The Fillmore in Philadelphia was the place to be on Saturday March 5th. Coheed and Cambria , Glassjaw, I The Mighty and Silver Snakes all came to town on a bill that could only be described as ‘huge’. As a relatively new venue, bookings like this will go a long way toward making sure everyone knows The Fillmore.
The evening was started by catching the tail-end of the VIP experience. For the portion we caught, Claudio Sanchez (from Coheed and Cambria) came out and did a solo acoustic version of David Bowie’s “Life On Mars.”
Opening things up for the proper show was Silver Snakes. They are a young band that have just released their new album ‘Saboteur’ prior to the tour. Their brief but energetic set was a good introduction to many in the audience.
Not being familiar beforehand with I The Mighty, the next band up, the soaring vocals that introduced them were a great way to set the stage. It was at this point in the night, as the crowd really began to fill in, that the crowd surfing and singing along really began.
The legendary Glassjaw were next up. Having played a number of shows overseas with Coheed, this was an logical pairing for the States. Most of their set focused on ‘Worship and Tribute’ which was appreciated, even though ‘Cosmopolitan Bloodloss’ was skipped. Starting things off with ‘Tip Your Bartender’ was delightfully aggressive and also good advice. A sampling of their post-comeback material was played and most excitingly, some new material was teased though no names or specifics were given. I can say they were heavy and very promising.
As far as Coheed and Cambria, since this tour is in support of the new album ‘The Color Before The Sun’, you would expect some of those new songs to be played. Almost the entire album was covered.
Things started off on a quiet note with ‘Ghost’ before launching into ‘In Keeping Secrets of a Silent Earth 3’ and ‘Blood Red Summer’. An elaborate light setup behind the band helped to punctuate things throughout the night. ‘A Favor House Atlantic’ found itself right in the middle of the set which was pleasantly surprising as it is always an easy choice to be the big closer. The main set was closed off, much like the new album, with ‘The Audience’ and ‘Peace To The Mountain’. These tracks, along with one or two of the other less immediate numbers from ‘The Color Before The Sun’ were cast in an entirely new light live.
This night was special as it marked the 14th anniversary of the release of their debut album ‘Second Stage Turbine Blade’. Of course, ‘Devil In Jersey City’ was played but the only other acknowledgment of it was ‘Everything Evil’ in the encore.
Speaking of the encore, they began that with the rousing ‘You’ve Got Spirit Kid’, one of their recent singles. Things ended with ‘Welcome Home’, a huge song that thankfully made sure ‘Good Apollo: Volume 1’ was represented.
Before the evening’s performances, I had the pleasure of speaking to Travis Stever (Guitar) and Josh Eppard (Drums) from Coheed and Cambria. We touched on ‘The Color Before The Sun’, getting out of their comfort zone, extra/obscure songs, their evolving roles in the band, other musical endeavors and….ghosts who demand publishing checks?
Interview & Review by:
JJ Ellis – When J.J. Ellis isn’t writing as the Allentown DVD Examiner, his Decent Exposure Radio show can be heard on the air every Friday night from 10:30 to midnight (EST) on WXLV 90.3 FM. Streaming on wxlv.org and on the iHeartRadio & Tune In apps (search WXLV in app).
Photos by:
Henry Chung – When Henry’s not busy updating this page and speaking in third person, he’s busy shooting and editing pictures from concerts and designing logos for bands.
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