Tooth & Nail Tour Review

Tooth & Nail 2006 Tour Emery Anberlin Far-Less The Fold The Classic Crime Jonezetta Reviewer: Maggie Solum

"So began the Tooth & Nail Tour experience..."

There were a lot of scene kids. There were a lot of preps. But it was so weird, because not that many of them were mean. When we were in line, we were all thinking, as we watched people passed with sequent purses and llama haircuts that it might just turn out like the Bleeding Through show. I prayed to God this wasn't the case. I had never been to the Metro before, and it was insane because 'tagged men' (anyone in the bands and crew that have backstage tags on their belt loops) were everywhere outside. It was pretty warm, so I guess that makes sense. Anyway...

Click here for my interview with The Fold's Daniel Castaday

Jonezetta was the first band to play. First off, let me tell you - they had some KILLER beards. Like, hella' killer. Especially their bigger bass player that looked like a rock version of Chris Farley. And their skinny, bum-looking vocalist that had amazing facial hair. Their music wasn't anything exotic or amazing, but they were fun to watch. There was a lot of the above-your-head clapping. By the way - metal fans - this wasn't a metal show, I'm just ttellling you in advance. Tooth and Nail is more alternative and screamo, so I don't want you to get too deep into this for no reason, haha. But anyway... Jonezetta sort of had a repetitive sound, which is all too common in the music scene, so they didn't really impress the crowd. Another cool thing about them, though, was that their left stage guitarist like... never, ever settled down. I thought he was going to severe his spinal cord with the moves he was making. Tina adored that, but it sort of made me worry. Haha. They were good, though, they had that bouncy, dancy feeling to them, but if you aren't into it, it can get old fast.

After they finished up, a group of 4' girls behind us in yellow t-shirts and llama hair started talking about starting a moshpit. My first reaction was "DON'T YOU DARE", but I didn't say anything just then. I remember telling Danny that you'd think we were at a DevilDriver concert - none of the opening bands were mosh-worthy material, which isn't a bad thing, they just weren't brutal in anyway. The irony and point of this paragraph is later they got their asses kicked in the big Anberlin/Emery pit. Not really irony - anyway who talks shit usually ends up on the floor later. Even if you don't, you can end up on the floor. I know that from experience.

The Classic Crime was SO good. Out of the three openers, I adored this band the most. I don't know what it was about them, but the vocals really got me and their energy was awesome. Their bass player's treks to the front of the stage reminded me of Keith from A Dozen Furies and what he does during live shows. And their right stage guitarist totally reminded me of Nathaniel Cox, who used to play guitar for Revis. So that was a trip, I wondered about that their entire set. Their vocalist was so awesome to me, for some reason. He reminded me of... I don't even know right now. Maybe Toby, maybe not. But his singing was so cool, I think they had effects for echoes at some parts, but I was enthralled. And there wasn't even that much screaming, so they achieved a lot in the material they have. A few songs were really touching in a powerful sort of way - they were extremely good at writing effective choruses. *Keep in mind when you're in a small venue, and on the floor, the band can see you. I learned this two times during their set. I was spotted dancing by myself by their singer. This hasn't been the first time. Haha.

At this point, I was pissed because I really wanted gum for some reason. A dude behind us was like, "Yeah, I've got gum. It's Bubbelicious." and I kind of stared at him in envy and went, "Oh yeah? Gonna share?" and he said "HOW MUCH". We had to pay him a quarter for a square of bubble gum. It was worth it, because The Fold was a lot of suck.

I had never heard any of the bands' material before this show, except Anberlin and Emery of course, and you know live shows aren't always something you can go by - but The Fold, to me, really had no talent. Their singer did nothing. Their right stage guitarist kind of tried. They just lacked energy and songs that carried different tunes. And I think their singer said he was from Chicago. That sorta' hurt. Haha. I really don't have much to say about them, because all I did was blow bubbles during their set and ask the dude from Canada if he had a spare beard.

After two set changes of really nasty, scratchy hardcore being played over the PA system, they switched it to some awesome Haste the Day. And they played American Love. Which was pretty much magic. I remember during Anberlin and Emery, they played half of an As I Lay Dying song, then switched it to COUNTRY. I was pissed off. None of that!

