Canadian rockers, Theory of a Deadman made their return to Columbia for the second time on Wednesday with supporting acts Stellar Revival and Pop Evil.
Revival’s set was short and sweet, but they managed to capture the audience quickly. It’s always tough being the first act because most of the concert-goers aren’t there yet, aren’t there to see you and more than likely haven’t heard of you. Stellar Revival surprised with their heavy sound, and their ability to get the crowd going in a hurry. It was the perfect kind of warm-up act, highlighted by lead singer Rino Cerbone running through the crowd giving high fives. In just three or four songs, the crowd was pumped and ready to see bigger acts and longer sets.
Pop Evil, a quintet from Muskegon, Michigan, played all of their hit singles, and the crowd went wild. They stripped down the middle of their set with an acoustic performance of their most popular single, “100 In A 55” which I really enjoyed. Being from Michigan myself, and having heard all of their singles and a few more, I was very curious to see the kind of performance they would but on. I was happy to see a band represent Detroit Rock City, but I was underwhelmed. Lead singer, Leigh Kakaty’s voice lacked the range it had on their previous albums, and their set was largely simplistic. At one point in the show, he walked out into the crown on the hands of the audience and performed, “Last Man Standing” which I enjoyed. The set had its highpoints, but were outweighed by an overall lackluster performance.
The main performer of the night, Theory of a Deadman, did not disappoint. Showing their humorous side, the band walked out to, “Blame Canada” from the soundtrack of South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut. The first song got the show off to a heavy start with, “So Happy” from their third, and most successful record, _Scars and Souvenirs_. A few songs were enhanced by the use of an old, propaganda-style microphone to add a bass-reduced effect to lead vocalist, Tyler Connolly’s already unique sound.
Connolly calmed the crowd with a full three song, acoustic set. Homage to MTV’s former acoustic program, Unplugged, Connolly conversed with the crowd in between sets. It wasn’t the traditional cries of, “Let me hear you scream,” but rather genuine stories. The acoustic set began with a throwback to their first album, “Santa Monica.” In between songs, Connolly talked about the inspiration for, “Easy to Love You,” the last acoustic song, off of their newest album, “The Truth Is…” The story was that the band was at a meet and greet, talking to their fans and a couple, who had met through their mutual love of Theory, was meeting Connolly. The man, in the middle of talking to Connolly got down on a knee and proposed to his girlfriend right in front of the band. It was a great story, and a nice way to really connect with the audience, something lacking from a lot of shows.
The band closed out the show with, “Lowlife,” “Hurricane,” and “Bad Girlfriend.” My only complaint about the show is that it’s tough for me to get into a performance when there isn’t a lot of crowd activity. Sure, I sang along to all of the songs, but its tough for me to really get into a band’s set if there isn’t a lot of jumping or moshing in the crowd. I’ll forgive the band on the account that they aren’t a very heavy band and their sound doesn’t lend itself to moshing. The most memorable part of the show for me wasn’t any song they sang, but the stories they shared during the acoustic set. Showing the true class act they are, Connolly said to the crowd, “Hey if we could buy tickets to see you, we would.” I give Theory of a Deadman an easy five out of five stars.
