For a while, it seemed as if Rupp Arena was losing its rock music audience. There haven’t been a lot of rock concerts lately and those that did hit our stage were greeted by a crowd that was smaller than I would like to have seen. Contrary to the name of last night’s show, not all hope is gone. Yesterday, Lexington showed up in force for the first rock concert at Rupp Arena since Nine Inch Nails last August. Slipknot, Coheed and Cambria, and Trivium took the stage as part of the All Hope Is Gone tour. The seats were packed, the floor was rumbling with excitement, and any thoughts of not having a huge Rupp Arena rock show were extinguished.

First to take the stage was Trivium. As they said, “Slipknot is an awesome group and you don’t want to go into that sh*t cold, so we are going to warm you up,” and warm us up they did. They blasted into a set list of high energy songs that showed off the skill of their guitar and bassists and the speed of their drummer. For those who have never seen Trivium or heard their music before, you could compare them to the first Avenged Sevenfold album, Sounding the Seventh Trumpet.

They could best be categorized as Nu-Metal, a sort of blend between Metal and Hard Rock, although their screaming vocals compare to that of Hardcore bands. Personally, I am not a big fan of screaming. I can take it in doses and as seasoning to a song, but don’t generally like it when all the lyrics are screamed and complimented by the occasional singing. That being said, I did enjoy Trivium. Their songs were very intense and really solid songs that get your fist pumping in the air.

The next group to hit the stage was no stranger to Lexington. We first saw Coheed and Cambria when they opened for Linkin Park in February of 2008. Whether it be blasting their music on your iPod or shredding plastic on their songs in Rock Band, fans know how easy it is to get into Coheed’s guitar rifts and unique vocals. Although their stage set up was slightly less complicated this time, their performance was just as good, if not better. As to be expected, Claudio Sanchez, the group’s lead singer and guitarist led the band with amazing guitar accuracy and vocalization. Between the bands original sound and his iconic hair, Coheed and Cambria always leaves a lasting memory.

They kicked off their set with their explosive song “Welcome Home,” which is possibly their most well known. When I saw Coheed and Cambria the first time last year, I only knew Welcome Home, and only because I had played it a trillion times in Rock Band. It is still a favorite of mine with great verses and chorus and screaming guitar sections, not to mention the awesome solo near the end of the song. It was a perfect song to hit the ground running into some other great songs that followed. After thanking Slipknot and the audience, they closed with one last song which is probably my second favorite of theirs, “In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3.” I know, it has one of the longest names ever, which proves to be accurate since the song itself is over eight minutes. Claudio showed off his skills in a final burst of excitement as he played a solo behind his back, and then with his teeth while simultaneously singing through the guitar pickups. It was such a stunning ending for such a great performance.

On to the main act… the nine themselves: Slipknot. It was easy to tell when Slipknot was on stage. The first person who saw one of them enter the stage behind the curtain set off a powder keg of cheers. The audience all began to chant “Slipknot! Slipknot! Slipknot!…” in unison as the vibrantly red curtain slowly lifted revealing their [mask-covered] faces. They kicked it off with a bang as the crowd erupted into waving hands and moshing bodies. Around the second song, he told everyone to jump, and E-V-E-R-Y-O-N-E jumped. It was rather amazing to see a pulsing floor like that, not to mention all of the people in seats. Seated concert goers are usually sporadic with their participation, with those closer to the stage getting more into the music and those further away being a bit more relaxed while enjoying the show. This was not the case with Slipknot fans. Everyone in the arena was just as excited and just as into the show as the next person. It was an amazing sight.

Their third song, which was the one I recognized the most having played it in Guitar Hero 3 (See a trend here? I love music videogames. Guilty…), was “Before I Forget.” It has some great vocals and amazing solos with a chorus that is really intense. One can’t help but feel a bit energized by the intensity of the song. That song as well as the prior ones and those that followed really showcased the talent and skill of the Slipknot band members, as well as their skill at putting on a great performance. Corey Taylor, the lead singer, blasted some loud bellowing screams one second, and smoothly transitioned into great vocals a second later.

It is rare to find a band that has nine members, with three of them being drummers. After seeing Slipknot live, you can fully appreciate how unique those three drummers actually are. Chris Fehn on the left played a custom percussion set that consisted of a variety metal drums and barrels that helped create a unique sound. His whole drum kit (and himself included) tilted forward and backward and side to side. On the right was Shawn Crahan on another custom percussion set which also incorporated a lot of metal barrels and drums which he banged to create strong beats. The platform his drums were on and that he stood on raised up on a scissor lift that put him about ten feet in the air. On top of that the whole platform rotated around and showcased the crowd with a LCD screen displaying the video feed from a mounted camera. Not to be out done, Joey Jordison, the bands drummer, had an awesome set up which included a lot of high hats and cymbals. During their encore his drum stand raised up in the air (also via scissor lift), tilted toward the audience, and then began to spin around like a carnival wheel while he simultaneously played the drums.

Overall, the performances by all three bands were great, in my opinion. I would love to hear what everyone thought about the show and if they agree or disagree with me. All the bands seemed to be really good at getting the crowd excited and involved, and using that energy to give them all a great performance. Most importantly, it showed that not all hope is gone for rock in Lexington. This show proved that rock shows can still fill the arena, and it is only the beginning. We have Nickelback, Seether and Saving Abel later this month, and Buckcherry, Avenged Sevenfold and Papa Roach coming in March. We have an exciting few months ahead of us which was kicked off by a great show last night.

Rupp Arena’s Blogger: Paul Hooper
House Photographer: Wes Allen
View All of the Photos: Flickr Set or Facebook Album