In Flames
The Warfield
San Francisco, CA
November 21, 2008
In Flames is by far one of my favorite bands. I’ve liked their music for some time now, but never really got into them until I saw them live the first time at Sounds of the Underground in August ’08. Since then, I’ve seen them a total of 4 times, and their live performances have never really seized to amaze me. This show was different for me. Every time I’ve seen them, in the past, has been back at home in good ‘ol Minnesota. What international band gets excited to play in a place like the Midwest? So, to be able to see one of my favorite live bands in a city like San Francisco was definitely exciting for me!
A metal show at a regal place like the Warfield was a little weird for me. When I walked in, it wasn’t one huge open area, like I’m use to. Instead, you had one small merchandise area, a hallway stretching around the back of the venue, stairs to a large balcony full of seating, and doors to the floor. The floor had several different levels with tables on the highest couple levels, open standing area on the next levels, then the small, open floor for moshing, pushing, kicking, and such. I didn’t understand how a metal show could survive with such a small open floor, but I guarantee you everyone that wanted to be near the mosh was, and everyone who wanted to get hammered was hanging out at one of the 5 bars in the venue.
Opening the show was 36 Crazyfists. Hailing from Anchorage, they sure know what it takes to make Alaska metal. Honestly, when I lived in Alaska I fell into an acoustic funk, losing everything that made me metal. I knew who they were before the show; a native Alaskan friend introduced them to me this past summer. These guys proved to me that brutality exists in even the most remote places of this country. Their performance was energetic, fun, and rugged, like every mountain man should be. Not too many people in the crowd knew who they were, but the band seemed to connect with the crowd, who seemed to be sporting the devil horns.
I really wasn’t expecting much from the second band, Gojira. I looked them up ahead of time and didn’t get that good of a first impression. My friend from home, who saw them a week and a half before me, said they were the definition of metal, so I expected black leather suits and chains (as you would see on Behemoth). They really surprised me with their ability to capture the audience. You could really tell that Jean Michael, the bassist, loves his job! He consistently had the same upbeat energy on stage that a musician would have during the first shows of their career. Mosh pits formed and people were rocking out throughout the entire venue to the dark tunes of Gojira.
All That Remains was the following band. I came to one conclusion at this show, people were either there for All That Remains or In Flames, and if you were there for any other band… you were one of few. Going to the show, I only knew of their album “Fall of Ideals,” so I was really hoping to hear a few songs off that CD. They just came out with a new album in September, “Overcome,” which took over a majority of their set. The ATR fans really seemed to be familiar with their new songs, because the crowd was constantly in motion. When they played “This Calling” and “The Air That I Breathe,” the whole venue started rocking out to these familiar songs. Oli Herbert, guitarist, had a few sick solos throughout their set, but unfortunately it seemed the amp was turned down until their last few songs. Overall, I was really impressed with their performance, even the part where Phil Labonte, the lead singer, told all the wimps to get out of the pit… To all the people who don’t like getting pushed around on the floor: do him a favor and take his advice.
And then the headliner, and my heroes, In Flames, took over the stage. To be quite honest, I don’t even remember what song they opened with, because I was still in awe that I was right by the stage and only an arm’s length away from Anders Friden. The show started strong and the crowd went wild. As soon as I was done taking pictures, I handed the camera off and jumped into the mosh. In the middle of the show, In Flames started playing a lot of their new songs, from their album “A Sense of Purpose,” and some old songs from some of their first CDs, one being “Whoracle.” Unfortunately, In Flames seemed to have lost the crowd for a bit in there, but picked up the show again with their song “The Quiet Place.” The band ended as strong as they started, leaving the crowd begging for an encore! Although In Flames’ sound changed with their newest album, they have plenty of dedicated fans that continue to attend their shows to support them. They continue to be one of my favorite bands and live performances, by far.
I’m really looking forward to In Flames’ next project, whether it is a new album or a live DVD, but we’ll have to wait until they finish off their international tours.
-Damara Kautz
