Lehigh Valley Nightlife

As usual, I arrived between the 1st and 2nd sets, around 10:55 p.m. The crowd was average for a Friday night: not packed, not dead. There was a good mix of ages. Here is my review of the band for the 2nd and 3rd (last) sets.

I want to give some serious credit here. It was announced this was the first show the drummer played after a stroke. This fact does not affect my review, but, I was amazed.

2nd Set:

They hit the stage with a lot of energy. Right off, they had great crowd interaction! One major area I look at. Their first song was hey jelousy and they nailed it both vocals and music. The dance floor was about 1/4 full with good crowd response. By the third song, the dance floor was packed. Througout the whole set, the dance floor was packed and crowd interaction / response was excellent.

Here is the breakdown for their 2nd set by criteria:

Stage show: excellent! Considering the stage is not that large, they did move around the stage and played with power. heart and spirit. The light show one the screen behind the band had a lot to be desired. It was just a rotation of figures. Imagine a loose kalidescope.

Music / Vocals: Good variety of decades. High points: short blues set starting with "sweet little thing". Again, they nailed "hey jealousy". Hendrix they did justice to and was very good. Low points: "My Sharona" vocals way off. They still packed the dance floor. 2 songs they dragged out.

Technical issues: 4 hard breaks. By a hard break, I mean there was no transition between songs. These hard breaks appeared to be a technical issue with equipment. The could have covered them better with crowd interaction.

Crowd interaction / Response: Excellent! They really played the crowd. The crowd loved it. The energy Crush had througout the second was high. On the hendrix songs: lead guitarist played with his face and behind his head for a few seconds.

3rd set:

Crush hit the stage with energy on the first song. Dance floor only had about 6 people. Crowd starting to, noticibly, thin out at this point. For most of the 3rd set, the band seemed like they were fading and the overall energy level at Mezza Luna was fading also. I expect this with most bands and bars / clubs around 12:45 a.m.

Here is the overall breakdown of set #3:

Stage show: energy and crowd interaction started fading after the first song. By their third song: "Loving is what I got" the dance floor was at leat 1/2 full. Crowd interaction really picked up at this point. They still moved around the stage, but it looked like they were getting tired. I can understand why, if the first set was like the 2nd. The technical issues could have also played a part in it. They did pick up the energy near the end, especially with their last song: "Rock this town".

Music / Vocals: High points: "hey little thing..." again, they nailed this one. "rock this town" they did a real good job. "Twist and shout" music and lead vocals, excellent. Low points: "857-5309" they killed this one on vocals and music. "One thing leads to another" music and vocals way off. They did slow it down for one song with and instrumental. There were very few transitions between songs.

Crowd Interaction / Response: Overall very good, considering about half way though the place was really starting to empty out. The main song where the floor was empty was 867-5309. Even though it was the 3rd set, I was very surprised. By the halfway point, I had the feeling of "let's wrap this up for the night." Crush and the crowd exploded with energy one their last song "Rock this town". The dance floor was very full.

Technical: The issue of hard breaks still was present. It seemed like the equipment problem could not be fixed in between sets.

Overall ratings:

Crowd Interaction / Response: Very Good, just below excellent and not by much. If they would have covered the hard breaks a little better and carried the energy the entire 3rd set then excellent.

Music / Vocals: Very Good. The background vocals and music on two songs and killing 867-5309 / One thing leads to another is a factor. The vocals on my sharona were another.

Stage show: Good. The band used the stage very well. They moved around and performed like rock musicians. The light show on the screen behind the band was the letdown. The band's performance on stage drew the attention.

Crowd Interaction / Response: Excellent. They got the crowd into the music. With few exceptions, they had the dance floor packed. The crowd breaked between songs when the band did and got right back to the dance floor when the music started. Even the slow instrumental had couples dancing. Especially during the second set, the band talked to the crowd and kept them involved.

Technical: Poor. The equipment problems caused hard breaks and, at times, appeared to frustrate the band. I am not lowering my review because of this, it happens to every band on every level.

Overall Rating for Crush: Very Good! If you have a chance, definitely check these guys out. I would love to see them perform an orginal song. Very serious on this point. Great job guys!

Side note: I only had one beer for both sets.

On February 24, 2012, I caught the Aardvarks at Mezza Luna on Airport Rd., Allentown Pa. This is the second time I saw the Aardvarks. I watched and listened to them as if this was the first time. The following is my review. Light and effect show was not an important factor in my criteria due to the setup of Mezza Luna. In addition, the stage at Mezza Luna is not that large. I arrived between the first and second sets. I stayed for the 2^nd and 3^rd sets.

I did not know the Aardvarks were playing until I walked into the door. This band has a large following in the Allentown / Lehigh Valley area. The place was crowded with a good age and male / female ratio.

Overall, the dance floor was never empty. As with all clubs and bands / disc jockeys, the amount of people dancing varied, it was at least half-full for both sets.

Time for the band review and the main part of this article. I will give the high and low points of both sets.

Second Set: I expected the band to explode onto the stage. The energy level I felt was incredibly lacking. Several of the songs, including “Sweet Emotion” were flat in both music and vocals. A few songs, including “Sweet Emotion”, my reactions were “OUCH!” and a serious cringe. The fact of the music being flat could have been technical. If it was, there was no effort to correct it. At times, there were breaks in between songs. When they did transition, it was very smooth. “Superstitious” was one of the few highlights in their second set. Other than a few birthday announcements, they did not play to the crowd. Overall summary: Aardvarks second set a huge letdown.

Third Set: I could feel very little energy from the band when they hit the stage. Overall, the vocals did improve slightly. A major highlight of the third set was the Prince / Michael Jackson medley. Even though the vocals and music were a little flat, they really got the crowd rocking and into it. The transitions, with the Prince songs, were very rough. Billie Jean was one of the best songs in their third set. My reaction to the vocals on “Glory Days” was a major “Ouch!” Songs by the Rolling Stones, the band really nailed the music and vocals, again, very impressed! I was very surprised when the Aardvarks ended the set with a slow song. I was extremely impressed with vocals and music.

Overall: I was not impressed with this band. The lack of passion and energy, I felt, was a huge letdown. The crowd interaction was minimal which is very surprising. Music transitions could have been better and the amount of breaks in between songs was more than expected. Some songs were flat out bad.

Maybe the band had an off night. There could have been technical issues on the sound. I realize any band cannot do every song perfectly. I do not even think that is possible. Two of the main points I look for in any band, cover or original, are energy and crowd interaction. The Aardvarks were extremely lacking in both.

I did see them, for the first time, at Coplay Community Days in 2011. The show was phenomenal! I even hit the dance floor, very rare occasion.

February 12, 2012

I had a rare occasion to be very impressed with a cover band. Burnt Sienna did a show at the pigpen on Saturday, February 11, 2012. I was present for the first two sets. I will start with the stage show. The background screen and effects were excellent and flawless. A mirrored, graphic equalizer appeared to form a mouth, at times. The effects and transitions were in time with the music and beat changes. Large varieties of effects were also part of the screen display. The band knew how to play the crowd. Announcements, such as birthdays and taking care of staff were made with enthusiasm. A few dedications to the crowd, staff and Allentown were thrown in and helped stage presence. Crowd reaction was mixed on the first set. The second set had the dance floor crowded.

Next and on the same level as stage show is Burnt Sienna’s music. From the jump, they hit the stage hard and with a good variety. Their first set was mostly a variety of rock. The few breaks in between songs were momentary and covered by the lead singer’s comments. The music and vocals were smooth with no hard transitions or silence. The songs were popular and easy to recognize. Their music carried power and intensity. The vocals were excellent and no mis-cues on lyrics. The second set was mainly dance music. Here I was very impressed in another area. The transitions were better than some disc jockeys I have heard. Musically, I could not tell when one song stopped and the next began. Vocally, great job on lyric transitions, which cannot be easy. I admit to mainly being a fan of rock music. Songs I did not know, I was moving to in the second set.

Overall, music and stage show was very impressive, even from a technical standpoint. The music had power on every genre. The vocals were dead on. Stage presence with the band and light / effects, one of the best I have from a cover band.

I would love to see what this band could do with original music. I am very serious on this point.

Here is the disclaimer: 1) I only had two beers, not even a buzz. 2) This is the first time I have seen “Burnt Sienna”. 3) I am not a fan of cover bands. After a certain point, you know what they will play and the order it will be played. 4) I am not taking shots at cover bands, personal preference. 5) Opinions stated here are based on the observations of one person, etc,. etc., boring! :)