Feb. 10, 2003
Alright folks, this show was mediocre at best, for the hype which preceeded it. But let me first pose a question... did anyone else find it ironic that a tour tittled "Sno Core 2003" kicked off in our city of Albuquerque, which has yet to see the slightest bit of snow? Hmm, maybe it's just me.
Before the show even began, I was thinking to myself that the acoustics of Sunshine Theater are a strange thing, in some places the sound is incredible, and in others, you might as well be rolling down a hill in a metal barrel. As it goes, in my opinion the best spot for optimum listening is on the platform next to the sound equipment which isn't really the most exciting place to sit, but you do what you've got to do. Luckily for me I was sitting there, because as it happend, there seemed to be a high amount of drunk people at this show and from my vantage point I was able to see a few of them vomit on the floor, and was thus able to avoid not only the puke, but also the people.
Now, for the real reason I'm writing this:
Dredge came on first and played reasonably well. I admire the singers vocal abilities, he was able to reach notes that by the looks of the guy I would have never suspected were part of his range. Nearing the end of their set, the singer whipped out what appeared to be a trumpet and began to (no, not play it) blow through it noiselessly. Don't ask me what that was all about.
Shortly, thereafter Glassjaw took a stab at it and did quite well. The singer made it a point to mention (a few times) that last night's was their first show in a while. He even said "We're ironing out the knots", which in non-bizzare-o world would mean they were ironing out the wrinkles, I guess. But, I suppose if that was the only fault I could find in their preformance I'd say they did marvelously well.
Hot Water Music was unable to make it to the show, and no specific reason was given as to why.
Lastly, Sparta took the stage and played their little hearts out. The singer even managed to make himself go hoarse by the fourth or fifth song. But I was glad as the singers voice seemed to peirce a hole in my eardrums, so much so that I thought blood might spurt from them at any moment. Aside from a few rough patches here and there the show went fairly smoothly, as it was the first in a long list of dates. Even so, I still left feeling the scorch of the twenty bucks I had just wasted.