If you're an active concertgoer, you know that there are certain shows that stand out from the pack. Every once and a while you'll attend a show that feels less like a concert and more like a monumental, can't-miss event. Last night at the House of Blues in Boston was one of those special shows as progressive rock virtuosos Coheed and Cambria played their iconic 2003 album In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3 in its entirety.
Opening the show was up-and-coming prog-rockers Thank You Scientist. All I knew about Thank You Scientist prior to the show was that they are signed to Coheed and Cambria frontman Claudio Sanchez's record label and that their 2012 debut album, Maps of Non-Existent Places, was universally acclaimed by critics and fans alike. After seeing them live, I'm downright ashamed of myself for not checking them out sooner. Thank You Scientist is the most experimental and unconventional act to come along in the progressive rock scene since The Mars Volta. The center of their originality comes from their inclusion of a brass section (saxophone and trumpet) and violinist in their full-time lineup. The prominent brass instrument and violin sections gives them a jazz-fueled sound that other bands in the genre simply can't play. It's really awesome to see a band work unconventional instrumentation into their music without it coming off as a cheap gimmick. While the jazzy instruments are a huge part of what makes Thank You Scientist so great, the other members of the band are just as vital to the success of their oddball sound. The soaring falsetto vocals of Salvatore Marrano add a gigantic burst of energy to the already chaotic music and guitarist Tom Monda possesses the versatility to tackle everything from soothing Latin-inspired melodies to metal-esque technicality with ease. Thank You Scientist was the perfect opener for this show and I'll be closely monitoring their career in the future.
After a half-hour wait, Coheed and Cambria hit the stage. In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3 has been amongst my favorite albums of all-time since I first discovered it in 2005, so the fact I was going to see it played live from start to finish was incredibly exciting. As I'd anticipated, it was an absolutely surreal and euphoric experience to hear these songs in a live setting. While hearing longtime live set staples like the title track and "A Favor House Atlantic" was awesome, it was the deeper cuts that truly shined. Songs like "Cuts Marked in the March of Men", "The Crowing" and the epic three-part track the "Camper Velourium" were absolutely colossal live. A large part of the appeal of Coheed and Cambria's music to me is how massive every song sounds and the live version of these tracks are prime examples of that. I was actually surprised to see how well-received the non-album singles were. Basically everyone in my vicinity was singing along and generally losing their minds for every single song on the album. It's always awesome to see a group of fans that have the same amount of enthusiasm and passion for the rarities as they do for the singles. After they played through In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3, they returned for two encores that were just as fantastic and powerful as the material from In Keeping Secrets. Newer song "Number City" was the most pure fun song of the night thanks to its infectious hook and rousing horn section courtesy of the guys from Thank You Scientist while fan-favorite "Welcome Home" punctuated the set with the loudest sing-a-longs of the evening and a wild, spontaneous 12-string guitar solo from Sanchez. The only disappointment of the night for me was the fact they dropped "The Lying Lies and Dirty Secrets of Miss Erica Court" from the setlist. "Lying Lies" is one of my favorite tracks in Coheed's discography and I'd never seen them play it live before, so I was pretty bummed when they decided to drop from the setlist in Boston after playing it at all of the previous shows on the tour. Thanks to a spectacular setlist and crowd, this was the most fun I've ever had seeing Coheed and Cambria live.
Side Notes:
-The rush to the stage once the intro riff to "In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth 3" kicked in was the craziest I've seen since The Wonder Years headlining set at the Glamour Kills Tour in March 2012.
-My friend D.J. describe Thank You Scientist as "...an orgy of The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Coheed, Apocalyptica and The Mars Volta"
-Singing along to "Al the Killer" is the only time it's acceptable to yell "Die white girls" in public.
-The crowd was great on the whole, but there were a handful of morons who were trying to push their way up to the front when there was clearly nowhere to go. Seriously, if it's a packed floor at a sold out show, don't be that asshole causing unnecessary disruptions to move a couple of inches closer to the stage.
-Before the show, A cop threatened to put a drunk kid outside of the House of Blues in a "handcuff timeout" if his friends didn't get him away from the venue immediately.
Scores:
Thank You Scientist 8/10
Coheed and Cambria 9/10
Setlists:
Thank You Scientist:
Feed the Horses
Carnival
Little Automatic
In the Company of Worms
My Famed Disappearing Act
Coheed and Cambria:
The Ring in Return
In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3
Cuts Marked in the March of Men
Three Evils (Embodied in Love and Shadow)
The Crowing
Blood Red Summer
The Camper Velourium I: Faint of Hearts
The Camper Velourium II: Backend of Forever
The Camper Velourium III: Al the Killer
A Favor House Atlantic
The Light & the Glass
Encore:
21: 13
Encore 2:
Neverender
Goodnight, Fair Lady
Number City
Encore 3:
Ten Speed (Of God's Blood and Burial)
Welcome Home
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