The Ramkota Exhibit Hall in Sioux Falls has a pretty decent record of holding good shows. They’ve carried the likes of Sparta, Powerman 5000, Chevelle and locals such as Nodes of Ranvier and The Spill Canvas. However, Sunday’s Papa Roach show had to be one of the largest I’ve seen there.
First of all, kudos to the guys who decided to make the show smoke-free. It makes the show ten times more enjoyable when I don’t have burning eyes and a runny nose from the clouds of smoke around me. However, I wasn’t too fond of the idea that cameras weren’t allowed, as I am a huge fan of pictures and somehow found a way to break the camera on my phone (oops).
As most every show, the doors didn’t open on time (fliers said 6 p.m. but it was about 6:15 before the crowd started moving), but the security seemed experienced and the line moved quickly. There were the usual strays that hit the ID table instantly to get an over-priced beer; a couple giggly high school girls that made a bee line to the bathroom to check how much their caked-on makeup melted in the heat; and then there were the die hard fans that ran across the room to reserve their up-front positions.
I found myself walking towards the front and standing about ten feet from the metal barrier that separated the ‘security isle’ as I like to call it and the mosh pit of sweaty fanatics. Not bad, I thought, except for the 6 foot tall, 300 pound behemoth standing almost directly in front of me.
Almost like clockwork, I immediately scope out the crowd, picking the littlest weaklings from the power houses, planning my strategy to get as close as I possibly can. Its not that I’m a huge Papa Roach fan, in fact if it was just them on the bill, I probably would have saved my $25 to get a shirt at Warped Tour. However, I am a huge Madina Lake fan … and since they were an opening band, I knew I’d have to get close right away to stay there.
I had my route planned out and waited patiently for the music to start and the lights to dim so I could begin my journey. The first opening band was Smilin Liar, out of Minneapolis.
I’ll be honest … I’ve never even heard of Smilin Liar before … which, I found out, was a shame. Although the lead vocalist (who had a microphone conveniently handcuffed to his left wrist) was a little too screamo for my taste at times (think low growls of Nodes’ previous vocalist, Nick Murphy), the guitar work was unlike the usual heaviness of a metal band. Although they did have the regular nu-metal guitar riffs and snarling lyrics, it was occasionally interrupted by a wailing solo or melodic chorus that threw the hardcore label out the window.
What entertained me most was the pure energy of the band and of the crowd, which I’m guessing didn’t know too much of the band, either. Jonathan Carmichael (vocals) had a startling amount of energy, definitely setting the bar for Madina Lake and Papa Roach. Jesse Blankenship (drums) kept a steady rhythm (although sometimes lost in the back of the guitar work) and Justin Kristal (bass) followed with a stable beat. Ryan King and Ed Bonach (guitars) impressed me the most with astonishing riffs and howling solos that had the crowd wide-jawed. Even the most jumpy ‘moshers’ stood still and stared up at these guitar fiends. All members had the energy of a five year old in a dentist’s office … the semi-choreographed guitarists swaying with the beat, so natural it looked like they’ve been touring for decades. It definitely got the crowd excited for the next two bands to come.
By the end of SL’s set, I was just to the side of the behemoth, unable to get any further in the middle where I would have preferred to be. Madina Lake was up next and my anticipation grew with every move the roadies on the stage made.
Soon, the lights faded and four spiky-haired Chicago natives (who looked more like they should have been out of England) ran onto stage and grabbed their instruments, driving the crowd nuts as guitarist Mateo Camargo struck the first chord. Nathan Leone (vocals) pounced around the stage like it was a trampoline, allowing every inch of his tiny body to succumb to the music. It’s amazing what a huge voice such a small guy can hold ... whether it was screaming lyrics like he’s pissed at the world or singing a chorus from the bottom of his soul. How he could stand wearing a black zip-up hoodie for the first few songs, I have no idea, but nothing stopped him from visiting every nook and cranny of the stage to get as close as possible to the fans.
Some bands will tell the audience that safety is more important than anything else, and not to risk crowd surfing or thrashing in the mosh pit. Not Madina Lake. In fact, they encouraged the exact opposite. As the band moved on to the next song, Leone asked the fans to get as close as possible so he could personally shake the hand of every kid in the audience. And he did. The next few songs were nuts … kids went wild for these guys, with someone traveling overhead every 30 seconds … and I only saw Leone miss a few high fives due to far too many kids coming in at once.
Leone’s twin brother and bassist, Matthew, along with drummer Daniel Torelli kept the tempo for this fairly new band, who, for only being around since 2005, has an extremely smooth and perfected sound with catchy lyrics and beats that will even make your dad tap his foot. “Here I Stand” is a powerful song that not only sets the standards for their alternative sound, but is also very radio-friendly, and “House of Cards” is one of those songs that constantly resounds in your head.
Every moment the guys were on stage seemed to make time stop. When the chorus of “Here I Stand” hit, it seemed to be just me screaming along with Nathan. I hardly noticed the thrashing girls and boys behind me. The lyrics, which are focused around a fictional town in the 50’s, describe the life of any small-town kid trying to get out and the undertones of an evil society that threatens to take the life out of them. Much like the lyrics from “Now or Never”: ‘what are we waiting for / these years are dying slowly / today’s still in front of us / today is now or never,’ it relates to a band trying to break out of a genre as much as a kid trying to break out of their loneliness.
The set seemed to be done just as quickly as it had started, and time slowly creeped back to reality. The boys said their goodbyes and left the stage as sweat dropped around my eyes and my heart settled back to its regular pace. The entire crowd was dripping, and much like seeing the remnants of a tornado that hit the middle of a town, you could see the lasting impression of the band in every bead of sweat and gasping breath.
I noticed a shorter, younger girl standing behind me, and offered her my up-front position, which she gladly accepted. I was exactly where I wanted to be for my band, so I figured I’d float to the back and let someone else get what they wanted out of the show: Papa Roach.
The break between Madina and Papa seemed to take forever, probably because I wasn’t nearly as excited for Papa’s set. After a while of waiting and talking to friends that I ran into, the lights once again dimmed and the guys of Papa Roach ran onto stage as there predecessors also had.
The band was evenly dispersed on the stage (as usual) with bassist Tobin Esperance taking stage right, guitarist Jerry Horton on stage left, drummer Dave Buckner in the back and vocalist Jacoby Shaddix front and middle. Their set was better than I had expected, with the band playing both new and old favorites to fans hanging on every word out of Shaddix’ mouth.
One thing that I was especially impressed with was Shaddix’ voice. Some bands will have any extremely off live voice compared to their records, but Shaddix’ was right on. Call it amazing sound technicians or just a lesson of the road, but the sound was perfectly matched from vocals to guitars to drums and every lyric and guitar lick was clear and precise.
Shaddix had some sort of riser in the front of the stage to stand on, which really helped for those of us standing in the back. The stage conversation between songs was simple yet powerful … like most alternative bands, he talked about music getting into you and not caring what others will think, but doing what’s right in your heart. Something we hear at every show and yet never get sick of.
There was, of course, and encore of a few songs, where Shaddix held up a pair of boxers, admitting that while plenty of women’s underwear has been sent up front, this happened to be the first pair of men’s that they had ever seen. And while flattered, he politely turned down any offers, plainly stating that he didn’t “swing that way,” which got a laugh out of the crowd.
Overall, I have to say that this was one of the best shows I’ve seen in Sioux Falls for a while. I may be a bit biased in my opinion because one of my favorite bands of the moment played, but the energy level was off the charts, the sound was amazing and each band brought something new in that constantly kept the crowd on their toes.
