In Flames

Have you ever heard of Gothenburg, Sweden? Well until around 1994 neither had anyone else. In Flames comes from this, the second largest city in Sweden and has been touring the world for quite some time now. They are veterans of melodic death metal, and have been a big influence for many of the bands that are brave enough to call themselves part of the genre. While these guys are a pretty big deal, I have just recently heard of them. My buddy Matt, an In Flames fan, saw that they were coming, so naturally I said “Let’s Go!” We hit the venue as the set was being changed, and when they hit the stage, the crowd went absolutely crazy. I always love going to a show where there are so many people that are in love with the band and know every word. It really creates an awesome atmosphere that I have always been a big fan of. It’s like when you go to a bands first headlining tour, and their support are all little known acts, so when the openers are playing, there is little to no crowd chemistry, but once the headliner hits the stage the entire venue erupts. I guess it’s kinda like that. Anyway, the show was excellent, got a little footage below for your viewing pleasure. Check it, and throw me comment if you’re diggin it.


In Flames from Aaron Nicholls on Vimeo.

Alkaline Trio

Alkaline Trio from Aaron Nicholls on Vimeo.

Redman and Method Man

I have been trying to figure out what is better than a live Superstar rap show, and thus far, I’ve got nothing. Ok, that may be a bit of an exaggeration but in my experience rap shows rarely fail to impress. While I am a huge fan of rap and hip-hop of all kinds, it’s not the music that draws me to these shows. What brings me to shows like Ice Cube, Wyclef, and Tech 9 is the showmanship that is involved in bringing live rap music to the public. I have never been disappointed when any of these guys hit the stage; Red and Meth continued the trend. I arrived at the beginning of their set with my friend Janette, and we made our way through the extraordinarily blazed audience to the front, and as you can see from my video of the final song, we got pretty close. Red Man and Method Man both did some stage diving, and then Red climbed up onto the giant speakers at the front of the stage. Eager fans below began chanting “Jump, Jump, Jump” and he decided to yield to the crowd’s demands as he leapt into the masses. Check out the video, you get to see it all.


Red Man and Method Man from Aaron Nicholls on Vimeo.

Devin the Dude

What can I say about Devin? Well, first would be that if you don’t know who I am talking about, what you don’t know, is that you DO know who I am talking about. You may remember him from Dr. Dre’s 2001 album that dropped back in ’99, where he was featured on the track “Fuck You” along with Snoop Dogg. Devin has been on the scene for quite a while, playing to sell out underground crowds across the country, and I was fortunate enough to catch him when he hit Portland. The show was at Berbati’s and it was All Ages, or else you wouldn’t be reading this right now. (December 18th can’t come soon enough!) He had about 2 or 3 hundred guys on the stage with him, you can check the video, and each of them had something to say. You know at a show like this that most everyone is fairly “in the loop” when it comes to underground hip-hop/rap. Either that, or has a friend that is, in the case of my friend Jannette that came along with me. So everyone was pretty savvy as far as west coast rap concert etiquette goes, and also everyone was blazed out of their mind. Devin was awesome; his friends were alright… all six hundred and thirty of them. All in All, great show.

-I Miss you Easy-

Devin the Dude from Aaron Nicholls on Vimeo.

Against Me!

My attendance at this show can be attributed to my friend Chris. I was planning on going to see Conor Oberst that night, and Chris says” Sure dude go see Conor but I’m tellin you, you are missing out with Ted Leo and Against Me!” Well, I’d like to say Thank you very much Chris. This show was amazing. I can’t believe I hadn’t been into either of these bands before. Great vocals, great lighting, I also enjoyed their backline as it was uncluttered. Check the vid! I found it very, (uh oh, gotta bust an art school term) aesthetically pleasing. (Boom!) The show blew my mind, and their albums are continuing to do so afterward. Watch the video, download the CD, got to a show, but whatever you do, get these guys in your ears. My favorite thing about Against Me! was their relentlessness. I can’t remember a time where they stopped playing for more than 6 seconds during the entire hour and a half set. It was pure insanity… pure rebellious insanity. Thanks again Chris.


Against Me! from Aaron Nicholls on Vimeo.

Norma Jean

I missed Haste The Day. I had trouble getting to the venue, and I missed them. Okay? You happy?
Ok sorry about that, I was a little disappointed that I missed them but Norma Jean was certainly quite the spectacular. I had listened to them here and there, but wasn’t really into them. Once I saw them live it jumpstarted a whole new appreciation for their recorded material, and I didn’t put it down for the next week after the show. Their lighting was pretty cool, it sounded great, and the crowd was amazing. Great show. Check the vid.


Norma Jean from Aaron Nicholls on Vimeo.

Underoath & Saosin

The highly anticipated Underoath Saosin show went off without a hitch. Well, I can’t really vouch for the accuracy of that statement, but the show was amazing. My buddy Nathan and I showed up right as Saosin was taking the stage. Quickly making our way to the front, I couldn’t help but notice the vocals were a little off for cove, his mic needed to be turned way up. In between songs, a kid standing next to me yelled up to him to have it turned up. Cove responded, “I have no control…. I have no control…. I have no control kind of like a woman.” So maybe there were one or two hitches. Saosin played a few songs from The Grey EP which is their new creation that they are currently traveling with. During this tour they are selling 100 copies at each venue and that’s it. I purchased one of Portland's 100 copies to find out that they are also all autographed by the band. I was pretty stoked. It is a great disc by the way, go download it. They played a great set including songs from Translating the Name, which is the EP that Saosin put out back when Anthony Green (Circa Survive, Sound of Animals Fighting) was at the helm. As a Saosin fan myself, I enjoyed myself thoroughly.


Saosin from Aaron Nicholls on Vimeo.

I have heard people tell me about a band called Underoath for years, and I never checked them out. Not until the release of Lost in the Sound of Separation, Underoath’s 2008 release that has been critically acclaimed in a number of publications. Here is a link to a great review I read on the Alternative Press Website. http://altpress.com/reviews/1352.htm I fell in love with this album right away, and decided that I should probably take a look at their older stuff since everyone had been right about these guys all along. I downloaded every album they have, and didn’t really dig it. But prior to this show, Underoath’s latest creation dominated my iPod. The Underoath set was an excellent one. Entering to the first track on the Lost in the Sound of Separation, "Breathing in a New Mentality", they continued to rip the stage a part for probably 5 songs before stopping to breathe. They played a nice variety of old and new, and much of the sellout crowd seemed to know every word. With each song the crowd surged forward, but not too violently of course, this is Christian Hard-Core mind you. At the end of the show Aaron Gillespie (Drums, The Almost) threw out his sticks, and I was lucky enough to catch one. Stoked! All in All, the show lived up to each one of my expectations, and I left with some cool memorabilia as well.


Underoath from Aaron Nicholls on Vimeo.

Four Year Strong

Movielife was a very influential band for me years ago, and when they broke up it was saddening. I am the Avalanche has proved to be a great extension of Vinnie Caruana’s talent, and each time I see them live it’s a great experience. I won’t hesitate to recommend that you listen to both of these bands if you haven’t already, and you can check the video yourself, but I would definitely suggest you catch them live if you get the chance.


I Am The Avalanche from Aaron Nicholls on Vimeo.

Isn’t there just something magical about New England hardcore? I agree, and these guys have it. I was introduced to these guys back in April when they opened for The Starting Line, and I really enjoyed them. Now look at them, they don’t need no stinking Starting Line. They rocked the less than stellar Satyricon crowd to the core. The crowd actually rushed the stage for the last song, check the vid. It’s glorious. I watched as 2 guys were drug from the pit into the café area. I think they were fine but it didn’t look good initially.


Four Year Strong from Aaron Nicholls on Vimeo.