Friday night in mid-town, despite the cold and slippery snow outside, was hot as hell inside The Best Buy Theater. BVB Army came to worship at The Church Of The Wild Ones Tour and their idols proved worthy of that praise and devotion.
In this era of the music industry, it is so hard to find truly talented artists much less have them on such a perfectly cast tour. Starting with local rock band, Wild Street, warming up the crowd with 70's-80's inspired arena-style rock, this show had the potential to be the "best show in town" anywhere in the city...and it was.
Next up was William Control. To say that this guy is born for the stage is an understatement. He has it all, charisma, costuming, the voice, songs and acting skills. Control has created this 19th century Poe-like gentleman character who performs songs from his current album "Silentium Amoris". The character is believable and grabs the audience from the minute William comes on stage. He does not let go of the audience until he has left that stage. With his gritty, baritone he pulls you into his world of darkness yet makes song's like "Kiss Me Judas" alluring, beautiful. In fact many of his lyrics are actually more than a little romantic. At this performance he achieved his desire to get the audience to dance and sing-along. The energy from the stage spread through the crowd and had everyone moving. He more than filled the bill of getting the crowd primed for the the headliners by the time he was done.
Black Veil Brides are the definition of perfection. A caveat to put this review in perspective; this journalist is not a huge metal fan. This band is the exact right five guys who, when they collaborate the music that is at their core, create a sound, a stage presence, a production that is spot on. Not often does a group this good come along. When William Control introduced them he said "this time next year this band will be playing full-on arena tours". He's absolutely right and if they're not then this industry is even more broken than is perceived right now. They opened the set with the title track for their new album "Wretched And Divine" which dropped a few weeks ago. Despite illnesses the entire band brought it from Andy's gravel vocals to intricate guitar duets between Jinxx and Jake. Ashley works the crowd while never missing a note of the bass line. Although CC is kinda of hidden with the stage set-up, that crazy drum line comes through loud and clear. Black Veil Brides is one of those bands that is even better live than they are recorded.
The setlist covered all three of Black Veil Brides studio albums. From "We Stitch These Wounds" came "Children Surrender", "Perfect Weapon" and "Knives and Pens", BVB's very first single. From their sophomore album "Set The World on Fire" the band turned out "Rebel Love Song", "New Religion", "Youth & Whiskey", "The Legacy" and closed the regular set with the anthem "Fallen Angels", which had the entire crowd singing along. Finally from the new album besides the title track; "Resurrect The Sun", "Nobody's Hero", and "I am Bulletproof". Although Jinxx classical roots on violin were only featured in a recorded track of "Overture" during a break, there was also live rock bowing for "Shadows Die". Black Veil also took on a cover that can be subject to a real "love-hate" reaction. Their rendition of Billy Idol's iconic "Rebel Yell" resulted in a big "love". They totally nailed it yet made it their own. The show was closed with an encore of "In The End". The band brought William Control back on stage to sing in on the song.
Black Veil Brides are on the road to massive success. This show showcased their professionalism, their charisma and courage along with their phenomenal musical chops. Andy, speaking for himself and the band, constantly reinforced the message to everyone that this was not about them, this was about the people who came to see them. It was about finding the guts to be yourself and sometimes going against the grain to do that. Their message to budding musicians? "Believe that you can be better than us? Go start your own band and do it." which was a challenge for them to honestly go be an amazing band not a statement of ego. Even with all the dark themes in their costumes, artwork and "bad boy" rep that metal has, Black Veil Brides are promoting a very positive message. They are/were the kids they are bringing that message to so they deliver it from the heart and the fans get it. Whenever this band is playing someplace that you can get to their shows, go!
For more on Black Veil Brides
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William Control
Official Site
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