LOCATION: Congress Theater, Chicago, Illinois
We here at Popular Underground have covered a handful of shows at the
Congress Theater and not once have we seen it as packed as it was for
Avenged Sevenfold. These So-Cal boys rocked the Windy City just eight
days after the release of their epic Self-Titled record, which debuted
at # 4 on the Billboard Top 200.
Thanks to Chi-town's typical bumber-to-bumber traffic, we missed
Black Tide. From what we know, the guys in Black Tide are all under 18,
touring full time with Avenged Sevenfold and awaiting an Interscope
Records release sometime in early 2008. We suspect that Black Tide will
be a band to watch in the near future.
The Confession was second to take the stage and definitely got the
evening going. PUM interviewed The Confession during their tour with
Megadeth and it was interesting to see how the crowd responded
differently during this tour. Unlike the Megadeth tour, fans this time
were belting out lyrics to songs like "Burn the Virgin," "Rise and Fall"
and "Dance With the Devil." What's more, is we noticed a huge
improvement in Taylor Holland Armstrong's vocals, as well as the band's
entire stage presence. It's quite obvious that landing multiple tours
with Avenged and a tour with Megadeth has really given The Confession a
boost of confidence.
Operator was third in line for the night and what can we say? We
really were not impressed. Operator's set was like watching a bulky,
tattooed pro wrestler sing songs that mirrored the vocal tones of Axel
Rose and Chris Cornell while his band played Pantera riffs. Don't get me
wrong, Operator brought their brand of face-shredding metal, at least
musically, but after listening to them for 30 minutes, it became
monotonous. The highlight of this set was definitely the Guns 'N
Roses-esque guitar solo that concluded their show.
Once Avenged Sevenfold took the stage it was obvious that the three
aforementioned bands, may have been entertaining, but this crowd was
there to see their heroes in A7X. The band opened with "Critical
Acclaim," played an old-school track off Sounding the Seventh Trumpet
and kept things rolling with "Beast and the Harlot." Surprisingly,
Avenged didn't focus too much on their new material, although they did
highlight songs like "Scream," "Afterlife" and of course "Almost Easy."
Thankfully, the fans got to hear songs spanning the band's career. This
is one thing A7X always seems to do, which is fine by us. M. Shadows,
Synyster Gates, Zacky Vengeance, Johnny Christ and The Rev all performed
with their typical confident swagger that makes us believe there is
still hope for rock 'n roll. No matter what people say about Avenged
Sevenfold, they are not your little sister's "metal" band. They continue
to push the envelope and branch out in musical experimentation. I still
contend that A7X will still be a band that is relevant 20 years from
now. And if they continue to do what their doing, they'll be filling
arenas like Van Halen recently did. The band closed the set with "Bat
Country" and Seize the Day," leaving the crowd with a bang for their
buck. One PUM affiliate described their set by saying, "It makes me want
to fuck a stripper." If that's not what rock in roll, then we don't know
what is!
To view some rad pics, visit the concert photo
gallery
To read Part 2 visit here
Words & Photo By: Adam K. Zakroczymski III - Senior Editor / Founder
Read the review of A7X's "Self-Titled" record
here
BANDS: Black Tide, The Confession, Operator, & Avenged
Sevenfold
For pictures of the Confession, view
here
Read a prior interview with A7X
here
Download A7X's "Self-Titled" Album & More at: 
