KORN and GOJIRA stun on the last night of the tour in St. Paul!

CONCERT REVIEW :: KORN, GOJIRA, SPIRITBOX
Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, MN
October 27, 2024
Photos by Brett Zisler
Review by Nick

KORN brought a fantastic lineup with them to celebrate 30 years of KORN with GOJIRA and SPIRITBOX! KORN had a huge stage with a minimalist set up utilizing screens that monuevered all over the stage. KORN brought out all the hits for the set including a few that haven't been played for a while, which is always a bonus when you've been seeing this band for the last 25 years. Coming out swinging from the moment they took the stage with a fiery (no pyro) "Here To Stay" and you knew the band was not going to mess around tonight.

KORN was in top notch form tonight with vocalist Jonathan Davis taking full advantage of a big stage, guitarists Head and Munky whipping their hair around like they haven't aged a day, bassist Ra Diaz throwing down the low end and the phenominal Ray Luzier with his massive drum center holding court on a Sunday evening. The two screens that moved all over the stage made the stage look clausterphobic for "Blind" and "Ball Tongue" a great nod to the smaller stages they would play during the first album tour cycle. Following it up with "Clown" made it a great mini set of songs from the debut record.

You can about imagine that they couldn't play every one of their hits or every song a KoRn fan would want to hear but throwing "Good God" and "Ball Tongue" in the set tonight was well the price of admission alone. KORN played just as hard tonight as they did back on the Sick and Twisted Tour or the Family Values tours and the sold out crowd was here for it singing along with "A.D.I.D.A.S.", "Got the Life", "Twist" and "Y'all Want a Single". The biggest surprise of the night had to be "Oildale (Leave Me Alone" from KoRn III, kind of a deep cut that was a single for the hardcore KoRn fans played in between arguably two of their biggest songs "Falling Away from Me" and "Freak on a Leash."

KORN and the crowd both came to play and to have a blast celebrating 30 years on a Sunday night! Here's to many more years!

GOJIRA took full advantage of being on an arena tour and put the money in to not only give long time Gojira fans something they've never seen before but also to bring in as many KoRn fans as possible in their hour set. GOJIRA had a beautiful stage set up with drummer extraordinare Mario Duplantier bashing in the drums in to submission on top of a good 10 foot riser with screens below it and to both sides of him. GOJIRA brought the pyro and weren't afraid to use it during much of the set cementing future arena headliner status for themselves.

Vocalist and guitarist Joe Duplantier demanded everyone's attention front and center while guitarist Christian Andreu and bassist Jean-Michael Labadie commanding stage left and right respectively. GOJIRA know how to deliver a show and they have taken that and turned it to 11, everything was bigger, better and louder. The set list had something for every fan including a blistering versions of "Born for One Thing", "Backbone" and "Stranded".

GOJIRA brought out a punishing version of "L'enfant Sauvage" before tearing in to their contribution as the first metal band to ever play the Olympics this past Summer in France with "Mea culpa (Ah! Ça ira!)". "Silvera" was a big hit with the crowd and you couldn't have asked for a better closer with an epic "Amazonia"! GOJIRA dominated their hour long set and set up KORN to deliver the home run win for the evening.

SPIRITBOX had a solid 30 minute opening set that was highlighted by their newest slugger "Soft Spine" that made for Spiritbox at their heaviest tonight. Their set sounded awesome, just wish they had a little more time to play with to get in more than 6 songs. Overall, making this a night not to forget for any fans of the 3 bands, well worth the money spent to get in to the show and buy some merch!

SEE MORE of BRETT's PICTURES of KORN and GOJIRA here!

TILL LINDEMANN INVADES MINNESOTA

CONCERT REVIEW :: TILL LINDEMANN
Myth - Maplewood, MN
October 5, 2024
Photos and Review by Brett Zisler

If there is one thing to know before heading into a show that features TILL LINDEMANN, its to expect the unexpected and be prepared to be visually stimulated. That’s exactly what the crowd in Maplewood, Minnesota got on a Saturday night when Til’s tour rolled its way into town.

The line stretched around the Myth and down a couple of blocks with the crowds’ anticipation while wearing face paint clad with Rammstein shirts. There is something about Till Lindemann and the aura he brings to a show. This crowd showed up in droves early to claim their spots for a show they knew they would never forget. After openers Aesthetic Perfection and Twin Temple got the crowd perfectly warmed up, the moment everyone was there for was finally here.

