But as all good crowds need to be, we all need a bit of lubrication to get us warmed up first. This came in the form of The Hot Melts. It was hard to pin a musical style to the Melts. Imagine that Placebo had been locked in a room with the Beach Boys, and we'd maybe be on the right track as to putting a genre to the band. Frontman Will Bayliss added to the ominous style to the band, with his Harry Potter-esque look. Yet his vocals were certainly magical enough. A great vocal range rang well within the venue, and continued to complement the band throughout the set. The Energy and presence being exerted by bassist Jamie Otsa was certainly worth a look also.
But after The Hot Melts had left the stage, the 'Dance floor' began to swell with people, and the mood began to grow.
The Eagles Of Death Metal knew how to get that Party Started. They emerged to Kool & The Gangs 'Ladies Night'. Swaggering across the stage, Front man Jesse 'The Devil' Hughes, wasted in no time in getting down to the front row to personally greet as many of the ladies in the crowd as he could. Once back up on stage, Hughes had slipped down his rose tinted glasses over his eyes, and the band swaggered into their set.
Song wise, it was a pretty mixed bag, spanning all 3 albums. Titles that really got the crowd moving were classics such as 'I Only Want You', 'Don't Speak (I Came To Make A Bang)' and 'I Gotta Feelin' . A couple of other diamonds were unearthed also, as the boys treated us to a great cover of 'Stuck In The Middle With You' by the Stealers Wheel. Much to the crowd's requests & delight, Hughes treated us to a solo version of their very own 'Cherry Cola'. Always a man for the people, Hughes' interaction with the crowd throughout the evening was stellar. He was always charismatic, forward, yet still charming and a gentleman. It was nice to see the appreciation he truly felt for the crowd. Whether it was making sure we were all still having a good time, or checking all the "Precious babies" (ladies) in the house were all feeling fine.
As for the rest of the band, we were also treated to some delights. Brian 'Big Hands' O'Connor on the bass provided a solid, yet reserved performance. Whilst the awesome 'Darlin' Dave Catching was more than capable of mirroring the fretwork that other founding member Josh Homme would have laid down in the studio. Joey 'The Sexy-Mexy' Castillo pounding away with raw energy and passion on his drums made a perfect finish to a truly talented line-up of musicians. Another addition was the "Ever juicy, Ms Coco Bubbles", who boogied away on stage much to the delight of many gentlemen in the audience. Hughes expressed his appreciation to her performance with a moustache kiss and a slap on the rear as she left the stage.
The highlight of the set had to come in the truly awesome 'I Want You So Hard'. The band by this point had the crowd in full swing, and a timeless performance only enhanced the experience.
All in all, this was a most enjoyable night. To see a band, who are only getting bigger and bigger, and still show the appreciation and love with the fans, made this gig a truly intimate show.
It's a level of intimacy which is so fragile, and so easily lost at a jam packed concert. But with a solid line-up, a front man with a heart the size of Hollywood, and a great atmosphere, we can sleep well at night knowing that this will never be a problem.
Hughes asks us "Can we dig it?" As long as there is peace, love, and death metal, yes. Yes I think we can.
article by: Phil Davies
published: 08/04/2009 07:23
FUTURE GIGS
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