BrianJarrett.com

So we saw Chevelle and Finger Eleven at Pop’s last night and they were awesome. Finger Eleven did not disappoint; they played most of the good stuff off all their older albums and only the good stuff off the new album. Luckily my fears were groundless.

Chevelle was dead on, as usual. Despite their new emo haircuts they’ve stayed true to the sound that makes Chevelle and the new songs they played were incredible. It looks like this new album is going to be a slightly different sound for Chevelle; not enough of a change that will leave them unrecognizable by their existing fans, rather just enough of a change to provide evidence that they’re growing as a band. Their new bass player has finally started taking charge of the role and playing like he’s part of the band and not just a replacement for Joe. I was very impressed with his improvement. Pete and Sam are just as good as ever, maybe even better.

And even better news is that the place was packed. I’ve never seen Pop’s so full in my life. The place was full before Finger Eleven even played which means that both band’s popularity seems to have sustained. In the end that’s good because they’ll have the fan base to support them for future albums and tours. There were the ever-increasing frat boy, rap-heads who showed up in full macho mode but unfortunately you’ll have that once you hit main stream. It’s the nature of the beast, an unavoidable catch 22. The Chili Peppers are in the same situation, for instance.

Anyway, the show was great and I’m looking forward to the new Chevelle album on April 3. I hope either band comes back through again on these tours because I’d love to see them both again. I’ve seen Finger Eleven four times and Chevelle seven times and it’s still not enough.