Houston-based rock band Blue October perform for a sold out audience at The House of Blues in Dallas

It was easy to see that the evening was going to be a night to remember gazing from the floor to the balcony of the sold out House of Blues in Dallas April 30. As the instruments sound checked behind the curtains that masked the stage, the audience cheered to every familiar chord to Houston-based post-grunge rock back, Blue October.
 
The evening was filled with the band’s signature sounds that blended pounding guitars and beautifully complex strings with lead singer Justin Furstenfeld’s scratchy and deeply emotional vocals.
 
Blue October does not need to dance around the stage or put on an over-the-top acrobatic show. I have always equated their type of movement as boring and disconnected, watching bands in the past. But their music speaks for itself, and passion drips from the band in a way that I have never seen. In fact, this band that just stands there and sings invokes their fans in the most joyful way.
 
Spending the evening singing, dancing and hugging random strangers, the crowd responded to each song in their own particular way. Hits such as “She’s My Ride Home” and “Been Down” addressed the crowd with glory while crowd-favorites “Chameleon Boy,” “Congratulations,” and “Calling You” garnered the most positive and wild reactions. 
 
Sending the crowd into frenzy, “Calling You” was one of the highlights of the evening. It was this song that allowed the crowd to completely drown out the band as they raised their hands in the air and sang the lyrics to each other: “If you’re sleepin’ are you dreamin’? If you’re dreamin’ are you dreamin’ of me?”
 
It is easy to fall in love with a band like Blue October. This Texas quintet actually makes you feel something that you did not even realize you could feel again. The life and emotion that goes into the delivery of their music is incomparable to a lot of music that is available today, and leaves me wondering why bands can’t make music like this anymore.
 
Following the departure from the stage, fans screamed for what felt like hours, until violinist Ryan Delahoussaye returned to the stage and performed a heightened solo into Black Orchid.
 
The evening ended as Blue October performed one of their biggest hits to date, “Hate Me.” Beginning with an eerie voice mail left by Furstenfeld’s mother, the moderate tempo and soft instrumentation weave this commanding song together.  Watching the band perform this song live drove the emotion behind it to life as the building full of screaming people sang, “Hate me today. Hate me tomorrow. Hate me so you can finally see what’s good for you.”
 
The high-energy and uniquely mixed sound of Blue October made this stop on their Pick up the Phone 2010 tour a night to remember.
 
For more images from the evening visit: http://slrphotography.smugmug.com/Music/blueoctober/12074411_h25i5#857681311_9UwrX

Underoath – The Day the Earth got Rocked

In a city that is known for drawing in the wildest crowds, and has been dubbed “best tour spot” by many bands, Dallas was in for a treat when Underoath rolled into town Dec. 13 at The House of Blues with tour-mates August Burns Red and Emery.

Emery, a five-piece rock band from Rock Hill, South Carolina brought in the holiday cheer, with a rendition of the holiday classic “White Christmas.” The band stormed the stage bringing hardcore guitar and double bass drums along with earth shattering screams that had every body in the house moving, every fist pumping and every mouth singing. Closing down their set, lead singer Toby Morell lifted his hands in the air, as keyboardist Josh Head crawled across the bodies that filled the mosh pit, and then belted out a growl that froze the room. Cementing their spot in this line-up of stunning performers, Emery is a band to be seen.

Following a short intermission, the lights dimmed, and a vibe of relaxation swept through the crowd as none other than Frank Sinatra’s voice began to croon “Come Fly with me.” Seconds later Pennsylvania-based metalcore rock-band August Burns Red took the stage with a bang.

Opening their set with “Up Against the Ropes,” a powerful song from their 2007 release, Messengers, August Burns Red set their performance off with a high impact. Stage lighting paraded across the stage at a fast pace, complimenting the strong driving bass and guitars as they shredded into heavy drums and vocals.

The band offered songs from their newest album Constellations, with fan-favorites “Meddler,” “Marianas Trench” and Thirty and Seven.” In cord with the holiday spirit, the band wished the crowd a Merry Christmas by delivering an instrumental version of, “Carol of the Bells,” which showcased an unbelievable passion that shook the foundation of The House of Blues.

In the moment everyone waited for, the lights went dim, the excitement grew, and the crowd swayed in anticipation.Taking the stage, Florida-based metalcore band Underoath filled the room with a heat that set your heart on fire.

It was hard to imagine the set backs Underoath faced on this leg of the tour during an interview with keyboardist Christ Dudley. From slippery stages in Chicago, a hospitalized driver following a car accident and being snowed in somewhere in Iowa, the excitement in Dudley’s voice was surprising.

A highlight of the evening was the presentation of a beautifully composed and played instrumental piece. The colors of orange and yellow painted the room, and then created a rainbow over the crowd as they blended with magenta. Left in your own reflections, you are brutally forced to reality as Dudley and drummer Aaron Gillespie released a power driven section over the drums.

The set ended with the chords of “Too Bright to See, Too Loud to Hear,” a song that was intended to be a departure from the rest of the album, but landed the band its first single on local radio station KVRK(89.7). The room was filled with the vocals of the audience and arms stretched into the air, the crowd sang, “They will stare and say how empty we are. How the freedom we had turned us up as dead men.”

With the crowd screaming for an encore, Underoath returned to the stage with “It’s Dangerous Business Walking Out Your Front Door.” The ocean of fans crashed into one another as the music melded itself with alluring and urgent guitars.

Closing the night with the powerful “Writing on the Walls,” Underoath demonstrated strong musical ability. The combinations of all the bands on this epic line-up provided one of the best shows of 2009

Switchfoot – Hello Hurricane Tour

There have been many bands that have dared to play an album from start to finish; however, none of them have been fearless enough to use the album as an opening act for a full-length show. On Nov. 17 Dallas fans were amazed as California-based Switchfoot opened and then closed The House of Blues.

Storming the stage, Switchfoot showcased their latest offering, Hello Hurricane. Despite having only been out for a week the crowd sang along loudly with each song as if they were olf-time favorites. The presentation included the band’s lead single, “Mess of Me” which had the crowd chanting.

The highlight of the Hello Hurricane portion of the evening began when Foreman asked the crowd if they knew the connection his mother had with Led Zeppelin. Forman then explained how both of his parents influenced him musically. His father taught him to play Zeppelin songs on the guitar, and his mother had him take piano lessons. After revealing this pice of his past, the room dimmed and the spotlight lit up Foreman as he began the slow and smooth piano piece that leads the way into the beautiful and emotional “Always.”

At the end of their opening set, Foreman announced that their next song will be based on whatever the audience begins to sing. Moments later the audience fills the room with the lyrics to “Oh Gravity,” and the band returns to the stage with smiles and enough energy to continue their headlining act. The evening progressed into a string of Switchfoot hits from “Dare you to Move,” “Meant to Live,” and “Stars.”

The night ended with an encore that featured specially picked songs including a glimpse of “Beautiful Let Down” and “Gone.” Overall, an evening with Switchfoot was two hours of entertainment that will not be forgotten