Dark Tranquility/Devil Wears Prada/KillSwitch Engage

OK, so maybe you weren't there [sigh]. OK, just hear me out. IT WAS VERY VERY f**kng cold! Did I say it was COLD!

Dark tranquility is from Gothenburg, way up at the top of the world, and as they said 'halfway around the world we're giving an outdoor concert. There is snow this deep [hand gestures 3ft] at home. Austin Texas you're fucking awesome!' Yup short sleeves and all, in some 30+ degree weather, was a nice change for them this time of year. Although they played a short set it was very obvious that they are built for speed. I would've been very happy to be upfront, but Angelina Skye was with me, height was an issue. Anyway they killed it, Dark Tranquility was such a great starter for what was coming. Oh Yeah, and it would be dickish of me not to mention that the new album for Dark Tranquility drops on 03/09/10. Check out a sampling on their myspace music page. Just DO IT, dammit.

Ahhhh The Devil Wears Prada, these young guys absofuckinlutely know how to perform on stage. It was beautiful to watch, kinda like synchronized swimming in the summer Olympics. HA! But really, these are the guys that I CAME TO SEE (and Angel too). Loved the performance, all the energy had the whole audience going. Again, here I know they're music and they definitely have a catalog to support being a headliner, but I guess I'll catch that show some other time. BY THE WAY they had they're name before the dumbass movie was out. I do believe these guys would be pegged as Christcore music, but don't label it, LOVE IT! Now that my blood was circulating from they're VERY contagious energy on stage it was time for the kill....

Alright now...KillSwitch Engage is finishing their tour without there lead singer. Citing 'personal reasons', Howard Jones was absent and in his place was Phil Labonte of 'All That Remains'. Now this, NO DOUBT, made Angelina very, VERY happy as she loves "All That Remains'. The lead guitarist for KSE really brought the energy and you could tell there was some great camaraderie between him and the replacement singer Phil. Once KSE set it off, Angel was even more excited as she realized she knew their songs. I wasn't really impressed by the replacement lead singer, seemed that this wasn't exactly his key, BUT there was a whole lot of 'all of you know this song so sing along with us' then the lead singer would go through some of the lyrics and then hold the mic out over the audience. Tell ya what, definitely some die hard, hard core fans, they didn't miss a a beat, they just screamed and sang along with the band the whole way through. Props to Phil as he definitely made a show of it. We, as an audience, were given big props by the band for being there, in the FREEZINGFUCKINGCOLDNIGHTINAUSTINTEXAS, and still supporting them without their lead singer. Overall was a great performance and makes me smile knowing that the philosophy "The show must go on!" really does mean something in today's musical environment.

Later