BC News|October 13, 2015 12:20 EDT
Blindside Relive the Magic of 'Silence' with Fans in NYC's Webster Hall; Debut New Song [REVIEW]
For the few hundred people that piled into the Marlin Room of Webster Hall on October 10, the night represented a moment many had been waiting to see their whole lives - the chance to see their favorite band.
Blindside was in the building, and the energy was incredible.
The story starts with a random Facebook posting in July that saw the recently very quiet Swedish band surprising fans by saying they were coming to New York City for one show. The special occasion was to play their groundbreaking record, Silence, front to back for the first time. It would also mark the first time the band was in the U.S. in over four years.
Flash forward to Saturday, and after three very good openers also from Sweden, Adept, Solence, and Rideau, Blindside walked on the stage at around 8:30 pm.
Lead singer Christian Lindskog walked out on stage to the opening chords of the album's, "Caught a Glimpse." "New York City, are you ready?" he asked. "Let's go."
Before fans could even catch their breath from yelling the whole first track, the band exploded into their hit song "Pitiful." As soon as Blindside reached the first chorus, the venue erupted appropriately with, "And I remember every word you say!"
Again, without skipping a beat, next up was another hit, "Sleepwalking." The band performed it flawlessly, and had the whole crowd chanting out, "just one last goodbye."
"Cute Boring Love" rang in next with its infectious chorus, followed by "The Endings." The guitars crunched all the way until the end.
The catchy, "You Can Hide It" was up next, and Christian soared along with the crowd as everyone continued at full force.
"Thought Like Flames" sounded so awesome. The message of the song is still as potent as ever, "sorry, you're not a god."
The quick punky beginning of "Time Will Change Your Heart" burst in and amped the audience up even more. The more melodic "Painting" was up next. Christian really transitions well within songs, hitting just about every note and scream.
Just before "Midnight" starts, the band takes some time to thank the sound guy and take a bit of a breather. He then almost misses coming into the song because the band abruptly starts. He gives a smile and look and continues on, "Fast lane, sane, insane this world is running/ And I'm walking with a cane/ Seek, seek you can be unique/ But whatever you do don't let your inside out."
"Coming Back to Life" cuts in with power before giving way to the first closer, "She Shut Your Eyes." The band then went a bit crazy as Christian yelled, "Thank you good night!" They played a raucous instrumental of chaotic cymbal smashing and riffing - then walked off stage.
They slowly started coming back on one by one, this time with acoustic instruments and a bar stool. The vocalist said something to the effect of, "We were never one of those sitting around with acoustic type bands, but today is special."
Blindside played a vulnerable and intimate rendition of "Silence" that had everyone singing and clapping along. It was impressive that Christian still had so much of his voice left at that time. They then walked off the stage again.
"Eye of the Storm" was the first song of their second encore. The opener from About a Burning Fire was a welcome addition to the night. Next up was The Great Depressions' "My Alibi" which was a bit of a weird choice, but still cool to hear. Perhaps it was a bit of a breather on the vocal chords.
Some good news came in the form of a new untitled song. The prospect that the band has more music coming is very exciting. Christian joked that the song will either go "really well" or "bad." The first verse was a bit rough as he struggled to hit the notes a bit, but after the first chorus, he settled in nicely on the second verse.
Closing out the show was the very fitting, "About a Burning Fire," which began with everyone screaming the opening lyrics. The place went ballistic, jumping around and going wild. As the quiet part came in, the vices and applause almost rose above the music. It became the "pull out your lighters" and sway moment of the night.
From start to finish, Blindside was simply amazing and certainly put on a show worthy of one night. The crowd definitely got their money's worth, and with the knowledge that new music is on the way, hopefully their next trip will be much sooner.
"Still blown away from yesterday. Thank you New York. We will never forget it," Christian wrote on the band's Facebook.
To see a whole video playlist of the show, watch below:
