UpRoar
Festival
Stage AE
Pittsburgh, PA
August 19, 2014
I have been to several
UpRoar Festivals over the last couple of years, all in fact except 2013s tour
run and this is a nice star studded affair again this year. Stage AE unfortunately
was not a big enough venue to hold all of the bands so some were left off the
bill for the show. This show opened with a local battle of the bands winner
which screamed and yelled their way through their “painful to listen to” set. I
was not impressed at all and several of my neighbors felt the same way with
remarks of “glad that’s over” and “now my ears can recoup for the rest of the
show.” Up next on the shorten bill was Pop Evil. One of the hottest bands out
and about at this time, Pop Evil, lit up the stage. The second time I seen them
in a month they did not disappoint in either set. Front man, Leigh Kakaty,
commanded the stage like a battlefield and received enough energy back to out
dual the Hoover Dam. These guys have every aspect of a live set down to a tee
and it shows. They added an extra layer of depth to this amazing festival. These
guys are someone that might just be co-headlining this thing in an album or
two. Buckcherry stepped out on the stage next armed with new material that came
out on that date exactly. They rifled through the new material along with some
old stuff. They also talked their way through the set like normal as well as
added their cover segments too. I feel like if you have seen Buckcherry once or
twice, aside from new stuff, then it’s a copy of the last time you seen them.
They are steady in that regard, but they can get predictable in some cases. Skillet
jumps up on stage next with their blend strings, keys, drums, and guitars. The
extra instruments really add to their sound and being live is no different. They
also command the stage while they offer up their messages in and out of songs. They
sound superb live and is a must see. All the extra items that go into a show
production is awesome and is a sight to see. They really brought the show up to
the next level. However, I’m not sure if they really belong on a tour with
Buckcherry, but they took the opportunity and ran away with it. Godsmack
wrapped up this stop with a phenomenal set. Lighting up the stage like Buckcherry
with new and older material they might have stole the show. Sully always loves
to talk in between tracks and also offers up some antics. They seemed like they
never were going to stop and I’m sure the crowd would have loved for that to
happen. They were eating up every note and word that the band was offering up. The
drum battle again might be one of the best things I have seen at a live show
and this one didn’t disappoint at all. I have seen it several times and I get
amped up every time that they bring it out. It’s something to see and a reason
to go and see these guys. Overall this year’s line up was stellar, although Pittsburgh
seen a shortened set. This show is usually breaths outside the city at the Pavilion,
but Stage AE did an excellent job hosting this year’s stop. I would have liked
to see the entire festival, but what I did get to see was well worth the price
of admission in this case. I can’t wait to see what they bring the fans next
year.
Rating: 8 /10
Best Part: Artists / Stage / Setup
Worst: Shortened List
|