By Greg Maki
The line to get inside Rams Head Live was longer than I had ever seen at this venue. It was full of teenagers and kids even younger (along with some parents who probably would have preferred to be somewhere else), most dressed in black, many with makeup to match. The staffers manning the doors might have needed an extra Sharpie or two to draw the Xs on the hands of all those under 21.
The eardrum-piercing screams and chants of “Black Veil Brides!” started outside, echoing throughout the hallway leading to the venue. The reason? The doors had opened. Yeah, it was going to be that kind of night. Inside, the eager crowd greeted every small action—testing the smoke machine, fiddling with the lights—with the same cacophonous reaction. I’d never felt so old in my life.
As fans streamed into the venue for the better part of an hour, the first band, The Relapse Symphony, from nearby Washington, D.C., started and finished its short set. Soon after I made it inside, Bad Seed Rising, a Maryland-based band made up of kids between 10 and 14 years old, took the stage. (I felt myself growing older by the minute.) Less than three weeks after opening Halestorm’s sold-out show on New Year’s Eve at Baltimore Soundstage (according to the band’s Facebook page, they also have shared stages with Mötley Crüe, Everclear, Night Ranger and other national acts), they were playing to another packed house and winning over many new fans. They might not have much of a stage presence at their young age, but they made up for it with good, old-fashioned, riff-driven hard rock—which made them a rarity at this show and easily the most entertaining band of the night.
Bad Seed Rising stood out even more compared to the direct support act, William Control, the side project of Aiden frontman William Francis. Performing in almost total darkness, Francis shared the stage with only a bassist, singing along to pre-recorded electronic music. It was electro-goth karaoke, and I couldn’t take it seriously. The kids in the crowd did, however, bouncing and dancing along to the beats, and, naturally, screaming.
It was nothing, though, to what they saved for the evening’s headliner, Black Veil Brides. If I had not been wearing earplugs, I would not have been able to hear a thing after the show, and the band would not have been to blame.
My history with Black Veil Brides is limited. I saw them in 2011 at the Warped Tour and enjoyed shooting their set. But I’ve never listened to their music. Somewhere along the line, they became very popular, as evidenced by the recent debut of their new album, “Wretched and Divine: The Story of the Wild Ones,” at No. 7 on the Billboard chart, and one of the more rabid fan bases I’ve ever seen.
After seeing them live for a second time, I just don’t get it. I didn’t know any of their songs before the show, and I couldn’t name one or hum the melody of one now. Judging from the appearance of the crowd, the band’s image—to their credit, they’ve toned down the body paint and makeup, perhaps to try to place a bigger emphasis on the music, but they still look like a quintet of Nikki Sixxes—has drawn in many of its fans, but surely it hasn’t gotten this big based on looks alone.
What am I missing? Am I completely out of touch on this one? I’m 33, not ancient, and I’m always up for checking out new bands and sounds. In Black Veil Brides, I saw a band that performed with a lot of energy and worked hard to drive the crowd into an even bigger frenzy than it had been in all night. But what I heard was uninspired, unoriginal glam metal without any distinguishing characteristics. Their choice of a cover might say a lot about them: Billy Idol’s “Rebel Yell,” which I’ve heard at least half a dozen bands play and I’m sure many others have had in their set lists.
Not everyone has to like everything, and I guess Black Veil Brides just isn’t for me. The thousand-plus kids with ringing ears and lost voices the next day have a very different opinion.
LINKS:
www.officialbvb.com
www.williamcontrol.com
www.badseedrisingband.com
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