In Flames with Killswitch Engage, Dark Tranquillity and Sentenced
Average Rating: 4
Go to Judgment Committee Reviews of this tour
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In Flames with Killswitch Engage, Dark Tranquillity and Sentenced |
There are currently 2 Reader Reviews of this tour.
Average Rating: 4 Go to Judgment Committee Reviews of this tour |
Submitted by TheCrimsonNinja (9/20/02, Fox Theatre, Boulder, CO):
This had to be THE show. I bought last minute plane tickets and flew four hours out and back, thanks to a stop, just for two days to see this show. I was primarily going to see Sentenced, one of my favorite groups, although I hadn't seen any of the bands before. I was interested in seeing In Flames, even though their new CD didn't exactly tweak my nipple. I was kicking myself over missing their show last time through with Iced Earth.The Fox Theatre is a tiny venue right in the middle of downtown Boulder, an area I've spent a lot of time in and seen a couple shows in, so I wasn't really surprised by the atmosphere: a lot of hardcore kids there to see Killswitch and a few old-fashioned headbangers there to see Dark Tranquillity, I hoped. I also saw a surprising amount of people wearing Sentenced T-shirts, which surprised me, although I had word from a couple friends that there was a lot of support for them in the area.
Although I heard DT opened most of the shows on this tour, for some reason Sentenced played first at the Fox. This basically ruined the show for me. I wasn't sure what the order would look like, but I never expected Sentenced to play first. I was hoping they would follow DT, like they did up in Jersey, but no such luck. I suspect this was an attempt to build from Sentenced's milder tone to the heaviness of Killswitch and In Flames. Sentenced was obviously not happy about this.
Ville tried to stay into it on the small stage, tried to put out the best show possible, but with an unresponsive audience of hardcore kids mocking you and a 30 minute set, one band can only do so much. Frankly, they seemed dispirited and played a setlist that reflected it. They completely ignored Crimson, and didn't play a song that has been played at nearly every Sentenced show since its release, 'Nepenthe'. How can you have a Sentenced concert without 'Nepenthe'? The medley from 'The Suicider' to 'Excuse Me While I Kill Myself' was the highlight of the show. And man, do I love those annoying bird noises that open and close 'The Cold White Light'. Granted, I came in expecting a lot from these guys, but I was disappointed. They just didn't give me the energy I'm used to getting when a show revs up, and I was so not into it that when Ville pushed past me on the way out to the tour bus during Dark Tranquillity's show, I didn't even tell him 'too fucking bad about the shaft'. He didn't look like he would have been happy to recieve my condolences.
Dark Tranquillity was next, and they instantly made the trip worthwhile. The technical crew was horrible and the sound was very tinny during their set, but they just didn't let that affect them at all. Mikael came out and, after discovering his mic wasn't working, just jumped down into the front row of the audience and sang right to everyone, never losing his energy or his smile. He let the band jam through the first verse and chorus until they fixed the sound and then took the mic up and spent the next half-hour impressing the hell out of me. Best show of the night.
Killswitch Engage is just NOT my bag. Spent their show at the Deli across the street. Mmmm.... turkey...
Came back, sat through KE's last two tunes, enough to remind me why I didn't really dig the band. They were loud and heavy and obnoxious and energetic, but without the technicality and proficiency, especially through the clean sections of vocals, I just wasn't impressed.
And In Flames... what the hell? Who are these guys? Synchronized headbanging, gimmicky white jumpsuits... what the hell world have I stepped into? They were decent, although Anders talked too much and roared too little. The classics were great, and 'Cloud Connected' wasn't too bad, but they left me feeling more 'nu' than I should. After Dark Tranquillity, I just couldn't be impressed.
I really would like to see Sentenced touring with some different bands, playing a longer set, because I'm sure they are much better than what I saw at the Fox. And I'd like to see Dark Tranquillity again any time, and place, because they were one of the most exciting shows I have seen. This one is definately worth the money.
Submitted by Darren Cowan (9/17/02, Glasshouse, Pomona, CA):
Finally, I was going to be able to see my favorite Gothenburg, Sweden band: Dark Tranquillity. Also, this would be my last concert in a line of classic show in Calthe state of California (thanks for the tickets Frank and Chris).My friends and I made sure to get to the venue with plenty of time to see all the bands play. Fortunately, I was not working at the time and, for once, the show was close to where I live (Loma Linda). While having some beers and burritos at the Mexican restaurant next door, I discovered that the line-up on the bill would be Sentenced playing first, Dark Tranquillity next, Killswitch Engage third, and In Flames last. How is it that a band like Dark Tranquillity, who has been together for 13 years play before a Johnny-Come-Lately like Killswithch Engage? I'll tell you how, Roadrunner Records, that trendy, piece of sh## label. Two middle fingers to you!
Anyway, Sentenced started the venue playng a set consisting of material through out most of their catalogue, although without "North From Here" material. I was looking forward to seeing them play mostly new stuff because I don't own any of it. Most of it impressed me, having a very somber, depressive feel to it. Such songs as "the Suicider" help illustrate these strong emotions. The only album I own from these Fins is "Amok". I was totally pumped to here them play "Nepenthe" as the closer. I found it a bit disappointing, though, due to the lack of agonized screams on the orginal version.
The long wait was finally over when Dark Tranquillity came out. Micheal Stanne had a stage presence rivaling any front man in metal. He did so much to get the crowd into the show, including stage diving, and his vocals were excellent. Also, I was amazed at the ease their guitarists moved their fingers over the fretboard. Most of Dark Tranquillity's set consisted of material off "Damage Done" (Hours spent in Exile, "Final Resistance", Monochromatic stains"), but treated the crowd with the classics, "Zodiakal Light" and, my all-time favorite "Punish my Heaven." They also played material from "Haven" and "Projector". The only thing missing was a song or two from their first two albums. Well, they played a long set considering they were the second band up.
Third in line was Killswitch Engage. I have seen their video "Last Seranade" on MTV2 and was excited to here more of what they sounded like, although not to the expense of Dark Tranquillity. I liked their sound and found them extremely heavy, but they were definitely placed in the wrong spot. The crowd's lack of response and the number of fans outside solidified my opinion. I could have done without all the Straight-Edge-hardcore kids, too.
Yea. In Flames-- clad in white, IwanttobelikeSlipknot jumpsuits-- descended upon the stage to fulfill their headlining duties. I could have cared less about seeing In Flames play. This was the third time in four months and sixth time overall that I have seen them play. They featured mostly boring crap from their last two albums, but there were a few surprises in their list like "Lunar Strain", "Gyroscope", and "Episode 666". When they broke into the some of the heavier material, I could not restrain myself from entering the circle pit and messin' some people up. I enjoyed them playing songs consistent with the "Gothenburg" song (refer to Lunar Strain-Colony), but was very disappointed with the over abundance of their new material. This new stuff is just boring. Completely cutting out tracks from "The Jester Race"--by far their best album--led me to say that I will never see them play live again. That is only if they play with good supporting acts. Well, at least we still have Dark Tranquillity playing true "Sweden" sounds.
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