LIVE: COMMON VISION TOUR – AUGUST 13, 2015 (Pontiac, MI)

Venue: The Crofoot

City: Pontiac, MI

Date: August 13, 2015

Review: Mike Hubbard

Some men get ties for Father’s Day.  Others get coffee cups.  Still others get various art projects that their children made.  For Father’s Day this year my daughter got me tickets for the Common Vision Tour, which was a perfect gift since headliner Every Time I Die is one of my favorite bands, and supporting act Real Friends is one of hers.

We got to the venue shorty after doors opened and were surprised by how few people were there.  A few more people had arrived by the time opening act Gatherers took the stage, but it was still fairly empty.  That is a shame, because Gatherers put on quite a show.  I had never heard them before, but they captured my attention from opening chord to final cymbal crash.  They have a riveting brand of melodic hardcore, with guitar lines that often reminded me of ‘Define The Great Line’ era UnderOath, and passionate vocals that reminded me of Jacob Bannon from Converge.  The bass and drums played together as one, providing a solid foundation for the rest of the band.  I was fascinated watching guitarist Austin Lipinski coax the most amazing sounds out of his ax.  I had a chance to briefly talk with drummer Adam Cichocki and vocalist Rich Weinberger after their set and had them sign a copy of their latest CD, ‘Quiet World’.  Definitely keep an eye out for these guys and catch them live if you have a chance.

Next on the bill was Brigades.  I had never heard them before, and in a way I still haven’t heard them.  That’s because vocalist Darren Young was fighting a nasty case of strep throat and was unable to perform.  Their guitarist filled in admirably, but I have to think we did not see the best the band had to offer.  The boys played a brand of pop-punk that leaned towards the punk end of the spectrum.  I wish Young a speedy recovery and hope I can catch them again when they are in full force.

Third up was Canadian hardcore outfit Counterparts.  By now the venue was starting to fill up, and Counterparts blew the place up.  They left no doubt that they were there to explode, and to get the crowd moving.  I had just started listening to their music recently and man they were impressive. This band is one that will stay in my listening rotation and I look forward to catching them again when they return to town.

By the time Counterparts finished their stellar set the place was finally starting to fill up.  Also the dichotomy of the crown became quite apparent.  The primary fan base of the two remaining bands, Real Friends and Every Time I Die, are quite different.  As Counterparts broke down their equipment and Real Friends started setting up, the crowd upfront became significantly younger and more female, consistent with the core Real Friends fans.  And those fans were in for a heck of a show.  The upbeat pop/punk jams laid down by the band got the audience bouncing and singing along.  I almost felt sorry for vocalist Dan Lambton since his vocals were almost redundant considering half the crowd were screaming the lyrics at the top of their lungs.  The guys really know how to play to their audience.  At one point between songs bassist Kyle Fasel said to the audience “Let’s hear it for all the parents out there!”  Then he looked at me and asked “Is that a Chariot shirt you are wearing?”  After I replied in the affirmative he replied “That’s so cool!”  By this time my daughter was totally freaking out; “Kyle called out my dad from the stage!”  After their set the band tweeted out a reference to my shirt, completely making the experience a highlight for us.

Last but not least was the headliner, the main band I was there to see, Every Time I Die.  In between sets the younger, predominantly female crowd moved out and an older, bigger, harrier, mostly male crowd moved it.  Now I’ve seen ETID three times before, but all at Warped Tour.  It was a very different experience seeing them as a headliner.  The guys may be getting older, but that was by far the highest energy, most intense I’ve seen them.  Guitarist Jordan Buckley was particularly on fire.  He was in perpetual motion like the Tasmanian Devil, climbing and jumping off speakers, stage diving and crowd surfing while playing, even having the audience hold up a folding chair that he sat in and played with the crowd supporting him.  His shirts was almost completely torn off, but nothing was going to stop him.  Jordan’s brother Keith was in fine form as their front man, giving the strongest vocal performance I recall hearing from him.  Keith took full advantage of the intimacy of the venue, urging the audience to join them on stage and stage dive.  It was an insane end to a great night.

It seemed like an odd combination when the lineup for this tour was first announced, but it really made for an outstanding experience.  And a Father’s Day gift that this music fan will never forget.

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Category: Live Reviews