As soon as those house lights went down, the frenzy in the crowd began. With the band silhouettes appearing in front of the screen behind them, everyone knew it was on from there. Till, painted all red, made his way towards the front of the stage dawned in a general’s hat and furlike coat as the band took their spots. The roar of the crowd was deafening as Til uttered his first words to “Zunge.” This proved to be the perfect lead into his set as everyone was ready to finally rock out. Watching Till and his intense and over the top band perform their next songs “Schweiss” and “Fat” was truly a sight to behold. The energy given out by the band along with the pounding riffs and drums is a combination unlike anything else. With drummer, Joe Letz, draped in attire that is not suitable for work and keyboardist, Constance Antionette’s stage presence, there is always something and someone to watch during the performance. Adding Danny Loehner on bass and guitarists Emily Ruvidich & Jes Paige only adds more raw energy and power to the show.

Till worked the crowd perfectly in the way only he can. Between the graphic videos/images on the screens behind him during songs like “Golden Shower” or bringing red cakes out to throw in the crowds faces. The fans loved every minute of it. How many shows have you been to where the band shoots real fish with a gun into the audience and people fight over it so they can take it home? Probably not many. Till along with Constance Antionette became part of the crowd as the made their way out onto the main floor during “Platz Eins.” Seeing him up close for so many fans was definitely a highlight for most.

As the night came to a close and Till finished out his set with “Ich Hasse Kinder,” it was clear that he had accomplished the goal for the evening. Deliver a show that the fans will NEVER forget. The count of how many times “holy sh*t!” by random people in the crowd during the duration of the show was too much to count. Till once again proved, you can watch bands performances on the internet & youtube, but nothing will ever compare to his live performances.

SEE MORE of BRETT's photos of TILL LINDEMANN HERE!

CLUTCH are kings of the album playthrough at the Myth!

CONCERT REVIEW :: CLUTCH
9/29/24
Myth, Maplewood, MN
Photos by Brett Zisler
Review by Nick

CLUTCH returned in glorious form to the Myth in Maplewood, MN to celebrate 20 years of their stellar record “Blast Tyrant” on the Two Headed Monster co-headline tour with Rival Sons and opener Black Stone Cherry. This long fan favorite record was a perfect choice to celebrate by playing in full front to back just like on the album.

As a long time fan of CLUTCH getting to see “Blast Tyrant” played in it’s entirety was a treat in itself and well worth the price of the ticket right there. The album comes out swinging with a nice little intro jam of “Mercury” that sees guitarist Tim Sult, bassist Dan Maines and drummer Jean-Paul Gaster getting a little warm up before slamming in for the second half of the track with vocalist extraodinare Neil Fallon joining in on the fun. The band driving straight into “Profits of Doom”, Clutch brings the funk and groove to the proceedings and the crowd ate it up. The always enjoyable “The Mob Goes Wild” comes along with plenty of sing alongs from the crowd. I always look forward to hearing “Cypress Grove” live and tonight’s version did not disappoint in the slightest.

The crowd tonight was well versed in Blast Tyrant and enjoyed taking the ride through the full album with songs that maybe haven’t been in CLUTCH set lists for a little bit like “Worm Drink,” “Army of Bono”, “Spleen Merchant” and “Ghost”. “Subtle Hustle” was another standout track from the evening continuing on the sets infectous grooves. “Ghost” was a nice change of pace during the set and one that I don’t know if I’ve ever seen Clutch play previous to tonight. Which brings in the point, is there anything in the Clutch catalog that Clutch can’t pull off live?! Clutch really pulled an ace out of their sleeve playing this track with ease. There had to be practice involved but I don’t believe there’s a song in the catalog that they couldn’t crank out in a flash if the moment of inspiration strikes.

Now the “bonus tracks” for the evening, Clutch brought out some deep cuts from earlier albums to much delight from the crowd. Beginning with “Binge and Purge” and going in to “El Jefe Speaks”, the crowd was here for it and were entranced as Neil Fallon worked the crowd making sure everyone in the crowd got a moment of the vocalist’s attention. In the area where I was standing, concert goers got excited when they launched in to “The Soapmakers” from The Elephant Riders (an album that definitely needs to be reissued or re-recorded and released) which sounded stellar tonight. “A Shogun Named Marcus” showed up for a 3 minutes of pure rock fury before ending the set with a song everyone could agree on, the legendary “Spacegrass”.

CLUTCH continues to be one of the best live rock and roll bands touring today with amazing chemistry that only happens when these guys pick up their instruments together in a room. An amazing sense of musicianship that can not be duplicated, making instant grooves that take you along on a journey to the ends of the Earth and back on vinyl from side A to side B just like they do from opener to closer live. Do yourself a favor and catch CLUTCH when they come thru town next and you’ll be racing for the merch line at the end of the set too.

SEE MORE of BRETT's PHOTOS OF CLUTCH and RIVAL SONS HERE!

GODSMACK and CHEVELLE bring the rock to the Family Reunion

CONCERT REVIEW :: GODSMACK, CHEVELLE, WAGE WAR, NOTHING MORE
Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul
9/26/24
Photos by Brett Zisler
Review by Nick

A stacked lineup of fantastic live hard rock bands hit the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul for what seems like the first rock show there in close to a year. GODSMACK kicked off the last leg of their U.S. tour for the year with much excitement from the crowd. Lots of Godsmack shirts from various years were seen on fans around the concourse which fit perfectly in to the theme of GODSMACK’s show. Starting off with a video showing the beginnings of Godsmack in 1995 and then fast forward to a live video feed of Godsmack in their dressing room back stage walking to the stage. The video footage got the crowd riled up as they took the stage riffing on an instrumental portion of “Surrender” before launching in to the song to set the tone for the evening.

GODSMACK continued to use a mix of live video and music videos from throughout the years as they traveled backwords thru their catalog playing a track or two from each album during the main set. GODSMACK have created a solid catalog in the last 30 years and the band sounded and looked in peak form. Sully Erna, Tony Rombola, Robbie Merrill and Shannon Larkin all looked excited to be back on stage and happy to be playing these songs for everyone. “When Legends Rise” into “1000hp” were crowd sing-alongs that amped up fans of all ages. “Straight Out of Line” snuck in to the set to surprise many long time fans and it was great to hear that song live again. An always stellar “Keep Away” had visuals re-creating and updating the iconic album cover from the debut album before launching in to crowd favorites “Voodoo” and “Whatever” from the same album.

GODSMACK themselves gave 100% on stage with a fantastic set chronicling their (soon to be) 30 year career but it was extremely weird seeing GODSMACK in an arena headlining with no pyro. All the spots where you knew there was going to be something, there was nothing. We needed at least a little fire especially during “1000hp”. I’m sure it came down to a technical problem and they just had to go give it all they got giving MN a unique show. Your still going to a GODSMACK show and leaving having a great time.

CHEVELLE brought it for their 9 song, 45 min set that also went thru their expansive catalog bringing that Family Reunion vibe of the night as GODSMACK and CHEVELLE have performed on the same bills many times together. Chevelle also formed in 1995 but didn’t put out their first national record until 1999 and singer/guitarist Pete Loffler still has the same energy on stage that he did when they were out touring on Wonder What’s Next. CHEVELLE came out with “Young Wicked” before launching in to “Self Destructor” and from there we were off racing. CHEVELLE went back and played kind of a deep cut for long time fans with “Family System” before launching in to fan favorites from the same album “Send the Pain Below” and “The Red”. Everyone (band included) got a good laugh when GODSMACK’s curtain dropped as Pete goes “We got one more song!”, the curtain then dropped as CHEVELLE performed the phenomenal “Mars Simula” from their latest album NIRATIAS to close out their set.

WAGE WAR put their 30 min set to good use with little talk and lots of music giving the crowd a good sized helping of their new album Stigma starting off the show with “The Show’s About to Start” before throwing down with “Low” and “Stitch”. Vocalist Briton Bond sounded great as he made sure to use every inch of the large stage. It’s been fun watching WAGE WAR become a more confident band since coming out of the pandemic with the solid Manic album opening for everyone from Beartooth to Slipknot. NOTHING MORE brought the lights, WAGE WAR brought the air cannons to the party doing a great job setting them apart from the rest of the lineup. The whole band sounded super tight as “NAIL5” brought the heavy before the melodic #1 rock radio single “Mangetic” launching into a heavy “Manic” to close out their set.

NOTHING MORE also got a short 30 mins to do what they do best and that’s leaving it all out on the stage. Coming out swinging with 3 from their fantastic new record Carnal with “House on Sand” into “Angel Song” into “If It Doesn’t Hurt” before giving the crowd a breather as they were close to half way thru their set already. Vocalist Jonny Hawkins was running all over the stage as guitarist Mark Vollelunga, bassist Daniel Oliver and drummer Ben Anderson laid a super tight foundation. The crowd sang along with “Jenny” before they closed out their quick set with “This Is the Time (Ballast)” that ended with Jonny, Mark and Daniel performing the last part of the extended outro from the barricade. If there were people in the crowd that weren’t aware of NOTHING MORE yet, they definitely made their mark now.

All of the bands brought their A-game for tonight’s show to showcase the strength of each band’s material treating the crowd to a spectacular night out.

