In This Moment w/ Motionless In White, Kyng, and All Hail The Yeti
The Regency Ballroom
San Francisco, CA
November 26, 2013
Finally. A show where literally all of the artists get what it takes to put on a rock n roll show. In This Moment made its stop in the Bay Area on November 26 for their “HELLPOP” U.S. Tour.
ITM were accompanied by a stellar group of openings acts. The first band to take the stage was Los Angeles natives All Hall The Yeti. The second I saw the stage, I got excited. It was lined with intricate stage props. Rams head skulls, masks, banners, you name it. The lights go down and the band take the stage in full makeup and costume. Very fun to watch, and very theatrical. But this was only a small taste of what was to come.
Next up was Kyng. No theatrics were really present in their performance, but they could play! They have real talent! Their music reaches back into the old school roots of heavy metal and classic rock. Their set even included a very solid cover of Van Halen’s “Hot For Teacher” that could rival EVH and co. themselves.
After a lengthy set-up process, metalcore sextet Motionless In White graced the stage. MIW was the only band other than In This Moment that I really knew about before this show. I had listened to some of their records, and I liked their style. I even had the great opportunity to catch their set at Warped Tour a couple years ago. Their performance this time truly showed that these guys are not a forced to be reckoned with.
The lights go out. Fog covers the stage. The simple 5/4 timing, piano laced theme song to John Carpenter’s Halloween pours out of the speakers. (It’s still one of the simplest theme songs ever recorded, but it still invokes the same sheer terror and spine-chilling imagery of the film to this day.) The band members all walk out wearing masks similar to that of Michael Myers, and quickly launch into the first song. Their set goes off without a hitch. Vocalist Chris Motionless commands the stage and crowd, with guttural screams and clean vocals in tact.
As In This Moment prepare to take the stage, a cough-inducing amount of fog fills the room (yes, there can be such a thing as too much fog). But the stage is covered in props and set pieces. We’re not about to see a concert; we’re about to see a performance. A show. Two dancers step onto the podium that graces center stage, wearing masks similar to MIW’s. ITM’s front-woman Maria Brink steps onto the podium, in full costume. The crowd screams. She’s dressed as a ringleader. The word “leader” is important to note here, as she’s definitely the leader of the entire show from this point on.
The band is comprised of extremely talented musicians. Vocalist Brink has a powerful vocal range, both in regards to screaming and clean vocals. She’s confident and sexy. All of these elements come together to make her a powerful leader for a heavy metal band that seem to be miles ahead of their peers in terms of live shows.
My only two problems (very minor) with this show were the fact that the other band members were pretty much hiding behind the fog the entire performance, and that there was a costume change after each song. At the same time though, I ended up looking at the frequent costume changes as a positive aspect of the show. It gives the audience time to take in and digest each song, and it gives each track it’s own identity.
This show completely surpassed my expectations, from the opener to the closing act. Well done.
This has been another shameless promotion.