On a chilled Saturday night, I drove to the Starland
Ballroom in Sayreville, New Jersey, to see Pop Evil’s perform as a headlining
act. They were touring behind their latest self-titled release and I was
excited to hear some of the new songs in concert. I was also excited to see
this band live again, as it had been over a year since the last time I witnessed
their magnificent concert.
I arrived early to see the opening acts, as I like to do,
and was rewarded with a real treat. The first act of the night was a New Jersey
based band called Ronin and they were exceptional. If you get a chance to see
this band live, do yourself a favor and do it! I was so impressed by their
quick set that I wanted to hear a longer performance. Alas, that was not going
to happen. They gave a short, impressive, opening set and then it was time for
the next act.
The next two bands of the night were just not for me.
They weren’t awful, and they had stage presence, but I just wasn’t into their
music. Perhaps it was the anticipation of Pop Evil coming on later, perhaps it
was that Ronin had set the bar so high, but whatever the reason, I did not care
for the next two acts. I kept an open mind, but I won’t be seeking out music
from either of those bands.
As for the main treat of the night, Pop Evil was incredible
as always. Although I did like their performance last year more than this year.
If for no other reason than the fact that last year’s show was longer with more
songs. I did think it was odd that Pop Evil was only playing 16 songs on this
tour. That’s small for a headliner and the entire show was only 75 minutes. If
they were co-headlining with someone, I would get that, but they were on their
own. They should have given us 85-90 minutes and 19-20 songs. That was the only
complaint I had though. Pop Evil has honed their live show through endless,
rigorous touring, and they are a well-oiled machine that just knows how to give
a performance.
And for me, it was a chance to release my inner rock
demons. Where else can a corporate 9-5 guy go to unleash his pain by screaming
“Be Legendary” and “Take It All” at the top of his lungs? Not to mention random
high fives by strange dudes. That’s the power of rock and roll. It is an
intense feeling that when let out into the night can be as powerful as anything
in the human experience. Due to the maximum volume of the speakers, I was able
to scream as loud as my diaphragm would allow and not bother anyone around me.
And sing-screaming along with my Pop Evil favorites was a cleansing experience.
It felt so damn good to rock that hard for an hour and change. And I was
grinning the entire time.
Ten years of Pop Evil and they are still going strong. The
setlist consisted of a few songs from the first two records and a large dose of
the later hits as well as a good amount of songs from their latest release. “Hero”
and “Monster You Made” got huge ovations and reactions from the crowd,
rightfully so. They are two of the bands most beloved songs and always sound
exceptional in concert.
“Silence and Scars” was the highlight of the night for
me. I absolutely love that song and it was the first time that I got to hear it
live. They did the song justice with a wonderful performance. I was on top of
the world by the time the song was over.
Hearing “100 in a 55” brought back memories of the first
time I ever saw the band. It was in that very building, although the layout was
much different. Starland Ballroom had a facelift a few years ago and the
design, while similar, is much more open than it was when Pop Evil first
started performing there. Thinking back to the night I first saw the band filled
me with joy. I could remember hearing “100 in a 55” for the first time and
watching people sing along to it. I remember thinking to myself, “Wow, these
guys are great. And look how many people know this song. This band is something
special.” That song cemented the decision for me to go buy their first album.
It was one of the best music decisions I’ve ever made.
Pop Evil came once again, conquered once again, and
kicked serious ass once again. I am already looking forward to the next time that
I will see them live again, even though I have no idea when that is going to
be. Hopefully it will be sooner than a year from now, but whenever it is, I
know it’s going to be a fabulous night of real rock and roll!
Setlist
Ways To Get High
Boss’ Daughter
Torn To Pieces
Waking Lions
Ex Machina
Deal With The Devil
Nothing But Thieves
Hero
Art Of War
Monster You Made
Silence and Scars
Be Legendary
Take It All
Encore
100 in a 55
Footsteps
Trenches
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