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EVENT: Projekt Revolution ARTIST: Linkin Park with Chris Cornell, The Bravery, Ashes Divide, Street Drum Corps, Atreyu, 10 Years, Hawthorne Heights and Armor for Sleep DATE: July 19, 2008 VENUE: Susquehanna Bank Center, Camden, NJ REVIEWER: Lynn Malpass
STAY TUNED FOR ANNOUNCEMENT OF OUR FABULOUS PR IMAGE GALLERY!
Linkin Park know how to throw one hell of a party. Once more on tour with Projekt Revolution - their fifth, my second - this year's event was nothing short of the same kind of amazing as years prior. Having created a precedent of putting some of the year's best artists on tour together, Mike Shinoda, Chester Bennington and the rest do not disappoint, offering yet again a stellar line-up of Must-See bands. This year that line-up includes Armor for Sleep, Hawthorne Heights, 10 Years, Atreyu, Street Drum Corps, Ashes Divide, The Bravery, Chris Cornell, and, of course, Linkin Park. A great span in genres as always, and a great representation of who's hot and who you all should be paying attention to for some good sounds and live shows, even if you don't manage to catch them all at once on Projekt Revolution.
Armor for Sleep is one of my favorite newer bands. Having really broken through in 2007 with the release of their album Smile For Them, I was happy to see this band included in the tour. I think they are well-deserved of the spot, and will hopefully benefit from the exposure. However, I will admit, I was a bit let down by their set as they opened the Revolutions Stage and kicked off the day's event. Other than lead singer Ben Jorgensen's voice taking a song or two to warm up, the band sounded as good as ever, but they seemed a little tired. Understandable, I suppose, for a band that has been touring mostly non-stop for the better part of a year. But for the rousing response this band has received the other times I have seen them in Philadelphia, where was everybody? The lack of enthusiasm during AfS's set was disappointing and I don't feel it had anything to do with the band. I certainly hope their Camden performance equated to only a bad day on the tour and nothing more, because this band is much better than that. But, I guess you have to take the good with the bad on tour.
Next on the Revolution Stage was Hawthorne Heights, a little band from Dayton, Ohio, who are just as well known for the continual drama surrounding them as they are for their music. This was my second time seeing this band. And, in stark contrast to the response that Armor for Sleep garnered from a sleepy crowd, Hawthorne Heights quickly had everyone cheering... which I just don't get. Their songs are okay, but they don't strike me as being particularly noteworthy or talented. They have an okay stage presence, but it's just that; okay. (Their one guitarist really seems like he belongs in a speed metal band with his onstage guitar antics; at least he gives us something to look at though). They aren't even that cute, either, if attractiveness counts for anything. But here is a band that somehow has developed a rabid following, and that following was all out to see them at Projekt Revolution. So in all fairness, even though I, personally, see nothing memory-worthy about this band or their performance, I can see why they were invited on the tour. From a business aspect, it was probably a good decision, considering their fans were out in force, showing the Hawthorne Heights love.
After Hawthorne Heights played, a band called 10 Years took the stage, and I will start off by saying that I know nothing about this band. Or at least I knew nothing about this band - but sometimes that's the best way to learn about a new band, without any pre-conceptions. They just play. You just listen. And you either like 'em or you don't. I liked 'em. A lot. And maybe I've been partially living in a shoebox to not have known of these guys, but I know them now, and this is not a band I am going to quickly forget. They were really that good! They are a nice mixture of hard rock/light metal, but these guys do a lot more than just occupy a stage playing the same sound as everyone else. I liked their sound. I liked their presence and the lead singer's voice. Melodic at times, aggressive at others, I can't help but compare their sound a little bit to Tool, and the lead singer's voice to the venerable Maynard Keenan's, which in my mind is all the more reason to like them. The audience agreed, I would say, as it had built to capacity at the start of 10 Year's set. It was easy to tell from their performace, people like this band. I watched their entire set which is a big deal for me these days; I see so many bands right now I tend to skip out after I have a general impression formed and know what I want to say in a review. However, for 10 Years, I could have stayed and watched them all day. This is a band definitely deserving of this tour, and of everyone's attention. I hope they break out and start touring on their own if they have not already. I'm going to be watching for them.
Then, finally, the headliner on the Revolution Stage, Atreyu. I saw these guys on the Rockstar Taste of Chaos Tour back in April and knew nothing about them, but I recall thinking they were pretty "okay." Not fabulous, but they certainly knew how to rock the crowd. However, upon seeing them a second time, I don't find their music to be particularly memorable either; another band that sort-of blends with a lot of the others in the nu-metal category. My opinions aside however, they put on one hell of a show and there is no denying that. They are aggressive, interactive and really into what they are doing. I can tell the guys in Atreyu are loving life right now with how the past year has gone for them, and the way their following has grown. That said, I have no complaints about them; only that they are not appealing to me because they lack that "one little thing" that makes them stand out. Once more though, I will agree, Atreyu is well-deserved of their spot on Projekt Revolution, and from the looks of the performance I saw, a lot of people were glad to see them in Camden.
