Show Recap: Comeback Kid @ Marquis Theater

What a fun night. Comeback Kid, my favorite band, was once again playing Denver, a city they've toured often. Unfortunately the last few times CBK have come through Denver they've been on some weird tours, including supporting Rise Against at Red Rock Amphitheater. I've seen them a few times over the years, and i was lucky enough to catch them on Scott Wade's last tour, in fact it was one of his last shows before he quit mid-tour. I am more of a fan of Scott's work as the lead singer than Andrew's, but between them both CBK is still solid.

This tour feature Set Your Goals as the headliner, a band that has as many haters as they do fans. I for one, am not really fan. The other bands in support were The Wonder Years and This Time Next Year, two bands that are alright. I had a soccer game this evening so i decided i would play, then jam down to Denver in time to catch CBK. My plan worked perfectly, as i was collecting my ticket from will call the crowd was filing outside for a smoke-break between the bands. as i headed inside i was just hoping that the break was before CBK, not after! But after seeing Andrew Neufield, frontman for CBK walking around with no sweat, i was confident that my timing couldn't have been better.

I killed some time before their set talking with a kid that recognized my Venia shirt, an up-and-coming Christian hardcore band out of Minneapolis. It was cool that he sought me out after seeing the shirt, not many kids know of Venia, yet. Anyway, i got a good spot on the stairs determined to catch at least one song on video before joining the fracas.

As usual Comeback Kid opened with False Idols Fall, a great song and a great opener. The energy was crazy, the venue was packed and the battle to be heard on the mic was on. If you want to know what happens at a hardcore show, basically every kid is battling to get a chance to scream some lines into the microphone, clawing their way to the stage, going over or through people on the way. After you cross the pit of hardcore dancers (think kung-fu meets roid-rage) you must work your way through the gang chorus, about 5-6 people deep at the front of the stage. then you must impress the singer enough that he'll pass you the mic, then you have to show that you know what you're doing and sing the right words. after that, you get your street cred! haha.

Anyway, after the opening song CBK barreled through their "hits" like Broadcasting, Die Tonite, All In A Year, Partners In Crime, Talk is Cheap, and i think Defeated. These songs are great for singalongs, and have sweet breakdowns as well. Andrew is a fine frontman, although he looks a little overwhelmed at times and in interviews he's admitted that he'd rather be on guitar than singing. Either way CBK was full of energy, and the crowd didn't disappoint with plenty of head-walkers and hardcore dancing, people were flying everywhere.

Comeback Kid took a moment to thank Denver for being a great place to play, and promised to come back in the fall after their new record comes out. Their last record was recorded in Fort Collins at the Blasting Room, but this time they opted to record in Canada (where they're from). After their little message the played Industry Standards, which was probably the least favorite song from their set, i'm not sure why they played it, but they did, and it only made the next song, Partners in Crime, even better.

Nearing the end of their set, Andrew led the crowd in a singalong of the chorus for Wake the Dead; "you said you said you said, this time was gonna be different...WAKE UP THE DEAD!" a few times before the band blasted into the song. this is easily the most popular CBK song, and rightfully so, it's pretty epic. They usually always close with this song and we all thought this was the end of the set so the place went off. For some reason though, they decided to play one more track, Step Ahead, but most of the place had already decided they were done so it was a little awkward.

After they played i decided to go home, apparently i was not alone in that decision as many others headed for the door as well. Another solid effort by Comeback Kid, when the come through in Fall on a headlining tour it will be even better!

my video of False Idols Fall:
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False Idols Fall lyrics:
YOUR TIME IS UP
We’ve been counting down your days
Going over every false THING YOU SAY
We wish it could be different
We wished you stayed the same
Tearing down our idols
living life OUR OWN WAY
Taking the chance to say

All my heros are dead
All my heros are dead

Were we too blind to see you were only human like me
But we can’t help but feel
Empty words they're all you gave
Struggling to take back our days

They build you up to watch you fall
Can’t you see they can’t be what you want
You build them up to watch them fall

Where did we lose control
We thought it'd last forever

We're come and count away your days
Our heroes are not what they used to be (OUR IDOLS FALL)
Our heroes are not what they used to be (OUR IDOLS FALL AWAY)

Show Recap: Comeback Kid @ Marquis 3/3/08

Oh man, i haven't been to a show in a couple of months, and it was worth the wait

Last night Isaac and I took in a great show at the Marquis Theatre in downtown Denver, Comeback Kid and Crime in Stereo. i'm hurting today.

First Band - Crooked Way: These guys were alright, they're from Denver and you could tell that they were a little raw. They were taking the place of Daggermouth who dropped off the tour about a week ago. Anyway, they were reminiscent of old Comeback Kid, Bane and Champion, good vocals, average guitar work/riffs, and pretty week drumming. They just didn't have any creativity and lacked energy.

Second Band - Steel Nation: Brutal. typical tough-guy east coast hardcore, and man this set was intense. Isaac and i feared for our lives when a fight broke out about halfway through the set between some tough-tattooed dudes. The music was heavy and thumping, and the vocals were very intense, but i wasn't able to identify any of the words. These kinds of bands are what turn people off to hardcore/punk music. They had a pretty good crowd response so apparently they've got a following, i'm just not tough-enough for them

Third Band - Crime in Stereo: I was impressed with CIS. Definitely the most laid-back band of the night, apparently CIS had some van trouble and arrived at the venue about an hour before performing. This band is more pop-punk than hardcore, but they have a pretty good following. they played well, the singer's voice was pretty tired and he failed to hit some notes which came across pretty bad but besides that they played most of the good songs like Sudan, I Stateside and others.

