crescent Ballroom with contagious energy. Touring the US from coast to coast with 29 stops, and their self-produced PHASES set to release on June 28, the alt-pop three-piece have played to sold out venues in Pittsburgh, Nashville, Charlotte, Ft. Lauderdale, and now Phoenix.

This album feels as though it is truly a work of astronomical measures,” says lead vocalist, Mitchel Cave. “It’s the first time we were able to honestly and openly hone into something so monumentally special and raw without compromising even an inch of our integrity as artists. We’ve developed a completely new sound within a matter of months that has never been tapped into before. Chase Atlantic is now dwelling within a realm of its own; it’s both scarily isolating and blissfully euphoric at the same time. Welcome to a whole new era.

Lauren Sanderson

Lauren Sanderson - Photo Credit: Rodrigo Izquierdo
Lauren Sanderson
| Photographer:
Rodrigo Izquierdo © All Rights Reserved

Lauren Sanderson, an Indiana native with a huge Twitter following of over 100,000 people, gave her first Ted Talk, titled “Stay Positive N’ Stay You”, only a year after graduating high school. She hit the stage with a bright smile and a burst of energy that set the table for the main course of the night: Chase Atlantic.

Lauren Sanderson - Photo Credit: Rodrigo Izquierdo
Lauren Sanderson
| Photographer:
Rodrigo Izquierdo © All Rights Reserved

During the intermission between Sanderson and Chase Atlantic, the music kept the audience energized and singing along as they played one of Lauren’s songs, to the crowd’s delight. 

Chase Atlantic

Chase Atlantic - Photo Credit: Rodrigo Izquierdo
Chase Atlantic
| Photographer:
Rodrigo Izquierdo © All Rights Reserved

When the lights went out, the crowd went wild with anticipation. The back LED screens came on, and a fantastic and electrifying drum solo by Jesse Boyle got everybody screaming. A few seconds later, the shouts intensified as frontman Cave walked onto the stage, followed by band members Christian Anthony, Clinton Cave, and Patrick Wilde.

Mitchel yelled to the crowd, “Make some noise if you came with a friend!” The crowd roared and the song “Angels” began a night of jumping and motion that could practically induce seasickness. 

Chase Atlantic - Photo Credit: Rodrigo Izquierdo
Mitchel Cave (Vocalist), Chase Atlantic
| Photographer:
Rodrigo Izquierdo © All Rights Reserved

During “What U Call That”, “Her”, “The Walls”, “Friends”, and “StuckInMyBrain”, the madness continued with nonstop singing, jumping, and partying like the world was about to end. 

As they hit the stage again, following a quick and well-earned interlude, they made the announcement everybody was waiting for: their new album PHASES was just made live a day early, and Cave encouraged the whole crowd to open up their cell phones and download the song right then and there. He even asked to get a thumbs-up once each audience member had finished the transaction. An ocean of cell phone screens lit up the inside of Crescent Ballroom as the download frenzy went on for a few moments, to the delight of the band. Thumbs started to go up enthusiastically and smiles filled the faces of the musicians. 

The crowd was rewarded for their instant downloads with one of Chase Atlantic’s most popular and well-known songs, “Swim”, followed by “Love Is Not Easy”, then by Cave and Anthony taking off their shirts suggestively right before their song “Lust”. 

Chase Atlantic - Crescent Ballroom
Mitchel Cave (Lead Vocalist) & Christian Anthony (Rhythm Guitarist, Vocalist)
Photographer:
Rodrigo Izquierdo © All Rights Reserved

Cave’s statement matched that of the opener by saying that “this has been the best show of their whole f***ing ride.

“Drugs & Money” kept the energy as high as it had been since the opening and continued with “Heaven And Back”, followed by Anthony asking the crowd, “Who feels like a rockstar?”, then pointing towards Cave and telling him, “I know you do,” then playing “Like A Rockstar”.

