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| Amy Lee from Evanescence, Copyright Pete Troshak |
Carnival of Madness Tour
House of Blues
Atlantic City, NJ
08/03/2012
When you think of the word Carnival what comes to mind? Fun? Rides? Death defying feats? Displays of power and skill? Bright lights and a big show in the big top? All of this and more was on display at Friday Nights Carnival of Madness stop at the House of Blues in Atlantic City, NJ.
The Carnival of Madness tour is now in it’s third year, and is becoming one of “the” tours to catch each year with it’s mouthwatering line-up of hard rock and alternative rock bands. Previous tours have included Shinedown, Puddle of Mudd, Sevendust, Theory of a Deadman, Black Stone Cherry and Alter Bridge.
This year’s line-up keeps up the high pedigree of previous years with Evanescence, Chevelle, Halestorm, Cavo and New Medicine on the bill.
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| New Medicine, Copyright Pete Troshak |
Opening band New Medicine started the Carnival off with a taste of fun with a short set. A high energy, balls to the wall rock group with attitude and great stage presence, their music aggressive but entertaining with a solid groove and big hooks and sing-a-long choruses. They were the perfect band to kick off this party, with tunes like “American Wasted” but they also stopped to show a deeper, more sensitive side with the song “Little Sister” written by singer Jake Scherer about the loss of his sister. See New Medicine pics here.
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| Cavo, Copyright Pete Troshak |
Cavo followed with a different, darker vibe bringing balance to the Carnival. Their music: hard-hitting soaring anthemic rock roller coaster rides, almost cinematic and emotional but still entertaining. Singer Casey Walker’s steely gaze kept the crowd’s attention where it belonged while guitar player Chris Hobbs was acrobatic both in his stage moves and his playing. Highlights were their performances of “Thick as Thieves” and “Circles” from their current album. See more Cavo pics here.
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| Lzzy Hale of Halestorm, Copyright Pete Troshak |
Halestorm was the next act to perform for the carnival goers. Three members of the monochrome clad group took their positions and then guitarist/singer Lzzy Hale shot out to center stage as if launched from a cannon, as brother and drummer Arejay Hale counted out the opening beats to the pulse pounding, explosive lead track from their current album “Love Bites (And So Do I)”. The group followed that with “Mz Hyde” and live staple “It’s Not You”, taking the energy in the room to a new high. The group made the most of it’s time on stage squeezing in five more songs and a cool short drum solo before delivering a bone-crunching version of “I Get Off” and to help keep the party going, recent song “Here’s To Us”, a tune about love, life and togetherness.
Where are the death defying feats you ask? They were handled by Halestorm drummer Arejay Hale, who at the end of their set crowd surfed all the way to the back of the venue and then returned a sweaty, triumphant half-naked warrior mess through the crowd, freely giving out hugs high-fives and handshakes to anyone who approached him.
See more Halestorm pics here
Setlist:
Love Bites (So Do I)
Mz. Hyde
It’s Not You
Freak Like Me
Familiar Taste of Poison
Rock Show
You Call Me a Bitch Like It’s a Bad Thing
I Miss the Misery
I Get Off
Here’s to Us
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| Chevelle, Copyright Pete Troshak |
Chevelle followed, pummeling the crowd to a delusional state with their circular, proggy metal while a massive menacing statue of a bull stood watch from the back of the stage. Their track “Send The Pain Below” has the line “much like suffocating”, this accurately describes the raw power and skill of Chevelle live as you feel the weight of their sound pinning you with its horns and the desperation and angst in singer Pete Loeffler’s voice – while his brother Sam works away hidden and thundering behind a metal industrial mass of drums and bassist Dean Bernardini slaps and rumbles on bass. They close out their long set with “Send The Pain Below”, old favorite “The Red” and current title track “Hats Off To The Bull”.
See more Chevelle pics here
Setlist:
Face To The Floor
Sleep Apnea
The Clincher
The Meddler
Jars
Get Some
I Get It
Piñata
Forfeit
Send The Pain Below
The Red
Hats Off To The Bull
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| Amy Lee of Evanescence, Copyright Pete Troshak |
And after that, finally in the big top, the main event of the carnival, Evanescence. Circus headmistress Amy Lee stormed the stage like a fierce woman warrior and claimed it for her own. The amazing stage presence of Lee and her singing and piano prowess and the raw emotion of her vocals cut through the defense and souls of the crowd, reminding them of lost love and pain and giving them release.
The rest of the band is a precision machine, nailing the emotional twists and turns of the music with ease and perfection, leaving no doubt that they are the definitive lineup. Terry Balsamo and Troy McLawhorn handle the guitar duties meting out crushing riffs or stinging pain drenched solos as needed. Bass player Tim Mc Cord holds down the low end and Will Hunt pounds the drums hard as anyone in the business, while frequently twirling and tossing his drumsticks between beats.
Amy Lee - Carnival of Madness, Atlantic City August 3rd 2012
The band took the crowd on a journey throughout the 18 song set, covering songs from all three albums and one surprise. It’s hard to pick highlights, but the pulsating opener “What You Want”, a cathartic rendition of “Lost In Paradise” and a beautiful and fragile but powerful version of “Lithium” stick out. The main set closes with “Bring Me To Life”, different in that it’s stripped of the male counter vocals of the original version, but still as powerful as the day it was released.
The band returns for two songs, a surprise in the form of the excellent rocker “Disappear” – a B-Side from the current album, and a haunting “My Immortal”. After that it’s light’s out, the Carnival is over, and the crowd leaves happy and satisfied hoping that it returns next year.
See more Evanescence pics here
Setlist:
What You Want
Going Under
The Other Side
Weight of the World
Made of Stone
Lithium
Lost in Paradise
My Heart Is Broken
Sick
The Change
Whisper
Your Star
Call Me When You’re Sober
Imaginary
Never Go Back
Bring Me To Life
Encore:
Disappear
My Immortal
