Orlando Concert

[Lotha]

"Dreams are not theirs to take, that's right"
He DID say "that's right"

[AHart96]

that performance of ODR was PHENOMINAL

[AllC392Was]

Did anyone see DC3 filming?

[Timotheus]

Short piece of Ghost Of Days Gone By.. Played on a slower tempo

[youtube]http://youtu.be/qKsYc-VPo1M[/youtube]

[zazthespaz]

Did anyone see DC3 filming?

Not him personally but his crew yes. I'll probably show up a couple times in whatever videos appear. I was told to rock out hard when the camera was on me and man i put on a show.

[anguyen92]

Did anyone see DC3 filming?

Not him personally but his crew yes. I'll probably show up a couple times in whatever videos appear. I was told to rock out hard when the camera was on me and man i put on a show.

Were you, uhhhhh ummmmmmm, spazing out?

[Ryan]

see if this works...amazing crowd!!

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10152574618065400

[AllC392Was]

any videos of the "Uninvited" yet?

[austinjhnsn]

Does anyone know of anywhere that has a good amount of pictures from the show? Would like to see some good quality pics of the show.

[Ryan]

Not yet.

Jim videoed The Uninvited. I posted the link somewhere...I think in the concert connections area?

[blackbird_66]

CoA sounded beyond killer! Glad to hear Flip and Brian...Brian looked stoked to be center stage rocking out!

[Ryan]

Did that Facebook video I posted work?

[abw1987]

Well I finally found some time to assemble my review. I thought I’d write about the entire experience, but if you’re only interested in reading about the concert itself, scroll down to the Alter Bridge's Set section below.

The Lead-Up

In the weeks preceding up to the concert, I could tell it was going to be something special. The anticipation surrounding Fortress and the return of Alter Bridge was palpable. Facebook was flooded with fans posting that they had just bought their tickets, booked their flights, and reserved their hotel rooms. It would be the first time Alter Bridge performed songs off of Fortress, and their only USA date of the year. I knew I could not miss this once-in-a-lifetime show.

My flight got into Orlando on Thursday evening. I had been given a Jetta, but my Avis status allowed me to grab a Mustang off the lot. (Only one way to ride in style to an AB show! ) I ended up working in my hotel room until about 1:30am, which was unfortunate since I could've joined everyone at dinner with Dan Catullo. By the time I finally got to bed, I was so excited for the concert that I barely fell asleep.

I woke up around 8:00, got ready for the show, and gorged myself on the lousy Fairfield Inn breakfast. With all the people flying in from far away places, I knew I had to get in line early. When I arrived at around 9:30, there were already probably 8 people in line. I reunited with my old pals Ryan, Greg, and Cameron, and finally got to meet Jim after all these years! As I expected, Jim was such a cool guy -- very friendly and a hilarious wit. I also had the privilege of meeting his friend Greg 2, also from England. And of course Ryan, Greg, and Zaz were as fun as ever.

We all had a great time hanging out all day. I've definitely been bored waiting in lines before, but not this time. I met so many new people, and everyone was incredibly nice. (I hope to see a few of them around the boards!) Interestingly, for the first time I met a guy who knew of Alter Bridge because he was originally a Mayfield Four fan. It truly was an Alter Bridge pilgrimage, and Orlando was our Mecca. There were folks from all over the USA, England, Argentina, Russia, Nicaragua... the list goes on. There was Steve Wood (Alter Bridge's manager), and the whole Fret 12 crew, not to mention all the band's friends and family. EVERYONE was there.

Leading up to the show, there was an energy that I haven't felt in a long time. This was going to be the band's first show in 18+ months. Their only US show this year. And the first time they would publicly perform songs off of Fortress. It was electric.

Once doors opened, we speed-walked to the stage. Jim and Ryan had gotten in a bit early, and were holding down rail space for us like champs. Luckily we had been tipped off in advance about the new stage layout, so we easily found ourselves a spot on the left side of the rail. The place soon filled up. Before long, the show was about to start.

