As I Lay Dying/Throwdown/All That Remains/Winter Solstice April 20, 2005 Review

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When this tour was first announced I knew that any person going to one of the dates would be in for a treat. As I Lay Dying, Throwdown and All That Remains all are known to put on brutal and energetic shows. And although I didn't recognize the name Winter Solstice and connect to any specific song in my mind, I had a feeling that the bands they were touring with weren't going to take any sucky ones on the road with them. So all in all I was looking forward to this show immensely. The bad thing is that sometimes you psych yourself up so much for a level of entertainment, that when you get to the show and even though the bands put on a good show, you still walk out of them slightly disappointed. This... WAS NOT the case at this show. I walked in and expected to walk out of the show drenched in sweat from the heat of hundreds of kids dancing together and pushing toward the stage to get just that much closer to their favorite musicians, and while sitting on the train back to NYC I should be able to see the bruises already forming on my body.

And that's exactly what happened too. Doors opened on time and the line that had wrapped around the venue got in and the first band went on as scheduled. I was exceptionally pleased to see that it was just the four bands playing and I didn't have to endure a shitty local act. Winter Solstice was on first and although technically they would be considered the opening act, in my opinion there was no opening or supporting bands. There just was the matter of what time they went on. Each band that performed has immense headliner potential. Anyway like I said earlier I didn't know too much about the band but they gained a new fan that night. Got the crowd nice and ready for All that Remains who was scheduled to come on next. All That Remains blew me away. The crowd got insane during their set with stage dives, crowd surfing, jumping onstage just to sing. Which of course what a small show like this is supposed to be all about. These are the type of venues that directors of music videos love to get footage from because it's uncensored and uncut type thing. Metal Kids gone wild. A whole new line of vids. Hehe. There was a part of me that couldn't believe I saw them at CBs. Vocalist Phil Labonte was his typical self from the moment they hit the stage. Meaning he was energetic, ferocious and slightly intimidating [in other words a perfect front man]. Right after the first song he gave what I thought should be the quote of the night. He said "grab my arm.. that's cool. Grab the mic and I'll fucking punch you in the face." His threat didn't stop anyone really. I'm willing to bet most of those kids would sport a black eye from Philip Labonte as a badge of honor from the show. They opened with one of my favorites "This Darkened Heart", and battled their way through their set in no time. Throwdown was up next and their set reminded me quickly why I opted to stay on the side of the stage last time I caught them. So great... and so potentially deadly if you're in the wrong place at the wrong time or never have heard their music before. I believe a kid got knocked unconscious during their set, which caused them to stop after the second song until the kid was cleared from the floor to a round of applause. The front man made a rather nice speech during the set about how anyone who walked into the venue that night was there for the music and therefore a part of the family. He told everyone that it didn't matter if you were metal, hardcore or emo, if you're in the venue you're part of his family and you should feel united. He went into a song called Unite which basically was him chanting "Unite" with his fist pumping. This was the song where Phil from All that Remains joined him onstage. In my mind it was slightly symbolic of the East Coast and West Coast scenes uniting. The song prompted the crowd into a frenzy like you wouldn't believe. In retrospect it was a really touching moment and I think to a lot of kids it hit home. I think after that song everyone was super pumped and the energy carried them to the end of the set. Their closer was "Forever" which I believe is going to be the song that people remember them for years into the future. The last band of the evening was As I Lay Dying. They had brutality and energy to spare and were not a let down at all. I really didn't know what to expect as I never had seen them or really listened to them before but I do know that I wasn't at all disappointed when walking away from the venue. I do know that it was during their set that I opted to head off to the side to spare myself from too much damage. A great set that was a fantastic ending to a killer night. I'd definitely go see any of those bands again.