The Set List

The Set List
By Brian Washburn
Charismatic front men like Jagger, Rose, Mercury and Plant led the way for a generation of front men that included Kiedis, Boyd and Grohl, who then led the way for front men like Way, Wentz and Lazarra. Now there is a new generation of charismatic front men coming out of the underground and from the appearance he put on the other night in Tulsa, the list is led by Craig Owens.
Owens, The Chiodos front man swaggered, sang, screamed and placed himself in a position where he can be the face of the new modern music scene with the show the Michigan screamo/hardcore sextet put on the other night.
Cain’s Ballroom was packed by the time I arrived, which was after the first two opening acts, A Skylit Drive and Alesana. Thank god I didn’t have to sit through that. The first band to take the stage after I got there was the recently troubled, but back from the dead, Las Vegas rock band Escape the Fate.
While the throwback to the ’80s hair metal heyday is a bit (or really) overdone these days, Escape The Fate wasn’t bad, just not as interesting as most of the bands playing out there today. Newly crowned lead singer Craig Mabbitt nailed the vocal parts, even those previously performed by now incarcerated singer Ronnie Radke. When Mabitt got scratchy with his vocals, it really turned the crowd off. However, the guitar work of Bryan Monte Money does get a thumbs-up in my book.
Next up on the line-up was forgotten emo powerhouse Silverstein. Back in the day, this band had the potential to take screaming emo music to the next level. The bad news for them is they released an almost forgettable album and everyone pretty much forgot them. Their live set, on the other hand, was solid, on key, concise…but pretty much forgettable. They did announce they are recording a new album for an ’09 release. Let’s hope the fans remember to pick this one up.
After mildly enjoying Silverstein, Chiodos finally took the stage and every fan in Cain’s never looked back. The band opened heavy with “The Undertaker’s Thirst for Revenge is Unquenchable,” and the crowd never stopped moving. Simply the presence of Owens got the crowd going. His heavy screams mixed with his high-pitched singing were a bit shaky at times, but his larger-than-life stance on the stage grabbed the crowd by the throat and never let go.
But, Chiodos is not a one man show. Guitarist Jason Hale has cemented his place as one of the best guitarists in the modern rock scene with his sweeping, tapping and playful mannerisms. The rest of the band, especially keyboardist Bradley Bell, were almost dead-on throughout the set, which lasted more than an hour. The band didn’t play an encore, but headed to the merch table to sign copies of their new re-released album, “Bone Pallace Ballet: Grand Coda.”
Enamoring stage presence, crowd participation, new songs, old favorites, fast music, melodic music and heavy music made Chiodos’ show at Cain’s one of the best concerts of the year. Now let’s just see who can top them.
Final Thought:  Chiodos Set List: “Undertaker’s Third for Revenge is Unquenchable,” “All Nereids Beware,” “Two Birds Stoned at Once,” “A Letter from Janelle,” “There Are No Penguins In Alaska,” “To Trixie and Reptile, Thanks For Everything,” “Teeth the Size of Piano Keys,” “Smitten for the Kitten,” “Is It Progression if a Cannibal Eats with a Fork?” “The Word Best Friends Becomes Redefined,” “Hathaway Lane,” “Lexington,” “Bulls Make Money, Bears Make Money, Pigs Get Slaughtered,” “If I Cut My Hair, Hawaii Will Sink,” “Baby, You Wouldn’t Last A Minute on the Creek.”