Review: Trapt Presents: The “Life In Your Own Hands” tour
Date: October 24th, 2015
Venue: The Gig (Beaumont, TX)
Event: Trapt presents: the “Life In Your Own Hands” tour
Bands: Trapt, First Decree, Adakain, Angel Siren, Henly
Beaumont has shown time and time again that they aren’t going to let rain stop them from having a good time and Saturday, October 24th at The Gig was no different. The bands are loaded in, Trapt just finished an amazing sound-check and we all knew we were in for a treat. When the doors opened, there was a decent crowd, which is always a good sign but it only grew from there. As Henly began getting things ready for their set, there was a strong feeling of anticipation. This is to be expected when you have a national act hitting a venue as small as The Gig, which gives you more of an intimate performance than if you were to be in an arena.
As Henly began their set, they tried their hardest to get the small crowd moving. Try as they might, they weren’t nearly as successful as they might have hoped. Myself, being in the front row, got the full experience and it was a blast. Henly is a band whose music can be best described as pop punk/alternative rock with an edge. It really wouldn’t be fair to pigeon-hole them like that, though. Vocalist Tim Apshire gave it his all with his delivery, determined to have a great time on his birthday. It wasn’t until about the 3rd song in their set, entitled “Vultures” that the crowd began to give in and start participating. Aside from Apshire, though, guitarists Wade Stone and Dustin Fowler were the stars of the show as they moved fluidly from one side of the stage to the other, showing off a bit as they did so. You could really tell that this band was there to have fun. Being that this was the first time I’d seen them live, I’d definitely recommend them to anyone who gets a chance to check them out. The most impressive thing about the set was that they hadn’t played in quite awhile and they owned that stage, giving a great performance to the fans that were out there, which included Jimmy Wilman (ex-Stalemind/Kill The Theory). They played a 6 song set, including a new song and crowd favorite “The Chase,” which saw several people in the crowd singing along at the top of their lungs. As they took their gear off stage, you could tell the crowd was impressed, which led to an incredible rest of the night.
Setlist:
Revenge of a Poet
Skin
Bones (Young Guns cover)
The Commitment
Life of the Party
Bruce Wayne (Watchful Eye)
With a new drummer (Perry Yazell) and some other additional items added to their live show, I had no idea what to expect from Angel Siren, which made it all the more exhilarating for me. The last time I had seen them was WITH Trapt back in 2012 and the show was AMAZING but still very low-key. Tonight’s performance included a new light show, samples and more. As the band stepped on stage after their intro, the crowd went wild. You can always expect an energetic show, at the very least, from these guys and this performance was no exception. As my interview with Ryan Ray (Adakain) suggests, when you open for a national act…you’ve gotta bring the most powerful performance you can muster and they did not disappoint. The opening riff for “Revenge of a Poet” came in and the air was saturated with energy from the band, which fed to the crowd. They played a roaring 6 song set that included all songs from their newest album, Revenge of a Poet, with the exception of their amazing rendition of Young Guns’ hit single “Bones.” Vocalist Brandon “BP” Parker was at the top of his game, expertly delivering each note while playing guitar. Lead guitarist, PJ Disharoon, was really shining through and you could tell they enjoyed being on stage at The Gig again. As with Henly, it had been awhile since they’d been on stage in their home town of Beaumont. The crowd was excited to see them back and that greatly showed. They finished up their set, quickly removed their gear from the stage and helped Adakain set up… it was the start of one hell of a show.
