You know it’s almost summer festival season when you go to your first all-day rock show of the year and leave completely burnt and exhausted. Richmond, VA held its 30th annual XL102 Chili Cook Off Saturday April 20th (yes, 4/20), featuring Rock Off RVA winners, If It Takes Forever, Against Grace, Breaking Laces, Churchill, Eve 6, Twenty One Pilots, Flyleaf, Matt & Kim, and headliners Three Days Grace.
The long and exciting day kicked off at 11 am with If It Takes Forever. The band came out with lots of energy from the beginning, getting the early concert goers something to listen to as they filed through the entrance gates. Even though the crowd wasn’t as packed at the time, you could tell that the guys were having a great time rocking out and playing their music.
Next up, Virginia continued to share its roots by welcoming Against Grace to the stage. The band’s sound resembled a mixture of dance pop and rock guaranteed to make people move. They interacted and spoke to the crowd often and you could tell that the locals in the crowd were enjoying every minute.
Next up, Virginia continued to share its roots by welcoming Against Grace to the stage. The band’s sound resembled a mixture of dance pop and rock guaranteed to make people move. They interacted and spoke to the crowd often and you could tell that the locals in the crowd were enjoying every minute.
Breaking Laces took the stage soon after and entertained the crowd with their anecdotal songs and humor. The guys had no trouble making fun of themselves on stage, showing that they were there to entertain not only the ever growing crowd, but themselves as well.
The folky six-piece that call themselves Churchill followed Breaking Laces and only continued to rock the crowd. Complete with a banjo and a keyboard the band was able to give it their all and show that they were definitely a band worth watching. They covered Fleetwood Mac’s “Go Your Own Way” and got the crowd involved by helping them sing the chorus. They ended their set with their single “Change.”
After a quick set change Eve 6 took over and brought a little harder rock to the crowd. The 3-piece took the stage one by one and got the crowd going again with their electric song. They played songs that included “Here’s to the Night” and “Inside Out” and lead singer Max Collins even brought his stepdad out to take over the bass during one song while he moved around the stage and interacted with the crowd.
The folky six-piece that call themselves Churchill followed Breaking Laces and only continued to rock the crowd. Complete with a banjo and a keyboard the band was able to give it their all and show that they were definitely a band worth watching. They covered Fleetwood Mac’s “Go Your Own Way” and got the crowd involved by helping them sing the chorus. They ended their set with their single “Change.”
After a quick set change Eve 6 took over and brought a little harder rock to the crowd. The 3-piece took the stage one by one and got the crowd going again with their electric song. They played songs that included “Here’s to the Night” and “Inside Out” and lead singer Max Collins even brought his stepdad out to take over the bass during one song while he moved around the stage and interacted with the crowd.
Next were the duo that made up Twenty One Pilots. Both band members, Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun came out wearing masks and started jumping around the stage from the start. There was not a single dull moment while they were on stage. Between the guys playing the instruments and pumping up the crowd, the guys managed to climb on things on the stage and even do backflips off of their piano. They were constantly interacting with the crowd, getting them to sing lyrics back to them and including them as part of the band. They plowed through their set with continued energy and finished out with the both of them working together and beating on the drums much to the audience’s delight.
Shortly after, Flyleaf took the stage to cheers of the crowd. New lead singer Kristen May brought her own spin to well-known Flyleaf songs which was well received by the audience. The band played singles including “All Around Me,” “Fully Alive,” “Again,” as well as songs from their newest album New Horizons. People all around were singing along with every song and Flyleaf finished off their set with one of their most popular songs “I’m So Sick.”
Matt & Kim followed Flyleaf and they were met with roars from the crowd. This indie-pop duo ran out onto the stage throwing out free shirts and dancing around creating a true party atmosphere. Matt took his place behind his keyboard and Kim took hers behind her drums and the group kicked off their set with an intensity that was built upon throughout the rest of their time on stage. Their stationary instruments did not keep them from making moves. Matt would jump around almost constantly behind his keyboard, occasionally jumping up onto his seat and banging his head to the beat. Kim was exciting to watch behind the drum set between her making the faces and pointing to the crowd and even occasionally jumping up on top of her drums and wildly gesturing to the audience. Their high energy was fed on by the crowd and the crowd was able to give them back the same energy. They threw out balloons and confetti and the cheers only got louder from there. Towards the end of the set, Kim ventured out into the audience and had them support her and she walked and danced on top of them. They played singles including “Lessons Learned” and “Cameras” and as they walked off stage they left the audience in a state of pure excitement and happiness.
Finally, as the sun was beginning to set, headliners Three Days Grace took the stage. Their intro song, Rage Against the Machine’s “Killing in the Name” built the anticipation of the crowd as they waited for the guys to walk out onto the stage. To the sounds of crashing, explosions, and rainfall they revealed their “Welcome to Fabulous Las Venus” sign with Virginia painted on with graffiti and drummer Neil Sanderson took his place behind the drums soon followed by guitarist Barry Stock, bassist Brad Walst, keyboardist Dani Rosenoer, and current vocalist Matt Walst. The audience cheered with excitement as Three Days Grace struck their first chord, starting off their set with the first single off Transit of Venus, “Chalk Outline.” The song was very well received by the audience and they exploded in cheers and excitement as the band displayed their first round of pyrotechnics at the end of the song.
The guys took over the show playing most of their singles including, “Pain,” “The High Road,” “The Good Life,” “Never Too Late,” “Break,” and “Animal I Have Become.” The crowd erupted when Three Days Grace played “Home” and “I Hate Everything About You,” clearly anthems among all the Three Days Grace fans out there. The audience was treated to a drum and keyboard jam session brought on by Neil and Dani, and after Dani left the stage Neil took over and did a solo on the drums. Barry made a point to thank all the fans and, of course, Matt for coming and out with them and taking over the vocals. Afterward he called band friend, Shawn Hamm, out onto the stage and graced the audience to a cover of Limp Bizkit’s “Break Stuff.” Brad was in his own world jamming on his bass and throwing picks out to the audience throughout the set. Matt did an amazing job and the crowd was clearly feeding off his energy and made a point to thank the audience for their continued support of Three Days Grace and to let them know that they would never give up and be around for many years to come. The band closed their hour-long set with the crowd favorite “Riot” and left the concert goers with ringing in their ears and smiles on their faces.
It was a long and hot day, but clearly worth it in the name of rock and roll.
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1 comments:
s/o to Lucy for this great article! :)
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