Moving onto the main stage now, the evening's performances started out with the Street Drum Corps, a band I have heard all kinds of great things about. They have been described to me as a "must see," and after finally seeing them, I most definitely agree! Street Drum Corps is a pretty unique outfit, and a band that instantaneously fed both my need for something fresh and my 80's-era love for the illustrious Adam Ant, Bow Wow Wow, and all things so uniquely percussive. My initial impression of them was a combination of said artists, along with Stomp! (you know, that stage show where they make music drumming and beating on all kind of things?), The Road Warrior, Billy Idol, with a techno flair added. Sounds pretty complex, I know. But the presentation, as well as the performance, really blew me away. I missed the first two songs due to a bit of stage confusion, and had to literally run from the Revolutions Stage to the main stage to not miss their entire set, and I'm really, really glad I got to see what I did. I will definitely be catching this band again some time soon, and I recommend everyone else does, too. Street Drum Corps positively earns their position on this tour!
Ashes Divide played next. Another band I have heard lots about but had not yet had the chance to see. I missed a chance earlier in the year at a radio station show, I don't think I lost anything as both performances happened on the very same stage. Although after seeing them this time, I wouldn't have minded this having been my second time. This band, actually this performer - Billy Howerdel, who formed A Perfect Circle - was really impressive, and appealed to my affinity for what I like to call "Tool Lite." I loved A Perfect Circle. I loved the melodic, floaty feel to their tunes, some of it a bridge over from the similarly-feeling, yet much harsher, sounds of Tool that Maynard Keenan brought to the band. Though with Ashes Divide, it now becomes easier to see where a lot of the band's - both bands - sounds have originated. Onstage, the backdrop and lighting, the use of the fog machine, all lends nicely to the "feel" of Howerdel's music, and I really enjoyed Ashes Divide's set. His chosen touring band is excellent, and they lend a nice charisma to the stage without overshadowing the more serene Howerdel as he plays and sings his songs. With the past popularity of A Perfect Circle, and the never-ending love of Tool, I can easily see how Ashes Divide has quickly gained a foothold in the music scene, and I feel it's well-deserved. Maybe they are not the most complex arrangements Howerdel has ever written, but it's good, good feeling music any way you look at it. Another good choice for this tour, definitely.
Taking the main stage next came The Bravery. Now here is another one of those bands that I don't quite understand how they have gotten to where they are now. And this is not really meant to say there is anything at all wrong with them or their music. It's nice. It's pretty cool. Reminds me of some of the alt-rock from the late 80's/early 90's. They're kind of fun to listen to, and have a decent stage presence. And somewhere along the line they obtained this pseudo-elite status and have this 'aura' about them, partially, I'm sure, to do with the whole "Bravery/Killers" thing. So I guess what seems really odd to me is that this band - who has made this rise to stardom in only 5 years, to the point where you can't get tickets for their shows unless you are in bed with someone at the ticketing sites - is not actually more memorable onstage than it seems they should be. I have actually heard so much about this band in the last year or two that I was quite happy to have the chance to see them. While I know I would have no trouble listening to them throughout my day, and even though their style 'takes me back' a little bit... I disappointingly find them to be very anti-climactic, as I found their performance on Projekt Revolution. But hey, you can't argue sales and tickets sold. So while I may not be thrilled with this band, at least not as thrilled as I was hoping I'd be, I can see the wiseness in the choice to include them on the tour.
As the sunlight waned and the stage lights came on in full, Chris Cornell took the mainstage to a roaring, rousing house. I have said it before after seeing the man perform, and I will say it again here, Cornell is this era's American Hero of rock music. There is so much to like about the man's music and genre-crossing style. From Soundgarden to AudioSlave, and now to his solo shows, Cornell continues to please audiences with his voice, his stage presence, and his back catalog of hits that he brings out each time, really giving people the kind of show they want. The first time I saw Cornell, last year, I was honestly surprised that he did play so much older material from bands past. But I - and everyone in the place - loved it. And as expected, he did it again. I can't see how there could have been a single disappointed fan in the place with the show he put on, even if it was slightly shorter than his normal set. Highlight of the night? Chester Bennington taking the stage with Cornell to play yet another much-loved Cornell classic, Temple of the Dog's (anyone remember that project?) "Hunger Strike." What a moment! I know they have been playing the same song together at all the shows, but just... wow!
Chris Cornell's excellent, amazing performance opened the stage for the one and only Linkin Park. As Chester, Mike, Mr. Hahn and the rest took up their positions and launched into a hard-rocking set, the venue was how I love to see that place. Crazy. I am not even going to go on about Linkin Park's exemplary performance because at this point in their career, and with how well-received this band has become over time and their rocket to well-deserved stardom, there is nothing I can say about them that hasn't already been said hundreds of times before. A band with so much to offer that even if every other band on the tour had been horrible, it would still be worth the ticket price just to see them perform. And once more, the highlight? This time Cornell joining Bennington onstage, in a duet of "Crawling."
I'll make my closing short, as the rest of this review has been anything but. Projekt Revolution. I thought it was amazing last year. I think it's amazing this year. Anyone who has not been to one of these shows needs to make plans for next year and do so. There are no disappointments to be had with this tour. And, if anything, you can view it as a guaranteed way to see Linkin Park, as their arena show tickets are becoming pretty pricey and increasingly hard to come by. Though I really doubt that's the only thing someone's going to take away from a day filled with some of the best bands on tour. Here's to PR '09! Be there!
