Who: Gen X Summer Tour – Buckcherry, P.O.D., Lit, Alien Ant Farm, In The Red, Bad Marriage
Where: The Palladium, Worcester, Massachusetts
When: July 27, 2018
When Friday night rolls around, you can usually find me at a show. This time around I hit up the Gen X Summer Tour.
Local opener Bad Marriage started playing just a few minutes after I entered the venue and they blew me away. Bad Marriage is a good rock ‘n roll band with a Led Zeppelin vibe, but the vocalist also seemed to emulate Jim Morrison of The Doors, which was a lot of fun to watch. The band operated like a unit; their look was cohesive and they all performed in sync. Their set was unfortunately much too short because of the five other bands that needed to hit the stage after them, but they ended up being my favorite band of the night. In The Red, another local band started soon after. Their sound was heavier, more hard rock verging on metal than Bad Marriage, and they were also excellent. Their set started off a bit on the weaker side, but they really hit their stride around the third song (which unfortunately was towards the end of their short set) and were amazing. Bad Marriage and In The Red are perfect examples of why you should always show up early to watch the first bands on stage; you never know what kind of talent you could miss if you come late.
Alien Ant Farm was the first of the touring bands to hit the stage. I have never been a huge fan of Alien Ant Farm, but I was really impressed by how good they sound live. Their set started with “Bad Morning” and cruised into “Forgive and Forget,” “Movies,” “These Days,” “Sticks & Stones,” and “Slick Thief.” They also performed their top-notch cover of “Smooth Criminal.” The first two bands had been really energetic, and Alien Ant Farm did not keep that up, but their years of experience showed in how easily they handled the audience. Lit was on next and they were the band that I was most excited to see live. “American Girl” got their set off to a great set and brought the energy back up. “Ziplock” was next and “Someday Maybe” was one of the best songs of the set. “Good Problem To Have,” “Miserable,” “Last Time,” “Four,” and of course “My Own Worst Enemy” completed the setlist. At the end of the set, bass player Kevin Baldes had his family side stage and brought his son on stage at the end of the set to throw out picks, which was cute. Their set was also relatively, but they did great with the time that they had.
P.O.D. was on next and ended being my favorite of the touring bands, which was surprising to me since I have never been more than a casual fan of their music. They were energetic and seemed to enjoy every single minute that they were performing; their stage presence was remarkable. “Boom,” “Rock The Party,” and “SouthTown” were performed relentlessly, one after the other, and the energy just kept building and building the longer they were on stage. “Soundboy Killa,” “Southern Cali In My Head” which was a new song, “Youth Of The Nation,” “Rocking With The Best,” “On Fire,” “Beautiful,” and “Alive” were all performed with the same exuberance as the first three songs. P.O.D. had the most receptive and active crowd of all the bands that had performed thus far, which was due to their excellent understanding of what the audience wanted and how to give it to them. POD blew me away and I would see them again in a heartbeat.
Headliners Buckcherry came on last and immediately went into “Ridin’,” Broken Glass,” and “Slamin’.” “Rose,” “Lit Up,” “Say Fuck It,” “Oh My Lord,” “Rescue Me,” “2 Drunk,” “Sorry,” “Chaos Is The Ladder,” “Gluttony,” “Crazy Bitch,” “Out Of Line,” and “Roadhouse Blues” constituted a really solid setlist that appealed to the fans in the audience. Buckcherry came to work and did not laze around the stage. Vocalist Josh Todd did a great job of making sure to sing to the fans on the barricade, in the back of the venue, sitting on the balcony, and everyone in between. Guitarist Stevie D. was one of the most fun artists of the night to watch.
It is always interesting seeing local bands open for big names who have been around for years because you get to compare firsthand how they go about their performances. Both local bands, Bad Marriage and In The Red, had raw power; they felt hungry for fans and were very energetic. Alien Ant Farm, Lit, POD, and Buckcherry did not have the same raw power. Instead, you could feel the years of experience these bands have picked up. Overall, it was a really interesting mix of sounds that had something for everyone.
–
Post and photos by Karen Shalev
Did you attend this tour? Comment below.
[simple-payment id=”34932″]
Follow Concert Crap on Instagram
Follow Concert Crap on Twitter
Follow us on Snapchat: @ConcertCrap
Or ‘SUBSCRIBE’ to our email newsletter to know the very moment a new post is published!
#ConcertCrap
[contact-form][contact-field label=”Name” type=”name” required=”1″ /][contact-field label=”Email” type=”email” required=”1″ /][contact-field label=”Website” type=”url” /][contact-field label=”Comment” type=”textarea” required=”1″ /][/contact-form]
Leave a Reply