Concert Review: “Charm Cities Tour” Williamsport, PA

“Charm Cities Tour”
Carousel Kings, Abandoned By Bears, Bad Case of Big Mouth, American Arson, Take Two
Saturday, April 8th 2017
Ground Floor 2.0, Williamsport, PA

Our score: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Victory Records artist Carousel Kings brought their “Charm Cities” tour to the impressive Ground Floor 2.0 venue in Williamsport, PA on April 8th for a night of high energy punk rock. The quant Pennsylvania town which is best known as the home of the Little League World Series now has another claim to fame as the Ground Floor 2.0 venue boasts a fun and safe environment for all concert goers while providing top notch sound, lighting and amenities for its performing artists making for a great experience for everyone involved and the “Charm Cities” tour was no exception.

Kicking of the night was the Elmira, NY based band Take Two. The five piece group whose sound could be described as progressive punk rock performed a hand full of original material including a few songs off their recently released “Weekend Warriors EP”. The band did a great job warming up the crowd and received a hefty round of applause as their set came to a close. Michigan natives American Arson would be up next and though not originally part of the shows line up the band consisting of only two members guitarist/vocalist Evan Baker and drummer Jesse Gentry put forth a sound and style that would make full sized bands shake in their boots. The duo performed a brief, high intensity set which featured songs of their latest “Waymaker” EP. Taking the stage next would be NJ native Bad Case of Big Mouth or simply just “Bad Case” the band worked the stage like seasoned professionals as the bands vocalist and dual guitarist whipped up a solid helping of pop-punk goodness. In the direct support slot for the nights show was Sweden’s own…yes I said Sweden easy-core band Abandoned By Bears. The band which sports dual vocalist brought a heavier element to the shows lineup which contrasted nicely with the other bands on the bill as it set the stage nicely for tour headliners Carousel Kings. Flanked by numerous lighted pillars Carousel Kings would close out the night performing a variety songs including a handful from their latest release “Charm City”. It had been a little while since I had seen the guys perform live and since that time the band has undergone some lineup changes however they were just as solid as the previous incarnations.

Very rarely do you come across a tour and venue that are both equally great. However, in the case of the “Charm Cities” tour stop at the Ground Floor 2.0 both venue and artists clicked on all levels. The bands on the bill were all very personable and thankful to those in attendance and the same could be said for the venue staff as they treated every person that came through the door with the utmost respect. Though the “Charm Cities” tour comes to close on April 13th do yourself a favor and check out each of the bands on this line up as each one will not disappoint.

Carousel Kings: https://www.facebook.com/carouselkings
Abandoned By Bears: https://www.facebook.com/AbandonedByBears
Bad Case: https://www.facebook.com/BadCaseOfficial/
American Arson: http://www.americanarson.com/
Take Two: http://www.officialtaketwo.com/

 

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Concert Review: Kiss “The Lost Cities Tour 2011” Verona, NY

Kiss “The Lost Cities Tour 2011”
Date: Thursday, July 28th 2011
Venue: Turning Stone Casino, Verona, NY

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

Kiss wrapped up their 18 date Lost Cities tour at The Turning Stone Casino in Verona, NY on July 28th. A surprisingly smaller venue than what Kiss has been a custom to after 35 years in the music business however the intimate venue didn’t stop Kiss from unleashing their bombastic stage show on the near capacity crowd. Fans were treated to a somewhat scaled down version of the “Hottest Show on Earth” but none the less Kiss still delivered!

This was my 10th Kiss show and despite Paul’s almost verbatim chats with the crowd and Tommy Thayers cheap and almost sickening Ace Frehley imitation I was still entertained. Kiss proved that no matter how big or small a venue they can still entertain a crowd. Gone were Gene and Paul’s flying rigs and the massive back line of speakers however it was nice to see the band play without that stuff bringing back an almost eighties stripped down Kiss feel to the night. I would have liked to have heard a little more variation in the set list as I am sure most diehard Kiss fans like myself would agree however the night proved to be very enjoyable and showcased just why Kiss is the hottest band in the land!

Set List:
1.) Modern Day Delilah
2.) Let Me Go, Rock ‘N’ Roll
3.) Firehouse
4.) Deuce
5.) Do You Love Me
6.) Calling Dr. Love
7.) Shock Me
8.) I Love It Loud
9.) Love Gun
10.) God of Thunder
11.) Black Diamond
12.) Detroit Rock City

Encore:
13.) Beth (Acoustic)
14.) Lick It Up
15.) Shout It Out Loud
16.) Rock and Roll All Nite