Salute local bar for saluting the heavy metal scene
On Tuesday, February 28th, I went over to Cowboys nightclub (formerly known as The Drink) to get my fill of heavy metal through a concert featuring The Devin Townsend Band, Dark Tranquility and the mighty Opeth.
Me and my friends arrived to see the line stretching way into the parking lot and around the building. While I thought it was cool that there was a supportive crowd, I thought that it was going to suck to have to stand in the cold for so long only to go into the club to get a bad seat. Stupid late arrivals.
To my surprise, I had no trouble going upstairs and camping out on the far right of the stage (left if you face it) and being able to have a wicked view of the stage without some little punk trying to mosh with me (I gave that up years ago).
The night started off amazing with The Devin Townsend Band. Their blend of climatic, ambient keyboards with some groove metal proved to be an excellent choice for an opener. I never heard the DTB before (only his other projects which include Strapping Young Lad, Vai and Ocean) so I was extremely blown away not only with the music and the performance, but also with the comic relief that Devin Townsend himself brought to the stage. It's nice to see a band play extreme music but then also show their regular human side as well.
Next up was Dark Tranquility. This is tough for me to write about because I've never really been into the band, but they did play really well and the crowd was into them. Two of the people that went to the concert with me came strictly to see Dark Tranquility play and they were very impressed. I didn't leave with any need to buy a DT CD or to sample any more of their music, so I guess if you were a fan, you were happy.
Next, Opeth came on and played for what seemed to be almost two hours. I'm not sure because I wasn't keeping time and for the long time they did play, it never seemed boring or excessive.
If you've seen the band's DVD Lamentations, you'll know exactly what to expect: precise representations of their studio music live. The band doesn't do too much on stage except head bang away, but then again, their music has more of a euphoric quality to it mixed in with stages of pure moshing aggression. The band delivered songs from their first studio recording up to the newest release, Ghost Reveries.
If you missed this concert, I feel bad for you because it was definitely worth the $27. If you love metal, you should be going to these shows to show club owners that there is a demand for this music. Thankfully the people at Cowboys (aka The Drink) knew they had success on their hands with last summer's “In Flames” show to do another metal concert. Bravo to the bar, the fans that did go and the bands who made this such a wonderful evening for me.
Take Pete to the next Opeth concert; email him at popeyepopsolive@hotmail.com
Me and my friends arrived to see the line stretching way into the parking lot and around the building. While I thought it was cool that there was a supportive crowd, I thought that it was going to suck to have to stand in the cold for so long only to go into the club to get a bad seat. Stupid late arrivals.
To my surprise, I had no trouble going upstairs and camping out on the far right of the stage (left if you face it) and being able to have a wicked view of the stage without some little punk trying to mosh with me (I gave that up years ago).
The night started off amazing with The Devin Townsend Band. Their blend of climatic, ambient keyboards with some groove metal proved to be an excellent choice for an opener. I never heard the DTB before (only his other projects which include Strapping Young Lad, Vai and Ocean) so I was extremely blown away not only with the music and the performance, but also with the comic relief that Devin Townsend himself brought to the stage. It's nice to see a band play extreme music but then also show their regular human side as well.
Next up was Dark Tranquility. This is tough for me to write about because I've never really been into the band, but they did play really well and the crowd was into them. Two of the people that went to the concert with me came strictly to see Dark Tranquility play and they were very impressed. I didn't leave with any need to buy a DT CD or to sample any more of their music, so I guess if you were a fan, you were happy.
Next, Opeth came on and played for what seemed to be almost two hours. I'm not sure because I wasn't keeping time and for the long time they did play, it never seemed boring or excessive.
If you've seen the band's DVD Lamentations, you'll know exactly what to expect: precise representations of their studio music live. The band doesn't do too much on stage except head bang away, but then again, their music has more of a euphoric quality to it mixed in with stages of pure moshing aggression. The band delivered songs from their first studio recording up to the newest release, Ghost Reveries.
If you missed this concert, I feel bad for you because it was definitely worth the $27. If you love metal, you should be going to these shows to show club owners that there is a demand for this music. Thankfully the people at Cowboys (aka The Drink) knew they had success on their hands with last summer's “In Flames” show to do another metal concert. Bravo to the bar, the fans that did go and the bands who made this such a wonderful evening for me.
Take Pete to the next Opeth concert; email him at popeyepopsolive@hotmail.com
