In between a major project at work, a new baby boy born on September 2nd, and the holiday season coming up soon, I was able to squeeze in a quick day trip to Louisville with some friends to catch Day 2 of the inaugural Louder than Life festival. This festival is basically a little brother of Rock on the Range, as it is put on by the same people and features many of the same bands.
My overall opinion of the festival was that it was fantastic. I only got to see the second and final day, but in terms of organization and design of the venue, they did an exceptional job for a first year festival. The layout did have one major challenge in that it was too linear, and the restrooms were what felt like a mile walk from the stage, but they overcame that by great sound, and awesome local food and Kentucky Bourbon to bring the Louisville flair out. This looks to be a festival for a long time to come.
Now, on to the bands!
I won’t spend a lot of time on the four opening bands, as I have just reviewed them in detail a few months ago for Rock on the Range, but please don’t take that as a reflection of their performance. Monster Truck, Crobot, Avatar, and Nothing More were all FANTASTIC in Louisville just like they were in Columbus. This opening four was honestly a big reason that I was so adamant to check out this show, and they absolutely did not disappoint. Monster Truck blew me away again. Crobot had more energy than any other band that day, and is becoming a fitting replacement since last month when I found out that Foxy Shazam was on hiatus. The Louisville version of Avatar’s show was even bigger and better than the Columbus version, and their following had quadrupled at least. Finally, Nothing More’s set was just as advertised – unique, high energy, and really really great. They opened this show with an absolute bang.
I feel guilty about glossing over those four, as honestly, there were sort of the highlight of the day for me, but since I’ve already reviewed them, I’m forcing myself to move on….in the interest of writing about some different bands.
So, other than a monster opening 4, what else did Louder than Life have to offer?
Butcher Babies
I was drug to the Butcher Babies set practically against my will. I am not a fan of the band – to me they come off as a mediocre band that rose to popularity because the two lead singers are attractive. Admittedly, this show was quite a bit better than I expected (but…I expected awful). There were flashes of a solid sound, and the musicianship was fairly consistent throughout, with big, chugging guitars and decent drumming. That being said, Butcher Babies has a long way to go before becoming a viable live act. I have since picked up their latest CD, and do agree that it’s worth a listen, but it just convinced me even more that this band has work to do. They need to overcome all of their self-imposed production and give themselves a chance at being s a solid live act, especially vocally.
Motionless in White
Motionless in White was my surprise band of the day. In the past, Chris Motionless’s cocky attitude and stupid name have always turned me off of this band. Their previous albums have been solid, but not enough to overcome my preconceived notions, and I have twice avoided seeing them live. However, it was time to give them a shot, and I was really really surprised. Strong vocals and an energetic sound carried the show, and Chris Motionless was great at involving the crowd. I couldn’t help but smile as I watched a much more mature band (both in their sound output and their on-stage antics) than I gave Motionless credit for. What I saw was a stand-out metalcore act that finally made it clear how this band has set itself apart from the abundance of mediocrity that infects that genre. I found myself really enjoying the set, and by the time the set was over, I decided to pick up the album, and best of all, I didn’t feel guilty about it.
Bring me the Horizon
This was my first time seeing Bring me the Horizon, which is crazy if you consider how much I love their music. I have been a huge fan of theirs for a long time, and to date they had eluded me. Although unpopular with the rock-metal fans I was with, BmtH was one of the highlights of the day for me. Oli Skyes is a stud, and I was totally captured by the way he wove emotion into his amazingly strong vocals. This show primarily focused on music from their latest album, Sempiternal, which is an AWESOME album. Songs like Shadow Moses, Sempiternal, Can You Feel My Heart, and Go to Hell for Heaven’s Sake were all really great live. In fact, if I had to pick one stand-out moment for the entire day, it would be screaming THIS. IS. SEMPITERNAL with about 10,000 other people at my first BmtH show. Awesome set – and so thankful that I got to finally see it in person.
