Coheed and Cambria
The Color Before the Sun Tour – 2/26/16
The Aragon Ballroom – Chicago, IL
Coheed and Cambria has been around for a couple decades now, and it didn’t take them long to climb up my list of favorite bands. In a music landscape where monotony is so common, bands like Coheed stand out because they create something so unique. Coheed’s creative engine, Claudio Sanchez, exudes artistic ability in nearly every way: he has great songwriting, boasts a one-of-a-kind singing voice, and even has created a complex comic series called The Armory Wars that their albums narrate. In addition, their live show is really something to be seen. They are currently on a trek with Glassjaw to support their latest album, which created a perfect opportunity to catch a great band, see Glassjaw for the first time, and scope out a new venue. So my gang hit the road for the monotonous drive up I-65 towards Chicago.
The Venue
The show was at The Aragon Ballroom, which is an awesome venue tucked in Uptown Chicago, off the Red Line (Lawrence stop). Like many of it’s kind, it’s a theater that dates back nearly a century, and has really prominent decor on the walls and ceiling. Over the years, the place has held everything from concerts to boxing matches, and I was even able to find a few live DVDs filmed by bands at The Aragon. I can see why – the venue had exceptional sound, which is something that small venues don’t often boast. It was mixed perfectly, and didn’t even require wearing ear plugs (which I typically do at indoor events). On this night, the 3200 capacity venue was absolutely packed, which made it an even better experience. I highly recommend checking this place out if you ever get the chance.
I have the luxury of jumping directly into the headliner, because another staff member at The Music Pill is working on a separate post for the opener, Glassjaw. That post is available here.
The Show
Coheed’s show started off with a complete surprise – Once the stage got set, Claudio Sanchez walked out among ear-piercing screams and got backlit, showing only his acoustic guitar and his glorious hair. He started plucking away at what quickly became the song Ghost (an acoustic, slow song off of their latest album). This was such an incredible choice of an opener – after three aggressive opening bands, Sanchez completely turned the environment on a dime, pouring his heart out on an emotional acoustic song that caught everyone off guard. His voice sounded unbelievable, and the crowd went from screams of anticipation (before he walked out) to awestruck silence (while Ghost started ) to ‘Oh man this is amazing’ screams – and I was really blown away. Flawless execution of creating a memorable opener.
Once that song ended, Coheed used the song In Keeping the Silent Secrets of the Earth: 3 to begin to pick up the pace. In Keeping… also starts off slow, but by the end of the second verse, the show had transitioned to prog-rock. As this song concluded, the crowd bellowed “MAN YOUR, BATTLE STATIONS” in unison, which is something I won’t soon forget. The show got off to a blistering start.
As they continued through the set, playing songs like Blood Red Summer, Everything Evil, and Island, I settled into my ‘critique’ mode, but honestly, there wasn’t anything to harp on. Claudio was exceptional at vocals (more than once I found myself chuckling in disbelief at how good he sounded). With his big personality, he commanded the stage like no other, bellowing out lyrics behind hair that completely covers his face. Guitar work on the show was also second to none – Claudio and guitarist Travis Stever trade lead/rhythm guitar parts back and forth, which gives the “dueling guitar” feel and creates another unique element. The rhythm section was rock solid as well – this is the first time I’ve seen the band since bassist Zach Cooper joined in 2012, and so I was curious what that impact would be, and I didn’t notice any issues at all. As a unit, the band was incredibly tight, and had infectious energy that really pulled you into the show. Rock solid group of musicians.
When we reached the middle of the show, Coheed disappeared from the stage for a brief intermission while a robotic voice talked for a bit, and then counted down…5..4..3..2..1. Claudio came running out and karate kicked through the air as he smashed the first few chords of the intro to A Favor House Atlantic. The place went nuts. One of my favorite songs of all time, this track was a clear highlight of the show, partially because of an incredible light show. I don’t usually comment on lights (it’s not my area of expertise, for sure), but the light show throughout was really cool, and specifically during this song demanded my attention. It featured bars of LEDs that were constantly spinning and re-configuring and changing colors. (check out this video to see it for yourself)
The main part of the show ended with three consecutive tracks off of their latest album – Atlas, The Audience, and Peace to the Mountain. All three of these tracks lean more towards Coheed’s pop side, which isn’t the end that I gravitate towards, but this show proved they were perfectly viable Coheed songs. I’m glad that I gave the album a nod for honorable mention in my 2015 Album Awards – and I have even more respect for it at this point. As Peace to the Mountain concluded, Claudio stepped away from the mic with his arms in the air as three thousand strong chanted “PEACE to the Mountain Girl I’m Gonna Go” on repeat, which was another great moment. As the song concluded, the stage cleared, and we were just an encore away from the end.
The three-song encore began with You Got Spirit, Kid, which is another pop-focused song, albeit one of their best. I thoroughly enjoyed bopping along to it, and didn’t even mind when confetti shot out two thirds of the way through the song. You could argue that it was a bit cheesy, but I’d be lying if I didn’t enjoy the experience (and the pictures!) that it created. They followed that up with The Running Free, which is the best Coheed song that I always forget about. I don’t recall them playing this at any of the previous shows I’ve seen, so it was really cool to see live. However, the last portion of the song is a bit of a blur to me because I couldn’t help but think that we were mere moments from hearing Welcome Home, and I could hardly stand the anticipation.
Coheed always closes with Welcome Home (I mean, how could they not?) When Claudio swapped his typical Gibson for his double-neck guitar, everyone in the house knew what was coming. The crowd reached an incredible decibel as the band walked through the single note progression that opens Welcome Home. Throughout that whole first minute, before the vocals started, the place was nuts, and when the vocals did come in, the crowd sang nearly as loud as Claudio did. As much as I loved it, I will say that this was the song that proved that Claudio is human – on two occasions he had to pull away from the mic because the near inhuman vocal requirements of the song proved too big a challenge, even for Claudio. (I literally can’t imagine having to sing this song every night. It’s insane vocally. They used to have female backup singers to help, but they were not at this show). Challenges aside, it was still the clear pinnacle of the show, and in fact I think this song alone made the drive all the way from Indianapolis worth it. The song ended with slightly altered (dare I say improved?) guitar solos, and ultimately, Claudio was playing the double-neck guitar on the top of his head while the crowd sang the Woahs to carry us out of the song. Just like that, it was over.
Coheed exhibited ultimate control throughout the entire experience, constantly making adjustments on energy, atmosphere, speed, and excitement to create the perfect experience. In terms of set list, there were a handful of old favorites (like Here We Are Juggernaut and The Suffering) that were left out in favor of new material, the show remained very strong. This is a true indication of how good Coheed and Cambria are at song writing – they played a show of this caliber in which seven of the sixteen songs that were played were off of the latest new album. This show was diverse, well executed, and really unique: a perfect reminder why Coheed and Cambria remain one of my favorites. Can’t wait to see them again.
Thanks for reading!! Go here for a really great review of the opener, Glassjaw.
Cheers.