With new music coming soon, Coheed and Cambria spent Friday performing older hits during a sold-out show at Mars Music Hall in Huntsville.
As the crowd worked its way into the venue, Sheer Mag kicked off the night, coming on stage and looking like the neighborhood garage band ready for a jam session. But, as the old saying goes, looks can certainly be deceiving as the five-member rock band put on a stellar 30-minute set to get the night off to a strong start.
Sheer Mag’s instrumentals were on point from the start of the set, with the group’s two guitarists shining early. It was lead singer Tina Halladay who commanded the attention for most of the band’s set, which consisted of original tracks that featured a 70s funk rock-infused sound combined with a punk edge. Those instrumentals made Halladay’s voice shine as she added Janis Joplin-esque sounding vocals, which left the audience quite impressed.
As Coheed and Cambria walked on stage, there was the sense that Friday night would be nothing short of a celebration. During the nearly 90-minute set, it was evident that the rockers were joyful and even grateful, to be performing in front of a live crowd. That energy was particularly noticeable with lead singer Claudio Sanchez, who was bouncing around the stage, engaging the audience throughout the performance.The night started with a familiar track for fans as the band performed “In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3,” the opening track of the 2003 album with the same title. The lights stayed dim throughout the introduction of the opening track, but moments later the energy was present and didn’t stop as Sanchez played to both sides of the stage, getting the crowd engaged early in the set.
There were only a few times when the band stopped and addressed the audience, which was just to thank them for coming out. Aside from those short moments, Coheed and Cambria let the music do the talking for them, and they played at least one track off of each of the group’s nine studio albums.
The Huntsville fans fed off the band’s energy, singing along to every word of the 17-song performance. It was the group’s older tracks that seemed to resonate with the crowd. That enthusiasm and appreciation for the earlier songs were particularly noticeable during “A Favor House Atlantic” from the previously-mentioned 2003 album that became a massive single for the group. Early into the song, Sanchez stepped away from the microphone, letting the audience take over on lyrics and it seemed like almost every person in the venue sang the lyrics back at the frontman.
With one final song left on their setlist, Sanchez grabbed his famous double-guitar, which meant it was time for fan-favorite “Welcome Home,” from the band’s third studio album. The audience erupted with joy, and Sanchez harnessed that energy, playing to the crowd and performing portions of the song with the guitar behind his head.
As the rockers waved goodbye to the crowd following that tune, the Huntsville fans cheered and even chanted the rockers’ names after the set, hoping to get the 18th track. Though the house lights went on shortly, you can’t fault the audience for trying.
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