The Openers

The first opener was Man the Mighty. In case you haven't heard of them, they are Tremonti's label-mates on Fret 12. Their guitarist, Tim, is also COO of Fret 12, and records many instructional videos for the site. The band did a decent job of warming up the crowd, considering that most folks were unfamiliar with their songs. Unfortunately the poor mix made it difficult to follow the songs, but you could tell they carried a good balance of melody and instrumental technique. Tim is obviously a very proficient guitarist, and he's not afraid to show it. If anything, I'd say he has outgrown the rest of his band.

Next to take the stage were a local Orlando band called SoulSwitch, who I had seen open for Tremonti at the Social last year. Their set was tight and obviously well-rehearsed. It was perhaps a bit too choreographed; almost cabaret. Between their outfits, the backdrops, the light-up fretboards, and the stage risers, they definitely had a schtick. Again, the mix made it difficult to discern their songs. They were high-energy, and did a good job of interacting with the crowd. Even their drummer would peer out between his cymbals with crazy wide eyes to make eye contact with folks on the rail.

By the time the openers finished, the crowd was ready for Alter Bridge. The energy I felt outside in line was only amplified by the intimacy of the venue. The crowd was hungry. Ravenous, in fact. As the crew set up the stage, I was delighted to see that we had picked the perfect spot; Myles would be right in front of us. Dan came by and told us that two cameras would be filming the entire show, so we should be sure to rock out extra hard tonight. None of us objected to this! Soon the chants started. "Al-ter Bridge! Al-ter Bridge!" And then the lights went down.

Alter Bridge's Set

One of Alter Bridge's typical intro tracks began playing through the PA, creating an ominous mood. The crowd erupted as each band member took the stage, surrounded in darkness. We heard several "whooshing" sounds, indicating that "Addicted to Pain" was about to start. As soon as Mark hit the opening power chord, the place went wild. "Addicted to Pain" truly was the perfect opener. Each audience member was singing along at the top of his lungs. I saw Myles crack a smile during the chorus, as if he didn't expect people to be so familiar with the song yet. In no time at all, my suspicions about this show's exceptionality were confirmed.

Throughout the night, the band appeared to be overcome by their extraordinarily warm reception. Several times, I caught Myles fighting a smile whenever the crowd sang along to a new song or cheered for one of his guitar solos. This was the first time I had ever gotten a spot directly in front of Myles, and I was surprised by just how much he interacted with individuals in the crowd. He would routinely make eye contact with me and the guys around me, giving a nod of approval whenever he saw someone singing along.

You probably all saw that the stage was arranged a bit differently than usual. Myles was set up on the audience's left, Mark was in his usual spot to the right, and Brian was in front of Flip with his own monitor in the middle of the stage. This left the front-and-center position as a free zone that anyone could occupy if they wanted. Mark and Myles mainly remained on their sides, but occasionally wandered to the middle or the other sides of the stage. Since Brian was no longer relegated to the left side, he moved about much more freely, as if the stage was his domain. Speaking of Brian, the guy looked great; really cut. It's clear that his year of sobriety has had a very positive effect on him.

Anyone who's been on the rail knows that the sound mix is rarely ideal. Usually you're drowned by whoever's amps are facing you. Luckily, I could hear everyone clearly enough, and had no trouble following along with the songs. Overall, the band sounded really tight. This was in no small part thanks to Flip pacing most of the songs at the proper tempo. As Ryan confirmed after the show, Flip used a click track for about half of the songs. Given how complex some of the drum parts are on Fortress, I was admittedly concerned that they would be too difficult to play live, but Flip nailed them all.

The other guys were on point as well. Of course Mark sounded as beastly as ever... the guy makes it look too easy. Myles also has some pretty complex guitar parts on Fortress, and translated them perfectly to the live setting. Brian sounded crisp, and the room rumbled when he let his bass ring out a few times throughout the night. Despite having not played a concert in 18+ months, and this being the first time they ever played five of their songs live, they were in tip-top shape.

