Back at the wonderful Apollo Theater in Belvidere, IL, where we got the chance to check out Inthewhale, Dragged Under, and 10 years.
Admittedly, I had not heard of Inthewhale, I checked them out before going to the show, wasn't really feeling it if I am being honest. However, this 2 piece puts on an energetic show. 1 guitar player (Nate Valdez), and a drummer (Eric Riley) is all they need. They have a pretty thick, and full sound for being a two piece. Hard to really place them in any sort of genre. I would say if you are a fan of bands like Red Fang, and QOTSA, you would probably enjoy Inthewhale. I was pretty sold on them after seeing them live for sure. One of those bands that if you are on the fence about, go and see them. Good show from the independent duo from Denver.
Personally, I was there to mostly see Dragged Under. While technically a 5 piece, unfortunately their bassist had to sit out the tour due to some health concerns, these 4 guys from Seattle I feel stole the show. Their on-stage energy was not matched from either Inthewhale or even 10 Years. Ryan 'Fluff' Bruce, of Youtube popularity, is the oldest of the group, but probably goes the hardest on stage out of everyone, only being matched by the singer Tony Cappocchi. It was great hearing songs like 'Hey Chelsea', 'Hypochondria' and 'Never Enough' live. It was a good mix of songs off their 2 albums. They are an up and coming band, and are going to be on tour pretty much through most of October, which includes dates in Europe. If they are coming near you, go and see them, you won't be disappointed.
Then we have the main event, the headliner, the top chalupa and big burritos.10 Years. They had a pretty good set that featured many of their more popular songs from over the span of their 20 year (so far) career. The band was tight, and sounded great. There were some girls upfront on the gate celebrating a birthday, and one of them was wearing a tiara. About a quarter of the way through the set, the singer, Jesse Hasek, placed the tiara on the brim of his own hat, and wore it for the remainder of the evening. The crowd was into the Alternative metal veterans through the whole show, they played for a little over an hour, and had the crowd singing pretty much every song back to them.
The crowd probably sang their final songs of the set back to them the loudest though. The song that really kicked it all off for them, Wasteland. The crowd knew every single word as one would expect. Then the show was closed out with 'Shoot It Out' to send the crowd home happy.
Overall another fantastic show at the Apollo. They bring some pretty great rock and metal acts through Belvidere, IL.
-Bill “Furious” Groen
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10 Years
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Dragged Under
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DraggedUnder
Website: www.draggedunder.com
Inthewhale
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Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/inthewhale
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Twitter: https://twitter.com/inthewhale
Website: www.inthewhalecult.com