Bob caught wind of a crazy Australian band called Parkway Drive on Sirius XM’s Octane channel and suggested I check them out. I am not sure which of their songs I heard first but they definitely sounded like something that was worth further inspection.
This was the first show I had been to at Soma for about eight years and once Bob and I arrived I could not help but notice the larger security presence all around, although this could have been due to the heavier nature of the bands playing. It was a far cry from being able to walk in the back door like Marvin and I used to do. I had also forgotten what a sweatbox Soma is. When we entered to see the last half of August Burns Red I was quickly reminded that there is zero ventilation in that place so you are going to sweat even if you decide to watch the show in a stationary position.
Parkway Drive was touring for their sixth album Reverence that was released on May 4th and this was the opening night of the tour. Right after I randomly ran into the gal that cuts my hair the house sound system started playing quite the warmup of singalong 80’s songs such as Mr. Mister’s “Kyrie,” Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’,” and Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ On A Prayer,” which I thought was a very funny tongue-in-cheek move for such a heavy band.
Once the band came out the crowd went absolutely apeshit. Usually a small mosh pit will erupt near the front of the stage but for Parkway Drive the mosh pit went front to back. It was full on meathead madness with more than one person cruising around throwing haymakers. I was completely sober and not entirely familiar with the songs so it was interesting trying to hold the position I was in. Some idiot kept finding water bottles and windmilling them over his head so I was soaked in no time but to be fair I was already gross from sweating and it did feel kind of good.
Frontman Winston McCall did a great job of well, being a frontman. He was able to continually whip the crowd into a frenzy with just a few choice words and commanded the stage like that was exactly where he was supposed to be. The dual guitar attack of Luke Kilpatrick and Jeff Ling fed well off of one another and the rhythm section of Jia O’Connor and Ben Gordon held down the fort. The songs are very accessible. I don’t want to say predictable breaks but rather something akin to following along with the bouncing ball onscreen. Digestible. All I know is that Parkway Drive made a new fan that night.
SETLIST: Wishing Wells, Prey, Carrion, Vice Grip, Dedicated, Boneyards, Cemetery Bloom, The Void, Idols and Anchors, Dead Man’s Chest, Karma, Absolute Power, Wild Eyes, Crushed, Bottom Feeder
