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Avenged Sevenfold/Operator/The Confession
| November 15th 2007 @ Electric Factory |
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by Courtney Campbell
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Okay where do I begin. All that know me know that I love Avenged Sevenfold's music; the band itself, the jury is still out on. That being said, of course when the tour dates were announced and the Baltimore/Washington area wasn't included, that meant a road trip! I should add I suppose that this week I was on vacation and at first was going to go visit a friend in California. Well that was until these dates were released and my plans changed. See I told you, I love their music.
The show was at the Electric Factory in Philadelphia - a sold out Electric Factory. I've been here for sold out shows before but not ones that had the potential to be as crazy as this one was going to be. I was very happy that I was over 21 and in the side area of the main floor on stage left. This area wasn't as crowded. The main floor was packed tighter than sardines.
The support bands were chosen by Avenged Sevenfold and received some attention by the crowd but that wasn't who the crowd was there to see. I felt bad for Black Tide. This is a band that is under the age of 21 and can really rip it up on stage. The crowd just wasn't into watching them. They were just a means to an end. Up next were The Confession. The fans were a bit better for this band but part of that I believe stems from the fact that their cd was produced by M.Shadows, a fact that they made sure to be known at their merch booth. Personally for me there wasn't anything that really stood out about them but there wasn't anything I really hated about them. Would love to see them again on another tour to make my decision.
Direct support on this tour is Operator. A fairly new band fronted by an actor who's voice on their single "Soulcrusher" sounds very much like Chris Cornell. Now I love Chris Cornell but I wasn't a fan of Soundgarden and personally, Operator did nothing for me. I actually tuned them out and got bored watching them. I did overhear talk earlier by security about happenings at a previous show by the band at this venue and that did nothing to help my opinion of them either.
Okay so much for the fluff about the support acts. From the opening strains of "Critical Acclaim" to the last of "Unholy Confessions", Avenged Sevenfold rocked this venue. The crowd was wild and interactive with the band. The stage set up was stripped down from what they had on Ozzfest and the tour with Coheed and Cambria. While the huge mechanical Deathbat was cool, it wasn't needed. The music can speak for itself and didn't need to be overshadowed by the stage set up.
The set was one that has been consistant on their tour, two from Waking the Fallen and the rest split between the new self-titled and its predecessor City of Evil. It was great having "Remenissions" and "I Won't See You Tonight Pt 1" in the set but at this point in their careers/touring a set of 12 songs is a bit short. Granted some of these songs are long but this is a band that now has four albums out and a fan base that wants to hear the older material as well as the newer. I guess we are lucky that we hear the older songs at all as some bands totally have taken those out of their sets.
For me, seeing them live is an experience. First off, anytime I go to a show, I have to be able to see the band. I have to be able to see them playing. I focus in on what is being played. I love the band interactions on stage. There are the points in the set when Zacky Vengence and Synyster Gates are side by side playing and Zacky looks over and down to what Syn is playing. As one that photographs bands, I always try to get this shot.
I'm still trying to understand the "costume" of Zacky Vengence. He comes out in a sweater for the first song and removes it before the second. He would look more at home on stage with Weezer than Avenged Sevenfold but it's him. Not much else to say about it. It suits him.
I do have to bring up some negative parts of the night. First off, being that the stage was high and The Rev is sitting lower (at least that's the way it looks), I couldn't really see him. He didn't have any light either so no photos of him. Very disappointed there as I always try to get drummer photos. Also, The Rev has more of a singing part with the new album and he was more like in the shadows. Also, the floor was way too crowded. Maybe they shouldn't have had the 21+ area on the floor and opened up the floor me. I loved that I had an area up close that wasn't as crowded but those poor kids in the middle.
If you are a fan of the band, please make sure you go and see them live. Even if you aren't, give them a chance. Look beyond some of the antics that have been in the press and give their albums a listen and then go see them live. I think you will be impressed.
just an aside:
A funny thing did happen to me during the set. I was next to the barricade between the over/under 21 area and this kid on the under 21 side started taking off his clothes and handing them to me. I wasn't sure what was up with this but it so happened that the shirt he had on under everything was one from Synyster Gates' clothing line. He held it up in the air for Gates to see.
Oh and this....
For some reason, I gave away my hoodie after this show. Need to next time remember that if I'm going to give away what is keeping me warm outside, wait until I'm ready to leave. (Kenny - hope you liked the hoodie and no you can't have the new one that I wore to Richmond.)
Set list:
Critical Acclaim
Remenissions
Beast and the Harlot
Burn It Down
Afterlife
I Won't See You Tonight Pt 1
Almost Easy
Scream
Bat Country
Encore:
Seize the Day
Unholy Confessions
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