Red – Varsity Theater – Minneapolis MN – March 6th 2018

RED, Lacey Sturm, Righteous Vendetta, and Messer brought in quite the crowd at Varsity Theater on Tuesday March 6th. I was ecstatic that they re-opened the venue after being closed for over a year because it will always be one of my favorite music venues.

Messer started the night off while people were packing in, drawing them in to get into the venue faster. Being a band from Dallas, Texas, you can hear the influences from Pantera, Drowning Pool, Hell Yeah, and King’s X. They have a modern rock sound with an edge that can be heard in their latest single, now all over radio stations across the globe, “Make This Life”. They put on a great show and really kicked the night off, getting everyone amped for the next three acts.

Righteous Vendetta is a band I would start paying attention to, keep them on your radar; they are going to be big. They have a classic New Wave Of American Metal core sound, this sound I’m new to, but was really blown away at their sound. Their latest album, Cursed, was actually produced by Mitch Marlow, who has also been associated with In This Moment and Stitched Up Heart. These guys put on a really entertaining show and would love to see them again.

Lacey Sturm was up next. I’ve been a fan of hers from her Flyleaf days and she still does not disappoint. In reality, I may even like her solo stuff a bit more. She really makes a name for herself with her huge engaging voice, which is weird being seen, come out of that tiny body. Lacey is very involved with her fans. As she stated in between songs that she is very touched about everyone that she comes in contact with that tell her, she’s helped them overcome suicide or some other issue. You can really tell Lacey loves her fans and that’s one of best things about her performance are. Lacey puts her heart and soul into her music and in her performances. If you have not seen her live you truly are missing out.

Now the main event, RED. As we all waited for them to set up we started to notice a theme onstage. Next to the drums are a fence, along the fence is a brick setup with a light at the top and underneath ext. 2006 was flickering orange along with the light at the top. A graveyard scene was laid before us, now if that doesn’t start getting you eager for the show to start I don’t know what will. This was actually my first time seeing RED so I didn’t really know what to think, as I have only heard the songs that were on the radio. These guys are here to show you that they belong in the rock world. They give you a very tasty mix of Rock, Alternative, and Ambient sound. Which helps them stand out from the rest of the rock scene these days. I would definitely see RED again, along with all the other acts. What a great bunch of musicians and bands to go on tour together. If you are thinking of going to this tour just do it and don’t think about it you will not be disappointed.

Review and photos by Kaila Turck