Chevelle – The Myth – Saint Paul, MN – April 19, 2014

The 93X Icebreaker presents Nothing More, Middle Class Rut, and Chevelle to a sold out crowd on the evening of April 19, 2014 at The Myth in Saint Paul, Minneapolis.

This show is one for the books.  Every aspect of it is amazing.  Take all of these factors into account.  It’s one of the first weekends in which Minnesota actually has nice weather, despite the small amount of rain that seems to haunt the cities.  It’s a Saturday night.  A person has an opportunity to see three great bands in one place.  It’s going to be fun.

Nothing More is the first band to take to the stage as the evening begins.  Having never heard Nothing More before, I have literally no idea what to expect.  They could be heavy, sort of rock and roll, or alternative, I have no idea.  These guys rock hard.  The lead singer, Jonny Hawkins, is a complete ball of energy.  He appears to be the spawn of Bon Scott and Jim Morrison with his appearance and stage presence, which when you’re a musician, is a good thing.  He is all over the place throughout the set, singing and playing the drums with his bare hands, something the audience seems to really enjoy.

Middle Class Rut is up next, the band that is made up of only two people, something no one would believe by only hearing them.  The amount of sound coming from them sounds like considerably more people.  It amazes me that Middle Class Rut isn’t bigger than they are.  They are fantastic live and their songs, “New Low” and “Busy Bein’ Born” are ones that stick in the heads of the audience for days at a time.

Saying that Chevelle puts on a good show would be an insult to the band.  I have seen Chevelle numerous times in many cities and venues and this is the best I have ever seen them.  They are simply on their game the entire night.  They play an amazing set, filled with hits such as “The Red”, “Hats Off to the Bull”, “Send the Pain Below”, as well as their new single, “Take Out the Gunman”.   One song that was unfortunately left off the set list was the much loved, “Vitamin R”.  I have seen them leave that song off of numerous set lists and wonder why since it is a great song, but it in no way takes away from the concert.

Their stage is great – accompanied with numerous lighting colors and styles to show the band in different forms.  The entire group plays in a perfect synchronization, not missing a beat.  It’s something that really makes a show when seen live.  It shows how hard they work to perfect their craft and please their fans, which is not only immensely enjoyed, but appreciated fully.  I’m eagerly awaiting their next visit to the Twin Cities and I know that the rest of the audience is as well.