GIG REVIEW: LIKE A STORM: FREEKSHOW tour

GREEN BAY DISTILLERY

DEC 5th, 2019

GIG REVIEW: LIKE A STORM FREEKSHOW

To thank their fans for their best year ever, and to celebrate the 5 Year Anniversary of “Love The Way You Hate Me” as a single, LIke A Storm has worked with their favorite venues and radio stations to devise a tour that could only be deemed a “FREEKSHOW”. A free admission to their theatrical carnie version of their regular show.

With that said, they weren’t short of support for this tour stop in Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin at the Green Bay Distillery. They summoned Sleep Signals, Pushing Veronica and out of Milwaukee, Modern Echo. And what a great mix of talent there was that night.

Modern Echo

Milwaukee based hard rock band Modern Echo, kicked off the night. Modern Echo's melodic and progressive brand of music settled into the ears of fans and started to open the eyes of the work weary that were in attendance on a chilly Thursday. Elan Vital is Modern Echo’s newest release, which was released in November 2018.

Pushing Veronica

With people saying that punk and/or rock is dead, they need to open their damn ears and listen to these young men. Straight outta L.A., (all the kids are using “Straight Outta”, I just wanted to fit in), and not even at legal drinking age, Pushing Veronica clearly shows that whoever said rock is dead, NEEDS TO SHUT UP AND LISTEN!

With their deep roots in old school punk, pop and rock, their song and lyrics will either make you head bang, laugh a little or get emotionally charged. Or all of the above, if you’re taking a test. To see them live, is a whole other story. There is greatness coming for these boys, hands down.

The raw sound, no tracking, no B.S. attitude of their live show, definitely put a charge into the crowd. Even if someone hasn't listened to Pushing Veronica before, they were pulled in by the energy from them on stage, along with their music. Belting out songs like “BULLSHIT” and “DEAD GIRL” kept the pace high. And the capping off “CHAD” was priceless, to say the least. The love for their ex-stepdad, well, you’ll just have to see them live to understand. Overall a great group to meet and see.

Sleep Signals

Sleep Signals, from Minnesota, is a band that is coming out quickly and people should keep an eye and ear on. They drive through their live performance like a hurricane.

As soon as they hit the stage, you could see the excitement in them. This also rubbed off on the audience and dialed it up even more. The performance that they delivered tonight was amazing to say the least. Singer Robert Cosgrove is a veteran. He owned the stage like a seasoned pro while doing an amazing job singing a set that included songs like “Welcome to the Masquerade”, “Suit & Tie Suicide” and “I'll Save You”. Guitarists Sean Fitz and Cody Lane both were sharp as a knife with their riffs. Bassist Alex Nikolas and drummer JJ King were spot on as well. This was one hell of a way to prime the crowd for the next band.

Like A Storm

New Zealanders Like A Storm are no strangers to me. They are very humble and awesome to talk to. An amazing group of guys that have never changed their attitudes, and say fathoms on who they are as a group.

Their live show for this tour has changed immensely. Instead of the LED panels that you would see on most of their shows, they opted for a carnies background, complete with devilish looking clowns running around the stage. Hence the tour title “Freekshow”. (Yes, that is an on-purpose misspelling. It was a free show as a thank you to fans. There weren’t any circus animals on the tour, so don’t ask.).

Now here comes the good stuff. Chris and his two brothers along with Zach, took the stage in an always smiling, always positive demeanor. They truly love what they do, and love their fans even more. And the air was filled at that moment with great rock.

They opened up the night with “Complicated” which is off of their 2018 release "Catacombs". There was no shortness of electricity that was running over the stage, as they banged out their set. Fan favorites like the cover of Coolio’s “Gangster's Paradise” and “Wish you Hell” absolutely drove their fans insane. And as the set progressed, Chris made his way into the audience for a “Sing-along”.

During the intermission before the encore, a rabid-like group of clowns came out once again to greet the fans and made sure they were not leaving quite yet. A large, didgeridoo apparatus was wheeled out by a stagehand, and Chris approached this lost soul pulpit of sorts. He began his solo on the didgeridoo, which ended with an almost horror meets Skrillex like sound. He is incredible with that unique instrument. The night ended with my favorite “Love the way You Hate Me”.

Once again, we love the music that all the bands put out that night. If you haven’t had a chance to see any other these great acts, stop what you’re doing, look them up, and go to a show….AND ENJOY!!

Image Credits: TStarr Photography