What truly set this show apart was the raw passion expressed between the countless hardcore fans and the guys in the band. It was as if all of the biggest fans around the world had assembled for one special night, and the band -- not expecting this -- responded in kind. The guys were delighted. Myles said "these are the true die-hards", and had to step back a few times just to soak it all in. The audience was one of the most energetic and participative I've ever encountered. Everyone was headbanging, horns in the air, belting out the words to Alter Bridge's oldest and newest songs.

Rather than run down the set list with generic assessments of each song (e.g., "this one ripped!"), I'll just touch on the new songs and a couple other highlights.

• "Addicted to Pain"
  As I mentioned, this was a fantastic opener. The opening riff gave us the chance to cheer loudly before the song settled into its main groove. From the opening line, the whole crowd was belting out the words. The choruses were also greats singalongs. The bridge was a true headbanger, and Mark nailed the solo. Flip did lose/break a stick at once point, but the band didn't miss a beat. The song ended perfectly with the headbanging reprise of the bridge.
• "Come to Life"
  CTL will always be one of my favorite live tracks, with its huge riffs and headbanging opportunity. What surprised me most was the tempo at which they played it. As many of you who watched the videos have pointed out, it was played at a much closer pace to the album version than usual. I presume Flip was using his click track, and I definitely appreciated it. The song has such a better pocket at its intended pace, and Myles can take his time singing the words.
• "Farther Than the Sun"
  A few songs into the set, we were treated with another Fortress track. The song maintains its swinging groove in concert. A bunch of us in the front row tried to snap our fingers during the chorus, (alluding to the interview when Myles compared the rhythm to a Michael Bublé song), but I don't think the band noticed . The main riff is a beast (another headbanger!), and the chorus is yet another solid singalong. One highlight was getting to see Myles actually shred live for the first time on an Alter Bridge song. He played his portion of the solo with pure precision.
• "Cry of Achilles"
  This is the song I was most looking forward to live. Needless to say, it was incredible. As soon as Myles announced the song, the crowd went wild. He played the intro on his regular guitar (amps set to clean, of course), and then paused before the main song, giving the audience a chance to cheer once again. I was a bit disappointed with the way "such an awful fate" was half-assed, since it's such a beautiful harmony on the album. I'm guessing the guys just need more time to get used to singing and playing that part of the song at the same time. That said, I almost cried during this song, especially when the chorus went into half time. Everyone sang along with the chorus, and I think the guys were legitimately wowed. I also loved how everyone cheered for Brian during his little bass feature leading into the bridge.
• "The Uninvited"
  I knew this would be a fun one due to its metal elements, and it translated very well live. Out of all the songs drum tracks, this one probably made me the most nervous, but Flip handled it like a champ. Watching videos of concert I noticed that it was played a bit faster than the album, but I didn't even notice it live. I'm guessing Flip had stopped using his click track by this point in the show. Either way, it's very clear that he's been practicing. He's really stepped it up. One funny part was that Mark couldn't quite hit the high note in "for the blood" during the chorus (but bless him, he tried). He might want to resort to a lower harmony in future shows. Other than that, "The Uninvited" was a real treat.
• "Cry a River"
  This was the fifth and final new song they played, and they killed it. The audience was all over the chorus of this one. Another highlight was seeing Myles play the lead during the start of the bridge and again at the end -- very cool!
• The proposal
  As if this concert wasn't special enough, we got to witness an marriage proposal. As soon as "Rise Today" ended, I figured the guys were about to take their encore break. Instead they brought on stage one of our Alter Bridge brothers (and fellow TABNer) named Donny, with his girlfriend Anabela. I have met both of them several times in line for concerts; in fact, I saw Donny the day of this show, and he gave literally no indication of nervousness. Up on stage, he told the audience about how he had met his girlfriend in line for an Alter Bridge concert, and how much the band has meant to them over the years. I was fighting back tears the whole time! With the audience cheering him on, he got down on one knee and proposed. Of course she said yes, and the crowd went nuts.
• "Isolation"
  Immediately following the proposal, the band went into "Isolation", which Myles introduced as a fittingly "romantic" song. As always, this was an audience favorite. The crowd sang along with the entire song -- verses, choruses, and bridge alike. Everyone was bouncing around and headbanging. Alter Bridge could have honestly ended the show here; "Isolation" served as a perfect closer to the main set.
• "One Day Remains"
  This track was as awesome as ever, except that -- like "Come to Life" -- it was actually played at the correct tempo! I hadn't heard it that way in years. Awesome.
• "Open Your Eyes"
  As much grief as this song gets, (and I'm as guilty as anyone,) it was good to see it back at the very end of the set list. The audience sang along as loud as ever during the bridge, and Mark's solo provided the ultimate climax to this perfect night.

