Concert Review: Saliva

Last night I was able to see Saliva, in concert, for the second time. I must say that I think I am now a converted Saliva fan. I never was a big fan, but I never really listened to them outside of the radio hits. More on that in a bit. First I must give a quick rundown of the opening acts.

Pillowface. This is the third time I have seen these guys, and this was probably their best performance. The singer has a good voice and they got some good, if radio-friendly, rhythms. This is a band to keep an eye on. The singer looked a bit like a mini-Vin Diesel, and could use a bit more energy, but they did a decent job of getting the crowd going. They were helped by a good mix.

Skillet. They have just released their first album on Lava records, and they were pretty good. They had some technical difficulties at first, as it seemed that only the band's stage monitors were on, the main speakers weren't on. Once we got the sound going, they put on a decent set, it got the pit moving, though I preferred the Pillowface set. Another problem with these guys, is that the singer's voice sounded raspy, not on purpose, like it was shot from the night before.

Earshot. This band really didn't do much for me, they weren't bad, it just wasn't my style. They are on the rise currently with 2 albums on the shelves, we'll see how they develop.

Saliva. I saw these guys last year, it was a good show, but the AC was busted and it was about 120 degrees in the club. Needless to say, the heat distracted me from completely enjoying the show. Like I said earlier, I've never been a big fan, not that I disliked them, it's more like indifference. I am now a convert to the Salivary Army. They put on a great show, high energy, great playing, plus a great crowd on top of it. They are a lot heavier than I thought they were. They played all the radio hits, Click Click Boom, Superstar, Always, plus a number of cuts from their third album coming next month. I'd recommend checking them out if you are a fan of heavy rock. It is nice to hear a popular rock/metal act that doesn't rely on rapping for the vocal stylings, good to hear some actual singing.

I have some phone-cam pictures from the show posted over at The Victim to check out.