By Rob Goald
rsgoald@comcast.net


Seether
Flyleaf
Rev Theory
House of Blues
Las Vegas, NV.
20 April 2008
By
Rob Goald

 Seether : A Powerful and Dramatic Music Experience

A trifecta of post- grunge bands hit the stage last Sunday at The House of Blues in Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay Casino Resort with outstanding results.

Kicking things off was Interscope recording artists Rev Theory (formerly known as Revelation Theory). The band, who hail from North Andover, Massachusetts, showcased their buff, tattooed lead singer Rich Luzzi whose magnetic stage presence pumped up the house. His performance of their “kick ass” new single “Hell Yeah” was fueled with energy. But, Rev Theory, still has a long way to climb before they reach the unique stylings and distinctive material of the headline acts.

Flyleaf at The House Of Blues in Mandalay Bay

When the Belton, Texas quintet known as Flyleaf took the stage the lights were dimmed and the audience reached a new energy level. The diminutive (4’10”) lead singer, Lacey Mosley, was the last to take her position center stage and faced away from the sold out crowd. Raising her arms above her head, as if to begin some sort of incantation, she suddenly turned to the band as they exploded into “Justice and Mercy”. Their powerful set included “All Around Me” and “Fully Alive” which are bouncy, hook-laden songs that envelop you in melody. Their performance of “I’m So Sick” and “Breathe Today” brought the audience to a frenzy. My only complaint about Flyleaf’s performance had nothing to do with their music; it was that Mosley’s proselytizing her Christian faith from the rock pulpit felt out of place.

But it was Seether that won the audience’s heart with a powerful and dramatic music experience. Seether, which hails from South Africa, consists of Shaun Morgan (vocals/guitar), Dale Stewart (drums/vocals) and John Humphrey (drums), is touring to promote its latest album, Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces, which was released last October, on Wind-Up Records.

The band’s website quotes Morgan on the inspiration for the album's title: “At some point in my life I decided to see the good in the bad . . . I was driving home from the studio one day and the title hit me. It’s an ambiguous art euphemism. Growing up I was told the negative space in art is as important as what the objects are. But it has a double-sided meaning. Kind of like, I lost my leg but I still have another one. Or, my girlfriend left me and took all the furniture, but I still have my guitar and a mattress.”

Seether at The House Of Blues in Mandalay Bay

Seether snuck on stage behind a gauze curtain. Their set decorations featured a fabulous Christmas-like light show, with a baby doll hanging around the mike stand, drawing inspiration from the eccentric artwork on the cover of their latest release. They were flanked by two screens providing both light and music videos. All of these touches elevated their showmanship to world-class.
 
As the curtain rose, Shaun Morgan and company belted out the power cords to “Gasoline” from their “Disclaimer” release. A brilliant and exhilarating set commenced. The three piece band was tight and the HOB, Las Vegas, sound system was mixed to perfection providing Morgan’s powerful vocals on top of the crunchy distortion and brooding textures of bass, drums and lead. Morgan’s vocals may be likened to Curt Cobain, the lead singer of Nickelback or maybe Stain’d’s Aaron Lewis.

Their set included staples from their five album releases including “Fine Again”, “Breakdown”, “Fallen”, “Needles”, “Truth”, “6 Gun Quota”, “Like Suicide”, “Eyes of the Devil”, “FMLYHM” and their biggest hit single to date, currently still tracking, titled “Fake It”. Their anti-suicide single “Rise Above This” was particularly poignant with its powerful melodic hook and featured their innovative music video directed by Tony Petrossian - a tribute to Shaun Morgan’s late brother who took his own life.

For “Broken”, Dale Stewart brought out an acoustic guitar to accompany Morgan’s gripping vocal rendition of that evocative, melodramatic song. The band garnered its strongest ovation when it wrapped its performance with “Remedy”. It was a fitting conclusion to a truly amazing rock show where each band put out its best for its audience.