After playing their final notes, the guys got together and took a bow as they usually do. I think everyone in the audience knew that they had just witnessed something extraordinary. We all love this band so much; everyone wanted them to know how glad we were to finally have them back after so long. The entire place was lit up with energy. It's shows like these that convince me rock and roll is still alive and well in the USA. Sure, it took a grand assembly of fans from across the globe to make it happen, but I think we all left there with a glimmer of hope in our hearts.

The Aftermath

When the dust settled, Cameron and I headed outside while the other guys were lucky to be invited upstairs for the after-party. Greg joined us shortly thereafter, and we went to look at the sidewalk chalk art. Little did we know that we had found the backdoor exit of the venue, and we saw Myles make his way out. Knowing how swamped he probably was, we quickly thanked him for the great show, and he went on his way. A few minutes later we saw Flip walking out with his wife and daughter, and we quickly gave him our props as well.

A little while later we met the rest of the gang who were bowling upstairs at Splitsville. I was honored to meet Dan Catullo, who is extremely nice. I know he sometimes gets a bad rap around here from an annoyingly vocal minority, but he's a genuinely cool guy. Later we all walked to the parking lot, and a very drunk old man pulled up in a boat of a vintage car and started taunting us. Apparently some of the guys had seen him walking to his car carrying a giant margarita. He was going on and on about his car's 5.7L engine, and someone challenged him -- "well let's see it!" He initiated a massive burnout in the parking lot, which engulfed us in a cloud of rubber smoke. After he sped off, we saw that somehow he had only been spinning his back right wheel. What his left wheel was doing, we have no idea .

When I got back to my room, it was almost 3am. Since I had to get up early the next morning, I immediately hit the bed. I was exhausted, but I felt so alive.

Photos

Unfortunately my real camera is broken; the lens jammed about eight months ago and I haven't bothered to get it fixed. But I did try to take some pictures on my phone.

House of Blues:



Mod photo! Ryan, Jim, and me:



The line by mid-afternoon. If you look closely, you can see that it wraps around the building:



I took a photo of Brian's station, since I thought the lone monitor looked pretty cool in the middle of the stage:



And a few of the band:













Final Thoughts

So where did this show rank for me? There are a few contenders. For instance, my first Alter Bridge show in 2004 at the Croc Rock in Allentown, PA will always hold a special place in my heart. That's the day I first met the band, and also my first time on a rail. And then there's the Camden (London) show in 2007, which occurred in the most intimate of venues, and carried a similar energy of excitement over Blackbird's immanent release. And I'll never forget Amsterdam, which was an entirely different experience, being in such a large venue. I don't know, but this Orlando show may very well be #1.

[Timotheus]

Nice review great read!

[One Drew Remains]

That was awesome. Thanks for sharing, mang.

[AB23]

Great job ABW. I wish you guys would've taken a pic of everyone from TABN!

[Ryan]

We don't like zaz though.

[zazthespaz]

Great job ABW. I wish you guys would've taken a pic of everyone from TABN!

Close enough... Greg was taking the actual picture, but I've got a pic of him too but that's without Ryan...

also, please ignore the copious amounts of acne... even though I enjoy flying, it stresses the hell out of me...

further also, i'm realizing how gross my teeth look in that picture. please know it is just the filter.

We don't like zaz though.

HEY!

Excellent review ABW, couldn't have put it any better! Great trip, glad you were a part of it!

[AB23]

So I am bigger than jim....

hahaha all kidding aside, why would you flip off the camera. that's obese guys.

[abw1987]

obese