A Day to Remember
ADtR had a blow up year a few years back, and since then, they have been struggling to find an identity. Are they a metalcore band that sings “2nd Sucks” and “Downfall of Us All”, or a pop-punk band that sings the songs off of Common Courtesy? Variety is great, but not when it confuses fans as to your primary theme and splits your fan base. Personally, I loved the Homesick album, and some of their older music is a guilty pleasure for me, but they have been inconsistent at best in the live arena. Other than one killer set at Rock on the Range in 2011, every time I’ve seen them, it has been a really fun show with poor vocals and sloppy guitars. This show was no exception, and it left me wondering if A Day To Remember never made it out of Warped Tour 2009 alive. I’m pulling for them, but unfortunately, I’m afraid ADtR is in danger of becoming another “flash in the pan” with one solid album.
Volbeat
I just told a friend the other day that I’ve never 180-ed harder on a band than I did with volbeat about 4 years ago. The first time I listened to them I was less than thrilled and just completely discarded them. Since then, I have evolved into a HUGE, HUGE fan, and most of that evolution is due to how great their live show is. They were another major reason for my trip to Louisville, I was AGAIN blown away by their ability to translate their music to the live stage. Elvis-obsessed lead singer Michael Poulsen is a king of the southern-rock-metal sound, and his accent gives their music a timbre that just can’t be replicated. He is supported with excellent musicians, including Rob Caggiano (ex-Anthrax) on guitar, which means songs like Sad Man’s Tongue, Dead Man Rising, and The Hangman’s Body Count come off clean and awesome when they play live. It’s a fun show, with great music, a likeable group of band members, and a very passionate fan base – all the ingredients to lend to a fantastic set. During this set, while thanking the audience for the support, Paulsen said “It took a while for you all [Americans] to get on to our music, but now, you won’t let us go home.” Let me be the first to apologize for how long it took my friend – your band is fantastic.
Papa Roach
I tried to fight this reality for a long time, because it is an unpopular one in the music circle I run in. However, Papa Roach is not the same band that became famous by whining about cutting their life into pieces. Between now and then, when none of us were paying attention, they grew, stretched themselves, and evolved into a really great rock band. Not only did they write a plethora of hard rock hits, but they also went and really worked on their live performance. I remember seeing them on a tiny side stage, next to Alien Ant Farm and Atreyu, when I was in college, and I’m telling you…this is a MUCH more polished band. In fact, their 2012 release is perhaps their best release yet, and quite honestly, I don’t see them going away for a while. This show was a consistent reminder that Papa Roach is not a fluke – they have worked hard, they sound really great, and they are fun to watch. Do me a favor – stop questioning why they keep getting such high positions on the bill, and just check out a show. As I walked the mile and a half to the bathroom after this set, I murmured out loud to myself “…am I a Papa Roach fan? Ugh..” Highlights of the show were …To Be Loved, Still Swingin, and Where Did The Angels Go, the last of which saw singer Jacoby Shaddix walking down the center aisle of the venue to arms reach of me. Great, great show.
Five Finger Death Punch
Five Finger Death Punch was a refreshing surprise at ROTR this year, as they finally overhauled their set from the one that they used for four straight years and countless tours. Even while watching the ROTR show a second time in Louisville, I was still so excited that the content felt fresh and different from what I had grown immune to enjoying. Death Punch did what they do best – play great songs, engage the crowd, talk about the military and how awesome America is, and playing in your face metal. This show was similar to the one in Columbus, but I always enjoy watching Death Punch’s songs, and haven’t gotten over the elation of the fact that they have a new set. This was a solid B+ show. Nothing spectacular, but another really solid performance with the veterans that felt new and exciting.
Kid Rock
So, in this post, I raved like a thirteen year old schoolgirl about Kid Rock. The show in Columbus that headlined Rock on the Range 2014 was mind-shattering – literally one of the greatest shows I’ve ever seen. In comparison, this show was really good, but didn’t quite reach the epic status of the show in Columbus. Two primary reasons: First – The Kid didn’t have nearly as much room to work with and the stage felt cramped with his entire crew up there. Second – my expectations were outlandish and ridiculously high after having my mind blown the first time. I suppose you can only see Kid Rock for the first time once. 🙂 That being said, it was still a fantastic show, and did nothing to my opinion that Kid Rock is one of the best shows around. Seriously though – check out the previous review I did (linked above). It was really fantastic, and the one in Louisville was “just” great.
Overall, the festival in Louisville was really great, and I was so thankful that I could pull off the trip. After the show