Jesse vs. Howard – Killswitch Engage

Disarm the Descent Tour
Bogarts – Cincinnati, OH
6/16/2013

I love Killswitch Engage. I flat out think they are amazing. Not only do they put on really great shows, but I believe they were instrumental in bringing clean vocals into the world of metalcore, which helped create and refine my favorite style of music. So, needless to say, I’m a big fan, and I always have been.

…..BUT. In my head, a BIG part of what made KSE so great was the aforementioned clean vocals by Howard Jones. His booming, powerful vocals just really drew me to their music, and when I found out that he was leaving the band in 2012, I was really bummed. They brought in original lead singer Jesse Leach, and so I was intrigued to find out how he would do. There were several early signs that he might be great – first was a side project called Times of Grace, where he released an album with Adam D that was really good. Next came the latest KSE release, called Disarm the Descent, which came out this April. But the tell all would be their live show. I had to know – was KSE better or worse off by swapping tried and true Howard for the original, refined Jesse. As always, Bogarts got a bid on the Disarm the Descent tour. KSE – lets do this.

Concert Review – All Time Low / Pierce the Veil

Spring Fever Tour
Sears Center – Hoffman Estates, IL
May 3, 2013

This is a classic example of what I like to call “Concert Withdrawal”. It happens every winter – when the festivals are quiet, the smaller tours don’t get Indianapolis dates, and I’ve been cooped up inside for too long. I spend weeks looking for a concert that I can go to, and finally, I convince myself to take a long trip to catch a show. The good thing about it is….usually, it takes a fantastic show to make me travel. 🙂

I spotted this tour on a blog I read and the lineup was huge. Pierce the Veil is a band that I have recently fallen in love with. All Time Low is a guilty pleasure of mine that I started listening to when I lived in California in 2007, and You Me at Six completely blew me away with their Sinners Never Sleep album in 2011. These three together, on one bill, had me salivating from the get go, and I just couldn’t let the thought of going out of my head.

So, on a rainy Saturday in early May, we found ourselves in a Chicago suburb at a hotel sipping on some Vodka Tonics, getting ready for an incredible show. Let’s do this!