Chase Atlantic - Photo Credit: Rodrigo Izquierdo
Mitchel Cave (Vocalist), Chase Atlantic
| Photographer:
Rodrigo Izquierdo © All Rights Reserved

During their last song, “Uncomfortable”, Cave took a cell phone from the audience to take a selfie with the crowd, then carefully returned it to the fan without breaking or slowing down the energetic performance. 

Chase Atlantic - Photo Credit: Rodrigo Izquierdo
Mitchel Cave (Vocalist), Chase Atlantic
| Photographer:
Rodrigo Izquierdo © All Rights Reserved

As they walked offstage, they said to the crowd, “We can play a f***ing encore if you want one more!” The crowd chanted incessantly and, over the speakers the band instructed everyone to scream “F*** yeah!” in unison. The crowd again obliged and chanted until the band returned to the stage.

Chase Atlantic - Photo Credit: Rodrigo Izquierdo
Christian Anthony (Rhythm Guitarist, Vocalist)
Photographer:
Rodrigo Izquierdo © All Rights Reserved

Chase Atlantic closed the show with their last song, “Okay”, commanding the crowd in a way seasoned musicians do. The band coerced the whole crowd get down low, almost lying on the ground, and brought them back up to dance and jump. They welcomed Lauren Sanderson back to the stage for a high-octane rock n’ roll sound with heavy guitar riffs and powerful drum beats, and the night ended by leaving the audience exhausted and excited, as only great and memorable shows can do.

Photo Gallery

Photographer: Rodrigo Izquierdo

Chase Atlantic & Lauren Sanderson – Crescent Ballroom 6-27-19

Photography © Reagle Photography
All Rights Reserved

REVIEW: The Faim Gives a Memorable Musical Experience at The Nile Theater (4-14-19)

Mesa, AZ — A high-rising band from down under, The Faim, is a prime example of confidence, enthusiasm, and love of the art of music and performance. Supporting headliner Andy Black on his “The Ghost Of North America” tour, alongside fellow opener KULICK, they treated fans to a performance far beyond even the most optimistic of fans’ expectations.

A young crowd, anxious and eager to see their music idols, lined the sidewalk into the alleyway entrance of The Nile Theater. Colored hair, ripped jeans, leather jackets, name-brand shoes, and fancy accessories dotted the scene, much like an amalgam of hipster and classic punk, creating a unique fashion style that may eventually define this generation, like big hair and shoulder pads defined the 80’s. This fusion of fashion is likely in part a byproduct of the union of fans of a variety of artists that were involved in this night and everything leading up to it.

Two days prior to the show, Black Veil Brides’ frontman Andy Biersack released The Ghost of Ohio — the sophomore album from his solo music project under the moniker Andy Black. A concept record, The Ghost of Ohio is meant to serve as the soundtrack for his comic book by the same name, according to Alternative Press. Andy Black and The Faim share megaproducer John Feldman (lead singer of Goldfinger), who has a massive arsenal of rock and pop artist veterans that he’s worked with, and has been able to mix them into a cocktail of contribution to recordings for these two acts. By bringing top music industry talent together, Feldman is taking the best parts of early 2000s rock and infusing it into a new generation of sound that will richly benefit from their prowess and the vitality of these artists’ spirits.

Jacob Kulick, also known as KULICK, came out to a screaming crowd of fans that did not know what they were in for. KULICK set the bar high for what was about to follow: clear vocals and clean-sounding instruments, akin to a Bad Religion show, accompanied by contagious energy, great stage presence, and command of the crowd — a polished performance and band dynamic that makes you want to see them again. KULICK performed 8 songs: “Crawling”, “Hole in My Head”, “City”, “Hydroplane”, “Scatterbrain”, “Colors”, and “Ghost”; closing his set with humor and natural crowd engagement. This was only his second time touring, but with a performance like this, it would appear that many more will follow and he will continue to enrich audiences with his energy and sound.

