August Burns Red @ Take Action Tour
March 20th, Clifton Springs, NY.
Attended by Kim Worpek
I was brought to this show by a friend who happened to have an extra ticket – given the fact that while I have heard of the attending bands, I’d just never bothered to check them out – I was not particularly excited to go to the show, nor did I really expect to be all that impressed. I’ve been to a lot of hardcore metal shows, and despite the fact that I do thoroughly enjoy the genre it is, as a live presence, in some ways redundant. And that’s not at all to say that I don’t enjoy seeing the shows, but after seeing so many, I feel hard pressed to think of anyone in particular that stands out amongst the rest. It is because of their charismatic stage presence that I chose to write about August Burns Red, of all the bands on this particular tour. As a music fan I know that there is nothing more exhilarating than going to a live show where you feel like you are more than just an audience, where the band make an effort to aknowledge your presence and make you a part of the experience. Vocalist Jake Luhrs lures the crowd in with his outward and friendly persona, even sharing the mic at times, either when crowd surfers make their way up to him, or when he’d go out of his way to bring the mic to the crowd. His constant effort to aknowledge the fans is proven time and again throughout the performance in repeated ‘thank yous’, talking to keep the crowd entertained as drummer Matt Grenier worked to replace a cymbal he’d broken during a song, and even spending time behind the barricade shaking hands and speaking with fans right after the band cleared the stage. Jake is not the only charismatic member of the band – bassist Dustin Davidson was an energetic sight to see as well, alongside guitarists JB Brubaker and Brent Rambler. Brent happened to be playing with a broken foot this evening, and still appeared to feel and exude the energy and spirit of the crowd. And on top of all of this, the music was very well written, and extremely enjoyable. This show has definitely made me a fan, and I look forward to seeing them on other tourdates this season.
-By Kim Worpek