Click here for photos / review of The Classic Crime & Emery on this years' Warped Tour

I didn't know what to expect of Anberlin, but I was blown away. First, by their vocalist's so strange appearance and the fact that he was wearing a white ski jacket with tight jeans. I really didn't know what to think. But they were SO good, and the crowd went insane over them. Their music was dancy and their energy was inspiring. It seemed like most of the kids at that show were there for the co-headliner (Anberlin) than the actual headliner (Emery), because the excitement was so high for Anberlin. At one point in their set, a boy jumped off the small staircase in front of me and got onstage. After about three seconds of singing with Stephen, the vocalist, he was grabbed and hauled out of the venue. An uproar started as soon as he got onstage, as if everyone was screaming, "VICTORY!" or something to the fact that he'd made it past every security guard.

The only songs I remember clearly are "Foreign Language", "A Day Late" and "Glass to the Arson". And all of them were played perfectly. In the middle of their set, they played that old church song, "Let's go down to the river and pray" over their PA and it was just something I had never heard before. They had an amazing performance that night.

Between Anberlin and Emery, I was pretty much dying from anticipation to see Emery play. Finally, they arrived and completely tore the place apart. Between alternating vocalists/guitarists Toby and Devin, the vocal performances were fantastic. I was in front of keyboardist Josh, and his dancing was awesome. Imagine a thin tree dressed in tight jeans and polished shoes doing a two-step while dancing. Awesome.

It's hard drawing back the memory of this show for some reason, but I remember Devin standing on an amp and stating, "We're here to teach you there is a love beyond loves. It isn't in your boyfriend or girlfriend, it isn't in your family or friends, it isn't in material possession - it's a love stronger than anything imaginable, and I hope each and every one of you finds it". I wish every Christian band would state their "teachings" in such subliminal ways, because secular music fans seemed to get their panties in a bundle when bands state that they "play in the name of Jesus Christ".

As a whole, the show was awesome. Tooth & Nail [Records] definitely has it going on these days with their wide array of Heaven-praising bands ready to rock your pants off. I hope another tour like this rolls around sometime soon.

_Maggie Solum_

 FourteenG / Chicago Cord

Tooth and Nail Tour 2006 Dates:

All dates are Anberlin, Emery, Far-less, Jonezetta, The Fold and The Classic Crime.

03/15 – New Orleans, LA @ House of Blues (Anberlin headlining)

03/16 – Austin, TX @ Redrum Annex (T&N Tour starts at SXSW)

03/17 – Houston, TX @ The Studio @ Warehouse Live

03/18 – Dallas, TX @ The Door

03/20 – Tucson, Z @ City Limits (KFMA show)

03/21 – Tempe, AZ @ Marquee Theatre

03/22 – San Diego, CA @ Soma

03/24 – Pomona, CA @ The Glasshouse

03/25 – Los Angeles, CA @ Henry Fonda Theatre

03/26 – Las Vegas, NV @ The Alley

03/28 – Sacramento, CA @ Colonial Theatre

03/29 – Chico, CA @ Cal State Univ.

03/30 – Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom

03/31 – Seattle, WA @ The Showbox

04/01 – Spokane, WA @ Fat Tuesdays

04/03 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Avalon

04/04 – Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre

04/05 – Lawrence, KS @ Granada Theatre

04/06 – Omaha, NE @ Sokol

04/07 – Minneapolis, MN @ Quest

04/08 – Des Moines, IA @ House of Bricks

04/10 – Chicago, IL @ The Metro

04/11 – Cleveland, OH @ Agora Ballroom

04/12 – Buffalo, NY @ Icon

04/13 – New York, NY @ The Avalon

04/14 – Boston, MA @ Axis

04/15 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Trocadero

04/17 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club

04/18 – Hartford, CT @ Webster

04/19 – Norfolk, VA @ the Norva

04/20 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle

04/21 – Charlotte, NC @ Tremont Music Hall

04/22 – Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade

04/23 – Jacksonville, FL @ Murray Hill Theatre

04/24 – Orlando, FL @ House of Blues

04/25 – St. Petersburg, FL @ Jannus Landing

04/26 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ Culture Room