When it is two hours before the doors open and a line of fans wrap around a building, you know you are going to be in for a treat. This was the case on Jan. 15 when The Door in Dallas hosted The Nothing and Everything tour featuring headliner Red and tour-mates Pillar, The Wedding and Me in Motion.
The smell of maple filled your nose before the smoke from the fog machines arrived; it is a telltale sign of a rock show in the making. As the lights dimmed and Grammy-nominated rock-bad Red took the stage the crowd knew they were in for a show. The band, which is touring in support of their Innocence and Instinct record, rained down on the crowd with heavy drums, blazing guitars and a bearded singer.
In 2008, I saw this band three times, and for the first time I felt the absolute passion transfer from their album to the stage. It might be that I was sitting on a bass speaker directly below lead singer Michael Barnes, or it might be the charisma of the venue.
“It was a pretty intense show,” guitarist Anthony Armstrong said, recalling the last time Red played at The Door, “Texas fans are just some of the greatest fans in the world, no joke, [it’s hard to hold a candle to Texas].”
Sitting on my bass speaker, it was hard for me to imagine another crowd in the world as involved as this one. Hands stretched out in desperation, singing the lyrics as if they belonged to their heart. It was clear how this music affected fans.
“They just kind of spill their guts to us, and it’s a big responsibility for us to handle. There’s kids out there that are latching on to this so tightly, it’s keeping them from doing harm to themselves. To turn to music is probably why we are doing this for a living because that’s what we do,” said Armstrong.
Over the course of the evening the band continued to deliver driving and in-your-face tracks such as recent single “Death of Me.”
“You’re talking about yourself,” Armstrong said while describing the song. “You’re talking about that side that every single person has. It’s something you’re fighting, and if you don’t fight it, [it will end up being the death of you].”
Slowing down the evening with a live showcase of their hit, “Pieces” filled the room with an indescribable moment. The track’s slow and melodic harmonies were a beautiful addition to the set, and a nice break for the rowdy crowd.
Red closed their set with their most successful track to date, “Breathe Into Me” and after one last fist-pounding rock song, the band left the stage leaving the crowd breathless.
