Show Review: Craig Owens Brings Intimate Acoustic Show to Sacramento
Craig Owens
w/ Saint Juniper, Aquageist
Holy Diver
Sacramento, CA
December 15th, 2021
Photos and Review by Jared Stossel
It wasn’t until two days after this show that I found out that Holy Diver, the heavy-metal themed venue in Sacramento, would be closing permanently. The building is being sold, and the shows at the venue throughout the rest of this week are going to be the last ever played in the building. I really liked coming to this venue, and it will be a bummer to see it go, but I was happy to know that, at the very least, I could catch a couple more shows at this place before the end of the week. One of these shows was headlined by none other than Craig Owens, a powerhouse vocalist in the post-hardcore community. Owens is probably best known as the former vocalist of Chiodos, but he has gone on to front numerous other projects, including D.R.U.G.S. (which currently has new music on the horizon), Cinematic Sunrise, and Isles & Glaciers, just to name a few.
D.R.U.G.S. were set to head out on tour in support of their upcoming new album but opted to postpone until early 2022 (the band have since announced that they’ll be heading out on the road next winter with Scary Kids Scaring Kids). But Owens decided to embark on a brief run of solo tour dates, which showed him performing a wide variety of songs from throughout his catalogue.
The show was opened by two local acts, Aquageist and Saint Juniper, who both provided equally entertaining acoustic sets that got the crowd excited, only adding to the anticipation for the evening’s headlining set.
This was a unique performance from Owens; the focus was on his abilities as a singer-songwriter, and he sounded pitch perfect from throughout the set that pulled songs from his entire catalogue. The set list began with “Intensity In Ten Cities”, with Owens on acoustic guitar, belting the words to the classic Bone Palace Ballet song with confidence and excellent showmanship. Just one song in and its clear why Craig Owens is still one of the best vocalists and performers in this scene.
The set list included some rare tracks like “Graveyard Weather” (Isles & Glaciers), “You Told Me You Loved Me” (Cinematic Sunrise) and Chiodos’ “To Trixie and Reptile, Thanks for Everything”, along with some selections from the first D.R.U.G.S. album like “Mr. Owl Ate My Metal Worm” and “Graveyard Dancing”. Owens delivered every single note with absolute perfection, and there was never a dull moment. The show concluded with “Baby, You Wouldn’t Last a Minute on The Creek”; this may not have been a full-band show, but the crowd reacted like it was, clamoring on top of one another as they screamed the words to the epic concluding track right back at Owens.
One thing is for certain; no matter what Craig Owens decides to embark on, whether it’s more D.R.U.G.S. records, a new side project, or even a Chiodos reunion (he writes hopefully?), Craig Owens is one of the most gifted songwriters in this scene and watching him perform these songs in a bare bones format only further cements this notion.
Craig Owens Set List
Intensity In Ten Cities (Chiodos)
Mr. Owl Ate My Metal Worm (Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows)
To Trixie and Reptile, Thanks For Everything (Chiodos)
Graveyard Dancing (Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows)
A Letter From Janelle (Chiodos)
You Told Me You Loved Me (Cinematic Sunrise)
Lindsay Quit Lollygagging (Chiodos)
I Wanna Be Alone (badXchannels)
Cemetery Weather (Isles & Glaciers)
Baby, You Wouldn’t Last A Minute On The Creek (Chiodos)
Craig Owens
www.facebook.com/craigeryowens
Twitter: @craigowens
Instagram: @craigowens
Saint Juniper
www.facebook.com/saintjuniperca
Instagram: @saintjuniperca
Aquageist
www.facebook.com/Aquageist
Twitter: @aquegeist
Instagram: @aquageist96
