By snoadmin
A sea of 16-year-olds in black jeans, studded belts, eyeliner and side-swept fringes greeted the West Coast Revival Tour at Chain Reaction in Anaheim on Thursday night. Aiden and friends played their hearts out, delivering the sold-out crowd a night full of passion, energy and enough sweat to make even the most waterproof eyeliner run.
Relative scene newcomer Night Kills The Day opened the show to a rather lackluster crowd. Hailing from New York City, the four-piece indie rock band played songs off its debut album “The Study of Man…,” including “Pornography” and the crowd favorite “Rainbows in NYC.”
While the group had a solid performance, it was obvious that the audience was not familiar with the music and was more interested in what was to follow. Despite this lack of response, vocalist Luke Brian did everything possible to build up some form of excitement and finally got some success during the last song by jumping into the audience. Next up was Long Beach’s own I Am Ghost, which performed an array of songs off its debut LP “Lovers’ Requiem.” Appearing on stage amidst a cloud of smoke and dim lighting, IAG got the crowd throwing down like there was no tomorrow. During the lengthy introduction track, one enthusiastic fan warned the crowd to “prepare to have their faces melt off,” which aptly described the environment of the band’s entire set.
Opening with “Dark Carnival of the Immaculate,” IAG displayed an abundance of guitar solos and bass flips throughout its entire 35-minute set. A lineup change did not affect the dynamic of the band at all, and it ended with a promise that the future of IAG will be “a lot darker.”
Following I Am Ghost, the crowd was in for another energetic performance, this time from New York hardcore band From Autumn to Ashes. Pleasing fans with a combination of older and more recent favorites, including tracks off its new LP “Holding a Wolf by the Ears,” FATA continued the pace and played 40 solid minutes of breakdowns and throwdowns.
Vocalist Francis Mark acknowledged and thanked the older demographic of the audience, dedicating the track “Reflections” – the first song the band ever wrote – to “those old enough to have seen [the band] at Chain Reaction before.” It got a loud cheer from the few fans over 21. Following this, FATA worked through “Sugarwolf” before ending with the new single “Pioneers.”
After the opening bands completed their sets, the crowd stood in anticipation for the Seattle-based band Aiden to hit the stage. As the sound tech crew set up the equipment, the area at the front of the stage grew increasingly crowded with people trying to get as close as possible to the action.
As soon as the lights dimmed and Aiden stepped on stage, the band filled Chain Reaction with its infectious energy and passion for music. Vocalist William “wiL” Francis captured the attention of the crowd with an onstage performance that had more energy than I have ever witnessed at Chain Reaction. While plugging his band’s soon-to-be-released album “Conviction,” Francis said it was his conviction for the music he plays and the scene he is in that inspires him to tour and play to fans.
He applauded both the management of Chain Reaction and the audience members for making Chain “a place one can be themselves with out worrying about their gender, appearance, sexual orientation or age” before launching into an extended version of “Die Romantic.” One young fan who managed to get on stage was obviously star-struck when Francis gave her a hug while singing the words “Die Romantic” repeatedly into her ear.
As Aiden approached the end of its set, the usually strictly enforced “no crowd surfing” rule employed at Chain was disregarded by fans, with a constant flow of bodies being thrown up into the air and on stage. Each fan that made it to the stage was greeted with a hug and a smile from an appreciative Francis.
The sincerity Aiden has for its fans shone through the haze of smoke and lighting, leaving both fans and non-fans alike blown away by the strong 45-minute set.
As soon as the band left the stage, the crowd erupted into a chant for one more song. After more than five minutes, those that stuck around were treated to a 15-minute encore and the well-known “wall of death” that is a staple of Aiden shows.
Ending in an extended version of “I Set My Friends On Fire,” Francis lead the crowd in an almost too-enthusiastic chant of “Burn your friends,” of which someone jokingly pulled out a lighter and pretended to hold it up to his friend. As Aiden thanked the crowd once more and invited fans to go next door to get signatures and photos, the exhausted and satisfied audience quickly left the building in a rush to get to the front of the line.
This brought the West Coast Revival Tour to a close, and from the reactions of those leaving Chain Reaction, it was clear that this tour was one that will remain in their minds for a while to come.
