I had been waiting for the Screaming For Silence show ever since it was announced that they were going to play at The What’s Up Lounge. It had been a long time since the last time they were in town and I could never make it to their shows when they were near by. It got even better when Cold Kingdom and Arms For Elephants were set to open the show. With such a fantastic line up presented by The What’s Up and 95.7 The Rock Station, it’s no wonder the place was pretty full when I got there. Thursday shows can be hit and miss, but this show definitely was a hit. I walked toward the stage and talked to people that I knew along the way and looked forward to the night’s event!
Cold Kingdom took the stage first. I’ve seen them what must be close to 20 times now and they were certainly on point this evening. They jumped around stage, headbanged, and generally didn’t stop moving for their entire set. I’ve never seen them in such a mood! You can see in the photos how much energy they had. It made for a fantastic show and the crowd responded with cheers and singing along. Their set included crowd favorites from their previous album with their new material sprinkled in. They are on a short tour in venues around the Midwest, so see if they will stop in your area! I assure you that Cold Kingdom will be on your list of must see bands after you see them live!
Next up was Arms For Elephants. They joined Cold Kingdom last time they were in town at the Mankato Brewery, so it was no surprise that they would join them on this show. This local Mankato band loves to joke around while setting up and I got a kick out of a few things a group of guys were yelling at them as well as the band’s responses! Once they started their set though, it was all hard hitting rock and tons of energy flowing off the stage. They added their own set of fog canons on either side of the singer’s riser, which was a cool thing to see. About halfway through their set, a small group of people started a mosh pit and a couple of the band members jumped off the stage to join them! It was another great set from Arms To Elephants and I look forward to the next show I can catch them at!
Another stage change and it was time for Screaming for Silence to do their thing. These guys were one of the first bands I photographed when I started this journey, so it’s always good to see them! One thing these guys like more than playing solid rock tunes is movies. They traded in their Varsity Blues theme for Beetlejuice this time around. The had a shirt with his face on it, chanted his name three times before they started playing, and they even have a song titled “Beetlejuice” that they started off their set with! The mosh pit returned for their performance as well and the crowd overall had a great time during their set. I could tell there were a few first timers at the show and they were happily surprised by the show taking place on stage. As far as the band, the guys have kicked up the energy since the last time I’d seen them, and that isn’t an easy feat considering how much they had last time! It was great to hear all the songs that I remember from the first few times that I’d seen them as well as the newer material! You can get their new CD at any of their future shows, so check them out to see if Screaming for Silence is playing near you!
As always, get out and support live music and I’ll see you out there!
