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Carnival of Madness - Time Warner Cable Amphitheater - August 9th 2010
The Carnival of Madness tour rolled into Cleveland, Ohio with a cacophony of heavy rock music. The Time Warner Cable Amphitheater, situated on the bank of the Cuyahoga River, is a large covered pavilion that produces an extraordinarily loud sound, suitable for this type of show. The pavilion also provided a welcome respite from the 90 degree heat.
The first band to take the stage was the alt-rock band 10 Years from Knoxville, Tennessee. They are an exciting band to watch, as they move around on stage a lot. The guitar players frequently run back and forth to opposite sides of the stage. Guitarist Ryan 'Tater' Johnson even jumped off stage and ran around the entire audience, much to the delight of the crowd. Their set included some of their popular singles, including 'Beautiful' and 'Shoot It Out.'
Sevendust was originally slated to follow 10 Years, but due to a personal issue in the band, Puddle of Mudd generously volunteered to switch slots with them to help out. Perhaps driven by the change in plans and potential challenges it could create, Puddle of Mudd put on their best show so far this year. They remained very connected with the crowd as they pummeled through their set, playing such crowd pleasers as 'Blurry,' 'Stoned,' and finishing with the extremely popular 'She Hates Me.'
Following an unusually long set change, alt-metal band Sevendust stormed onto the stage next, in Puddle of Mudd's original time slot. They made up for the altered schedule with a blistering set which included favorites 'Driven' and 'Praise' along with their biggest mainstream success 'Unraveling.' They garnered a huge crowd response. The joy they take in their music is evident in their faces and in the way they perform. They are a fantastic live band.
Next on stage were heavy rock heroes Chevelle. This simple three piece band from Chicago played many of their big melodic and powerful hits including 'The Red,' 'Send the Pain Below' and 'I Get It.' Enthusiast bassist Dean Bernardini pounded his way through the blistering set. The crowd response was the most frenetic of the night. The audience screamed and chanted along while crowd surfers poured over the front. Lead singer Pete Loeffler announced that this was the most fun he'd had on the entire Carnival of Madness tour. If anyone in the audience was not a Chevelle fan already, they should have been by the end of that set.
Headliner Shinedown took the stage in a theatrical opening featuring carnival-style music, silhouette lighting on a huge curtain and lead singer Brent Smith in ring leader attire, top hat and all. Their set was very theatrical, with dynamic stage lighting and a giant screen behind the band. They had different projections for every song, including live camera shots of the crowd and of the band. During their hit song 'If You Only Knew,' they showed a split screen of bassist Eric Bass and guitarist Zach Myers singing their back up vocals combined with music video style imagery. It was an aesthetically pleasing presentation. One of the most interesting features of their set was the video of the lyrics to "45" being told in sign language on the big screen. Part way through the show, Smith had the crowd make a path in the middle so he could walk through to the front of house sound board, where he pumped up the crowd, encouraging them to jump during the next song. They ended the set with their huge hit 'Second Chance.' The inaugural Carnival of Madness tour seems to be a big success. Let's hope that they have an equally exciting line up next year.
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