SEE MORE OF BRETT's PHOTOS of GODSMACK and CHEVELLE HERE!

SEE MORE OF BRETT's PHOTOS of WAGE WAR and NOTHING MORE HERE!

COHEED & CAMBRIA TAKE HOLD AT PALACE THEATER

CONCERT REVIEW :: COHEED AND CAMBRIA
PALACE THEATER, St. Paul, MN
Sept 15, 2023
Review and photos by Brett Zisler

A vibrant Friday night in St. Paul, Minnesota got more than it asked for when Coheed & Cambria’s “Neverender -No World for the Waking Mind” tour stopped through. With the Palace Theater packed and the merch lines long, it was easy to tell this crowd was primed and ready.

The beauty of these neverender shows is, even though the crowd knows what songs are coming up next, with Coheed & Cambria, the excitement level never drops. With the lights going low and Claudio Sanchez opening the show playing “The Reaping,” you could feel the energy building as Travis, Zach and Josh slowly joined him on stage. As the opening notes of “No World For Tomorrow” hit and those stage lights went on, everyone in that venue knew it was full throttle from Coheed & Cambria from there on out.

As they played on, it became more apparent that Coheed has cemented themselves as one of the top progressive rock bands currently music. Here is a band playing an album over 15 years old and the crowd was hanging on every single word. The part of the show that really stuck out to me though was the second part of the show.

When Coheed & Cambria started the “Vaxis II: A Window of the Waking Mind” portion of the set, the level of crowd participation was incredible. I had a friend attending the show with me that was seeing them for the first time and he was floored at how much the crowd was into the new album. Lets be honest, usually when bands play new music right now at concerts, it ends up being the time people dash for the beer lines. Not at a Coheed show. Those fans stuck around and sang their hearts out to every song. To watch the crowd sing & move to “Liar’s Club” has turned into one of my favorite parts of recent Coheed & Cambria shows.

As the night came to an end, everyone left with the same feeling. How much fun they had and when will they be back next. That’s the best part now with Coheed, it doesn’t matter if it’s a new album run or neverender tour stop, it’s going to be one of the best shows you see each year.

SEE MORE OF BRETT's PHOTOS OF COHEED AND CAMBRIA HERE!

CONCERT REVIEW :: CLUTCH rattles the Palace!

CONCERT REVIEW :: CLUTCH, DINOSAUR JR, RED FANG
PALACE THEATER, St. Paul, MN
Aug 2, 2023
Photos by Brett Zisler
Review by Nick

CLUTCH brought their No Stars To Guide Tour 2023 to the Palace Theater on Aug 2 for what just might be the loudest concert I've been to in a long time! Not too many things feel better than a PA system cranked to the max with one of your favorite bands playing in front of you. Hands down, the best concert I've seen CLUTCH play. The set flew by and was packed with gems from throughout their entire catalog.

It would be hard to find a band that plays as tight together live as CLUTCH. These are masters of their professions. Neil Fallon is one of the best front people out there period. Tim Sult makes a guitar sing like none other. Dan Maines crafts groovy bass lines with ease. Jean-Paul Gaster lays the beats down with swagger. Put all 4 pieces of the puzzle together and you got one of the best rock shows your money can buy.

CLUTCH came out swinging with "The Mob Goes Wild" right in to "Earth Rocker" and everyone in that crowd knew they were in for a treat tonight. Newer songs like "Slaughter Beach" and "We Strive for Excellence" fit in seamlessly with crowd favorites "Burning Beard" and "Electric Worry". "Electric Worry" even got quite the mosh pit going and you could see the smile on Neil's face from anywhere in the room.

This is also the loudest I've heard the crowd yell and sing back to Clutch making the show that much more electric. I can only hope that this show becomes a release in their series of "The PA Tapes" that they are releasing as this was a show worth reliving over and over again. A setlist that can't be beat mixed with a band in the highest of top form.

RED FANG also delievered a foot to the floor face paced 30 minute opening set filled with the best of their catolog. It's been since 2018 that RED FANG was last in the area and they surely made up for the time apart. Cranking right in to "Blood Like Cream" starting off their set with precision. "Crows in Swine", "Arrows" and a crowd favorite "Wires" came in to the set before wrapping up with the classic "Prehistoric Dog". RED FANG was truly the best choice for an opening act for CLUTCH. They brought the riffs and packed it in to a nice, neat 30 min set that left the crowd begging for more.

SEE MORE OF BRETT'S PICTURES FROM CLUTCH AT THE PALACE THEATER HERE!!