djent
August Burns Red headlined an absolutely stacked lineup featuring Fit For A King, ERRA, and Like Moths To Flames at the Concord Music Hall in Chicago. Celebrating the 10 year anniversary of their album Leveler, August Burns Red re-mixed, re-recorded, and sometimes re-wrote parts of their 2011 album.
Read MoreWhile it's currently called The Shape of Color Tour, its more accurate name would be closer to The Insanely Technical Shredding Guitar Gods of Metal Tour. Intervals is currently headlining this fantastic tour to promote their new album The Shape of Color. Plini, who is also the backup guitarist for Intervals, is also on the lineup with Angel Vivaldi and Save Us From The Archon.
Having been a huge fan of these bands for a while, I showed up to The Troubadour super early to get the full experience. I got to watch the soundcheck where Aaron Marshall, the mastermind behind the Interval's face-melting music, joked around with the rest of the band. They played I'm Awake and Libra, the first and last songs on the album in front of their masterclass students. Following the performance Angel Vivaldi had a one on one lesson with a student while Aaron And Plini had about a dozen.
Save Us From The Archon opened and unfortunately I can't say much about them because one of the security guards kicked me out for not having the right wristband. After a lot of hassling and scrambling for a silly wristband, I was finally let back in right before Angel Vivaldi went on stage. It's thanks to him that I was able to shoot in the first place so I absolutely HAD to photograph him.
This was the second time I've seen Angel perform and he is absolutely nuts. He's constantly doing hilarious and fun things on stage like chugging water bottles, Snapchatting, and playing blindfolded, all while he's soloing hard! His music is a fantastic combination of tasty solos, melodic melodies, and heavy riffs. Along with being a superb musician, Angel is also a glorious human being. He’s one of the nicest people I’ve ever met who is always giving hugs, taking selfies, and signing autographs with fans after his shows. If you haven’t listened to his music and met him, make it a priority in your life.
Plini, a 23 year old Australian guitarist, and his band took to the stage next and got the crowd ready for Intervals. A bunch of teenagers were losing their minds to Plini’s music in the front row as if they were watching Guns N’ Roses (who played their legendary show at the Troubadour last week). Along with his stellar music, Plini told some hilarious stories filled with his typical dry humor that bridged the gaps between songs. What I found most impressive was that Plini was able to play back to back sets as he is the rhythm guitarist for Intervals.
As Intervals took to the stage, Aaron Marshall announced that they would be playing their new album The Shape of Color in its entirety. While hearing all of Intervals’ new material was awesome, nothing can possible compare to the encore. Most encores are pretty boring. The band leaves as fans chant for one more song. The band makes a “surprise” encore and plays its 2 most famous songs they happened to leave out of their set. Not Intervals. Aaron changed it up big time by just jamming with his bandmates for a few minutes. I could have watched that freestyle session for hours it was so good. Aaron and Plini traded riffs and solos like they were playing tennis… or ping pong… your choice of simile. The fans absolutely loved it too because they were absolutely silent, trying to absorb the beautiful music. This was my first time seeing Intervals and I promise it won’t be my last.
It was so clear that Intervals (and the rest of the bands) truly loved their music and their jobs. They were constantly joking around with each other, both on stage and off. After the show, Aaron came up to me and whispered in my ear, "You know your in a room full of nerds when everyone after the show doesn't come to tell you good job but asks what DAW (digital audio workstation) you're using." He was completely right and it was hilarious.
Having photographed roughly 20 concerts this year, I can easily say that The Shape of Color Tour was my absolute favorite. Just a few miles down the street, guitar legends Tosin Abasi, Nuno Bettencourt, Zakk Wylde, Yngwie Malmsteen, and Steve Vai performed at The Wiltern together in a concert called Generation Axe. There isn’t a sliver of doubt when I say if I had to choose between attending Generation Axe or The Shape of Color Tour, I would choose The Shape of Color Tour every single time. Yes… it was that good. If you’ve read this far I assume you’re either my mom (hi mom) or a fan of instruMETAL music. But either way, thank you. Please let me know what you think of the pictures. I love comments. They make me happy. Deuces.
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ANGEL VIVALDI:
