High Dive – Gainesville, Florida
It’s not very often you get to see a well-known band in a small club setting – but when you do, be sure to seize the opportunity and go to the show.
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This time around, Pop Evil was headlining the bill with support from Ocala locals Antic, Los Angeles rockers Black Lodge, and Gainesville natives Hollow Days. I had seen Antic and Hollow Days previously and was impressed by each of the bands before. The second time, I was pleased to notice that they only got better with repetition.
Antic took the stage to warm up the crowd and had more than a few fans already in the venue at the start of the show on this Halloween night. As they progressed through their set, the crowd got more amped up as a result of what I can only assume were their more popular songs. In fact, for one of the songs, singer Clint Williams dedicated a song called “Slenderman” to a George who apparently couldn’t make it that night. At the previous show that I saw Antic at with Trapt, there was a tall gentleman dressed in a suit with a red tied and a white mask that had foam pool noodles on each of his fingers and waved them into the crowd as the song played. Image may be NSFW.
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As soon as Williams announced the song, the guy next to me in the crowd pulled a white mask over his face and jumped up and down yelling. He was immediately noticed by the band and pulled onstage. I then saw that he had a black sweater on with a white button-down shirt and a red tie. “Slenderman” jumped around with the guys for the entirety of the song and got high fives and hugs from the band afterwards as he jumped back to his spot next to me on the floor. It was definitely a clever costume and I’m sure it was very much appreciated by the band. Joey Morrow was insane on bass, just as he was at the previous show, with his plucking and slapping grooves and I had Joey Lendering’s frets right in front of my lens, which was a definite plus.
Black Lodge was up next and I can only assume that they were the touring support for Pop Evil, which made me wonder why and how they were chosen. I realize that it was Halloween, but these guys gave me a whole “over the top emo rock” vibe. The lead singer, Gavin Reign (yes, they all had stage names… red flag number one), had what looked like black eye paint that football players wear smeared all over his face to create some sort of lined design. Image may be NSFW.
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The other members (with names like Johnny Royal and Ventura XIII) were clad in all black with guy-liner, studs, and spikes (red flag numbers two through five). Their playing style carried a very Black Veil Brides-esque feel which was a bit over the top for me – even on this All Hallow’s Eve. A few of the guys in the crowd were screaming that they rocked after their set, but I’m pretty sure one was a homeless guy and the other was just far too drunk. Their playing was less than impressive and, while Gavin Reign seemed to have at least a decent voice while actually singing, it was drowned out by screams and poor theatrics. To be honest, I feel sort of bad for them that they traveled this far from Los Angeles to be mediocre at best; better luck next time.
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Hollow Days rounded out the threesome of openers and again came to impress. I had the opportunity to be up close and personal with guitarist Joe Herchel this time to see his fancy fretwork in action. Recognizing a few of the songs was nice and I got to pay a lot more attention to the musicianship on this second go-around. Though I was far away from bassist Parker, I could still hear his playing through the speakers and I noticed a lot more of his sound during this show. Nick Estes brought his raw, southern-style classic rock feel to the songs and new drummer Luke Pidgeon played so hard his crash cymbal did just that and fell to the ground not two songs into their set.
With the other bands finally done with their sets, it was time for Pop Evil to take the stage. Leigh Kakaty made a “Deal with the Devil” Image may be NSFW.
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on this Halloween night and came out in a mask and screaming into the microphone to a roaring High Dive crowd. Things got crazy as soon as the quintet came out and they didn’t stop till the final note of “Trenches.” Pop Evil played eleven songs including the singles “Hero,” “Boss’ Daughter,” and “Last Man Standing,” along with older songs like “100 in a 55” and “Breathe.” They even broke it down for a bit with the personal “Torn to Pieces” where Kakaty sings about his late father in hopes that he has become “half the man [he] wanted [him] to be.” I’m pretty sure he’s mighty proud, Leigh; I know your fans are.
I’m not sure if it was a combination of seeing the guys up close and personal, Matt DiRito’s hair flipping and hitting me in the face, Leigh praising the Gainesville crowd as one of the best of the tour, the sweat flying off of Davey Grahs as he shredded inches away from me and jumped around to the music, or all of the above, but this was definitely one of my top shows. In fact, I had to get some new Pop Evil music right after I got back home from the venue. Pop Evil definitely gained a new fan in me after the show and I can’t think of a better way I could have spent my Halloween. I had seen them once before and always liked to hear their songs on the radio, but this headlining show was an eye and ear opener to me for sure. To think I wasn’t going to go to this show to begin with makes me even happier that I did. Don’t make the mistake I almost did and go see these guys if they are ever in your area. A little Evil fun never hurt anyone.
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For more photos from this show, click here.