When a few small bands invade a town full of college kids and are able to nearly sell out a relatively large venue on a Tuesday night, that's a pretty big deal. This past week, I was able to leave the books and studying behind for a few hours and head down to the Aggie in Old Town to see the Fall Harvest Tour with AWOLNation, Middle Class Rut, and Twin Atlantic. The show was probably the strongest I've seen at the Aggie since I moved to FoCo back in August.Around 8:45pm, Middle Class Rut took the stage with a lone guitar and drumset. The band opened with the lead track "Busy Being Born," which has appeared on a few of their records over the years. Zack Lopez's guitars and screams sounded gritty and rough, accompanied by Sean Stockham's vocals and aggressive beats. The band seemed larger than life on the open stage, and the low, heavy tones sounded louder than ever off the walls of the Aggie. The band played several songs from all of their records, with some tracks dating back to the Blue and Red EPs. Top tracks played during their set were the sludge rock driver "Dead Set," the radio friendly "New Low," the classic rocker "All Walks of Life," and the final closing sonic assault "USA." Middle Class Rut never fails to disappoint. The most amazing thing about the band is that they are only two guys creating a wall of sound powerful enough to move a mountain. The only criticism I would have of them is their inability to generate some of those sounds live using only one guitar and drums. If they can find a way to pull that off, they would become a live force that could not be matched.
Around 10pm, AWOLNation took the stage with neon lights and reflective suits. The huge spotlights resembled traffic lights, while the drummer's trapset was laced with psychodelic Christmas lights. As the smoke cleared, AN took the stage and immediately dove into their mix of electronic indie pop rock. The band kept the crowd active, with lighters in the air and hundreds of young girls crowd surfing throughout. Although I'm not familiar with too much of AN's music, their music was undeniably catchy and easy to initiate a good head bob to. Notable tracks that stole the set were the melodic sing along "Jump On My Shoulders," the fast paced indie-electro-pop groove "People," the Led Zepplin-esque "Guilty Filthy Soul," and of course the hit "Sail."
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| With Zack Lopez of MC Rut |
If there is a major criticism I have of AN's set, it has nothing to do with the music. It has more to do with the overall stage presentation and surprisingly the lighting. The entire time, I could not see anyone's face due to the lack of lighting towards the stage, as well as the damn fog machine that seems to be so popular these days. The concept of seeing who I am listening to reassures me that I am not just watching an empty stage or even worse a machine. Call it personal preference if you will, but I think that for a band to create an identity with its fanbase, it's necessary to be able to see who they are. Otherwise, the forefront of the show is lost, and you're stuck surrounded by people just listening. Or as the lyrics go in "Sail," you could just "blame it on my ADD."
Overall, great show in such a small venue. I wish I had the opportunity to see Scotland's Twin Atlantic's set last night, although I did have a chance to talk to the drummer for a bit. And getting pics with Zack and Sean from MC Rut as well as an autographed CD was pretty damn cool. Not too bad for a Tuesday night, eh?