The Faim’s explosive energy became evident within a few seconds of their opening song, “Saints Of The Sinners”. With the never-ending energy and stage presence you’d normally see from a ska band or Mick Jagger, The Faim dominated the stage and slowly began to command a crowd that once again did not know what hit them. They played “My Heart Needs to Breathe”, as if they have been performing for many years.

Sam Tye (Guitarist), Josh Raven (Vocalist), Stephen Beerkens (Bassist, Keyboardist) – The Faim
Photography:
Andrea Stoica © All Rights Reserved

Sam Tye (guitar) and Stephen Beerkens (bass, keyboard) played on each other’s moves, and Raven engaged each member, including drummer and percussionist Linden Marissen, like Bruce Dickinson does with Nicko McBrain. Marissen himself exudes a type of energy and control of the drums that demonstrates his dedication to his craft; breaking a drumstick mid-song, and grabbing a new one so quickly that most people did not even notice. A fan later came to the merchandise table to have the broken stick autographed, which Marissen gratefully obliged.

The third song was a special gift to the audience: the still unreleased song “Beautiful Drama”. Lead singer Josh Raven’s enthusiasm was evident, not merely singing the words, but performing the song from his heart and leaving it all on the stage, like this was his own Live Aid performance.

The Faim - Photo Credit: Andrea Stoica
Josh Raven (Lead Vocalist), The Faim
| Photography:
Andrea Stoica © All Rights Reserved

Setlist:

“Saints Of The Sinners”
“My Heart Needs To Breathe”
“Beautiful Drama” (Unreleased)
“When It Comes”
“Infamous”
“Midland Line”
“Fire”
“A Million Stars”
“I Can Feel You”
“Make Believe”
“Summer Is A Curse”
“Amelie”

This wasn’t just a concert, it was a musical experience, as made evident once Raven decided to join the crowd while continuing to sing, engaging everyone on the floor either by high fives, hugs, or just direct eye contact. The energy never ceased or diminished, even as he helped a crowd surfer back to safety without breaking performance. He made sure to thank the crowd for making them all feel so welcomed on their first visit to this city, and the crowd went crazy. Raven’s closing words were, “look out for yourself, look out for each other, and have a wonderful evening!

When the lights went down once again, Andy Black began to sing to a sea of screaming fans that, to his obvious and evident delight, could sing along every word of each song he played. It was a night of endless energy and flawless performances that lifted the caliber of the show above and beyond.

Featured photo (top) by Katherine Amy Vega

PHOTOS: Black Label Society & Supporting Acts at Marquee Theatre 2-24-18

Black Label Society - Photo Credit: Rodrigo Izquierdo
Zakk Wylde (Vocalist, Guitarist), Black Label Society
Photography: Rodrigo Izquierdo © All Rights Reserved

Tempe, AZFebruary 24th, 2018, shortly a month after Zakk Wylde’s 50th birthday, he put on a great show at the Marquee Theatre with Black Label Society, showing that he’s definitely at a different level musically and also in showmanship. Opener EyeHateGod, a band that has been playing since 1988 showed great energy, starting what was about to be a great night of rock. Corrosion of Conformity, who I remember watching their music video “Dance of the Dead” when I lived in Chile, only raised the bar and rocked the house, closing with their most popular song, “Clean My Wounds”.

Then the show became the kind of show you’d expect to see at a full stadium, opening with pyrotechnics and a classic curtain drop, to the excitement of the fans that had filled up the venue to what seemed to be absolutely max capacity. This was my first time seeing Black Label Society live, and I could not have been more pleased, as their sound and showmanship was definitely beyond what you normally see at small venues like the Marquee Theatre.

Photo Album

Photographer: Rodrigo Izquierdo

Black Label Society, Corrosion Of Conformity, & EyeHateGod – Marquee Theatre 2-24-18

Photography © Reagle Photography
All Rights Reserved