I don’t know whose bright idea it was to rearrange everything at The House of Blues but they turned it into an obstacle course and it’s damn near impossible to get to will call. With tickets securely in hand I hiked back up the hill and down the stairs back to the entrance, which is near the will call booth but separated by a metal railing. Just because it looks good on paper doesn’t mean it will work in the real world, people.
The venue was filled with a number of enthusiastic fans who were all eager to see Saliva and welcome Audiovent back home. It as a Tuesday night and about three-quarters of the room had school the next day, but it was pretty obvious that this was worth loosing sleep over.
The crowd greeted Audiovent warmly. Jason Boyd (vocals) & Benjamin Einziger (guitar) may be the brothers of Incubus’ Brendon Boyd & Mike Einziger but on stage they came across as the reincarnated souls of Robert Plant and Jimmy Page. Simply put, Audiovent are a modern day Led Zeppelin. Jason bears the same charismatic stage presence as Plant and Benjamin emanates Page’s quiet mysticism and relaxed style. And, much like Bonham and Jones, Paul Fried (bass) and Jamin Wilcox (drums) provide a solid backbone for the group’s dynamic tunes.
Jason’s emotion drenched vocals had the girls swooning, while the boys committed to memory every one of Ben’s licks. The crowd was very attentive and they sang along to various picks off of Dirty Sexy Knights In Paris (Atlantic). Judging from this performance there is no doubt that Audiovent will develop a die-hard cult following that will remain loyal to the band until the bitter end. The group’s well-groomed sound is jam packed with versatility and vigor. Put these guys on your watch list.
The first and only time I saw Saliva live was the night they released Every Six Seconds. They won me over with their energy and enthusiastic delivery and I’m happy to report that tonight the band’s set was ten times as potent as it was back then. All the time spent on the road has transformed Saliva into a lean, mean hard rockin’ machine. Their set kicked off with an explosive rendition of “Superstar” and the fireworks continued with “”Click Click Boom” and “After Me”. Fans were happy to hear old favorites, but they rocked just as hard when the band busted out new stuff from Back Into Your System, such as “Superstar II,” “Back Into Your System,” and the super-charged “Raise Up”.
On stage Saliva conjures up some serious power. Vocalist Josey Scott engulfs the audience with his commanding presence and undeniable charm. When the man speaks, the whole audience listens. Case in point: about mid-way into their set Scott asked the crowd to kick the pit into high gear. However, he firmly stated that he wanted them to pick up their fellow moshers if they happened to fall. The guys and gals on the floor gladly complied with his command. They moshed liked hell while Dave Novotny (bass) and Paul Crosby (drums) fired off the pummeling rhythms and guitarists Wayne Swinny and Chris D’abaldo churned out a variety of crushing riffs. As wild as the pit was, no blood was shed and no one was hurt.
By the end of the set every one in the venue was drenched in sweat. You could tell by the look on their faces that they got what they came for and so did Saliva. All in all, these Southern boys proved to the West Coast that the South knows how to do it up right. -NIN
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