Photos and writing by Dillon Reesor
There’s a different kind of energy that comes with the first night of a tour, and Coheed and Cambria brought plenty of it to The Senate on May 11 for the opening date of the This Is Our War Tour. The run comes during off days from the band’s current tour with Shinedown, but nothing about the performance felt scaled back or secondary. Even before the lights dropped, the room had the buzz of a crowd that knew exactly what kind of night it was about to get. Support came from Cicada Rhythm, though the venue was still filling in during their set.
From the second the band launched into fan favorite “In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3,” the place erupted. Massive singalongs carried through the venue all night, with the crowd matching nearly every word back to the stage. Coheed balanced the setlist well, mixing older material with newer tracks in a way that kept longtime fans happy without slowing the momentum. Live, the band sounded incredibly tight. Claudio Sanchez’s vocals were spot on, somehow sounding nearly identical to the records while still carrying the raw energy of a live show.
What continues to separate Coheed from a lot of bands in their lane is the musicianship. Every member was locked in throughout the set, effortlessly shifting through the band’s huge dynamic swings and progressive arrangements without losing the crowd for a second. Even during the more technical moments, the energy in the room never dipped. The audience stayed fully engaged from front to back, turning several songs into full venue-wide choruses.
For the first night of the tour, Coheed looked completely in command. Between the performance, the crowd energy, and the strength of the setlist, it lived up to every expectation. If the rest of the This Is Our War run keeps this level of intensity, fans are in for a seriously strong tour.
fuelthescene.com 