Let me give you a little background into how I discovered Adakain, so you can feel my excitement as they took the stage. Back in 2008, I walked into a Hot Topic at the mall in Beaumont and there was a box of Adakain’s latest album Together in the Heart that said “FREE! TAKE ONE!” so I did. Little did I know that this band would etch itself into my heart, not only because the drummer (Ryan Carroll) was in the groundbreaking band Element Eighty prior to this venture but because their lyrics had incredible meaning to them. Fast-forward 7 years to tonight’s show, they’ve gone through some line-up changes (including a new vocalist) and adopted a heavier sound. From the moment they stepped on stage, you could feel the pent up energy that they were ready to unleash. Sure enough, the band exploded into “All Goes to Hell,” the opening track from their album and the crowd went nuts! The set contained none of their old material, rather every song was from their upcoming album Never Coming Home, so very few people in the crowd knew these songs. It was absolutely mind-blowing to watch the crowd come alive with each and every song they played. However, it wasn’t until they played “Hey Girl,” their latest single, that the crowd began singing along. Of course, having heard the album and having a deep connection with it by this point, I was singing my lungs out throughout the set. This really seemed to impress the band and I felt honored that they paid attention to detail that way. A heartfelt moment came over the crowd when they played the title track “Never Coming Home.” This is a track that is, admittedly, slower by comparison than the rest of the album but still nonetheless beautiful. You could tell the track resonated with the crowd and really found a place there. The passion that exists in each and every one of the band members poured out. Adakain had found a ton of new fans in the Beaumont crowd, which was a great thing to see. We loved them and really hope to see them back soon!
Ever since I first heard This Is Our Rise, the latest album from WY’s First Decree, I’ve wanted to see them live. They seemed like they exude so much energy, so much drive and that made me excited for their set. I was not to be disappointed as the band took the stage, exploding into their latest single “Stop.” Again, I sang at the top of my lungs and loved every minute of it. A highlight of their set was right before they played “Not Awake.” Vocalist Travis James gave a speech that entranced the crowd, making motions as if to hypnotize us, which made the delivery of the track that much more powerful. James was all over the stage, making sure that his presence was seen, as well as felt. I made sure to keep a good eye on drummer Zach Lopez-Smith, as he was absolutely amazing to watch. He’d spin his sticks, throw them in the air and was an absolute monster on the drums! This was even more true for the last 2 songs they played, which were “Flesh and Bone” and “Lost In the Crowd,” which saw the energy in the crowd spike massively. There wasn’t a single disappointing thing about their performance and, when I stepped outside to get some fresh air, I could feel just how much energy was trapped in the venue. They removed their gear quickly, with the help of the other bands and we prepared for the main event: Trapt.
Before Trapt even took the stage, the venue was absolutely packed from wall to wall. You could tell things were about to get intense and rightly so. This was my second time ever seeing Trapt and they’d gone through a line-up change since the last time I saw them, so I was eager to see how they’d fair. They took their spots on stage and the crowd was deafening! They opened up with “Human (Like the Rest of Us)” and the crowd didn’t seem to be feeling it until the chorus. It was all uphill from there, though. The band played an amazing 14 song set that included songs like “Echo,” “Black Rose,” “Who’s Going Home With You Tonight?,” “Sound Off” and more! The crowd really got into it about halfway through their set when they began to play the older material, which made for an exciting close. Of course, no one was standing still when the opening riff of the legendary “Headstrong” came in. 13 songs in, the band left the stage, making us think they were done but guitarist Ty Fury began asking the crowd if we wanted one more! Who’s going to say no to one more song from these guys? It was a choice between two and they chose the right one: “Still Frame” came through the speakers and the crowd went absolutely insane for the last time. Highlights of the set were definitely CTB’s speeches before each song, giving us a little background into what the songs were about. His vocal delivery was better than ever, even through both of the new songs they played (Human and Passenger.)
The bottom line was this: Each band knew exactly what they were doing for this tour. The openers were phenomenal, the tour package was mindblowing and it was a night that Beaumont will never forget, without a doubt. If you get a chance to see this tour, don’t miss out because you’ll be kicking yourself in the ass if you do! The energy is off the charts, these musicians are incredibly talented and they deserve everything that they’ve accomplished thus far in their careers. Trapt’s latest album DNA is tentatively scheduled for an early 2016 release through Crash-Collide Records so be sure to pick that up when it drops, too!