Last Band - Comeback Kid: This was the 3rd time i've seen CBK and it might have been the best. This was their first headlining tour in Denver and that made a huge difference. Andrew has totally improved as a frontman, and he was able to maintain energy throughout the entire set despite the altitude and sheer energy CBK requires. the set featured songs from all three albums and it was almost obvious that the new album hasn't quite hit it off with fans, they played Broadcasting, Defeated and Giv'r and those were the 3 weakest songs of the set. highlights woulds have to be All In A Year, False Idols Fall, Talk is Cheap and the closer Wake the Dead. I was planning on bringing a lot of people to this show since CBK is the shining example of great sing-along hardcore, but that didn't happen.

All in all it was a long wait for one great set. i should have stayed home to skip the first 2 bands but whatever. Keep your ear out for Comeback Kid, they've made some appearances on MTV2 and i'm sure they'll continue to gain momentum.

Comeback Kid on MTV2

okay, so i know i post a lot about Comeback Kid, well, it's because they are my favorite band.

well...

That might change very soon.

All my life I've mulled over the label "sellout", and what bands actually deserve that. First it was Blink-182, then it was H2o going to MCA Records and so on. but as I've gotten older, and seen my former favorite band, AFI, go almost totally pop, I've tried to rethink the label.

Now you can vote for Comeback Kid on MTV2. This band, from Canada, played almost one of the smallest venues in Denver last year. No one really knows who they are except the kids in the hardcore scene, and Chris Deulen who accidentally bought their cd and hated it.

But anyway, apparently they're catching momentum and now have a big enough fan base to tour with Rise Against and play at Red Rocks. i don't get it.

i wish i was in a band so i could not make these decisions. i hope my good friends in Killing the Dream never get on MTV, though, i don't think that will be a problem unless they come out with MTV-Hardcore, but they won't.

Hardcore is totally a fad right now, hopefully it'll blow over, it seems like some of us are always running away from these genres as they pick up steam, i think I've run full circle now that Pennywise, Good Riddance and other punk bands have taken a backseat to Hardcore/Post-Hardcore bands.

but i digress, Comeback Kid on cable? lame. I'm seriously looking for a band to fill this void that CBK has left, maybe Life in Your Way or Sinking Ships. I just love seeing great bands in small venues, and now it seems that Comeback Kid won't be playing anywhere small again.

Is this really what Scott Wade would have wanted? What about the fans?

Rise Against/Comeback Kid tour coming to Denver

And to the worst possible venue for a punk show....Red Rocks!

man, i almost cried when i read this last night.

It was bad enough to know that Comeback Kid had decided to jump on the tour with a band as big as Rise Against.

I was holding out hope, this originally was only a Canadian tour, so i figured they'd do a US tour late summer and headline.

wrong

Apparently Comeback Kid is losing their heads and now they're playing huge venues. What the hell are you going to do at Red Rocks? do they even have a place up front for people to stand? man, this is crappy.

Last year i saw Comeback Kid twice, once with Ignite and Sinking Ships at the Marquis Theater and again, at Cervantes Ballroom with Murphy's Law. They headlined the show with Ignite and it went off! Those venues are small and intimate so it was really intense.

Comeback is my favorite band, but i don't know if I'm gonna drop the cash to hang out with a bunch of sophomore girls chanting for Swing Life Away from Rise Against. in fact, I'm gonna "rise against" this show!

imagine this (Wake the Dead - CBK) at Red Rocks

Positive/Christian Hardcore specs

So I've been working on this project for a week or so and today i decided i wanted to look further into what these bands actually believe. Click on the band name for lyrics to their songs and discussions on the meanings. Click here to see the compilation song list and listen to the tracks.

UnderOATH - These guys hail from Florida, and they've set the Post Hardcore scene on fire. Very outspoken believers and almost always take a few moments in their live performances to thank God for their blessings.

Chasing Victory - a new band on the scene, Chasing Victory is on a label known to promote Christian bands, and there lyrics appear to be very well written and much more in-depth than they appear (see song Oceans Away).

Comeback Kid - CBK is a hardcore band with a defining positive message. Although not a "Christian Band", CBK has members from Figure Four who is an outspoken christian band. CBK's message is geared more towards unity, and fighting through hardship along with being aware of the battles around us.

Emery - Outspoken Christians in a band that fights the label of Christian Band.

Stretch Arm Strong - These punk rockers from the east coast have put out numerous records on christian label Tooth & Nail. Their songs preach their beliefs in the open and they continue to tour with some of the most proven hardcore bands out there.

Dead Poetic - Another Post-Hardcore band that doesn't hide their beliefs in the lyrics. DP are outspoken believers.

Thrice - Aapparently the lead singer,is a true believer, and he shows it in his lyrics but since the entire band isn't all christian, they refuse to let themselves be labelled a Christian Band.

Destroy the Runner - New metal/hardcore band that is on a label known to promote Christian bands.

Haste the Day - These guys have a unique sound, and are very outspoken about their beliefs in interviews and in concerts.

Means - Great new hardcore band with a blatant message off their debut album. These guys probably have the most powerful sound combined with lyrics that show the love of Christ.

No Innocent Victim -Their band acronym is NIV, and these veterans have been around forever. These guys got popular around the time P.O.D. came out, but their sound was too heavy for the mainstream.

The Showdown - New metal band with a christian twist, give it a shot, its fun.