The Turbine Blade portion quickly transitioned (with no break this time) into a slew of Coheed’s greatest hits. Tracks like “Ten Speed (Of God’s Blood and Burial)” and “Welcome Home” were forceful and refreshing in this live setting and others like “No World for Tomorrow” and “Far” were close behind.
Coheed’s got more than the five “greatest hits” they played, but time constraints are time constraints. Just as it seemed they were really stretching their legs, all was said and abruptly done. Better to leave us wanting more though, right? Overall, a disjointed, but commendable performance.
More photos by Mike:
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For a band so well versed in producing stadium-shaking epics, Coheed and Cambria’s show at Jannus Live on Friday was a respectable but somewhat epic-free effort. [All photos by Mike Wilson.]
This was largely conscious on their part. To commemorate their 10th anniversary, Coheed is playing a tour of unique sets, wherein they deliver a first set of acoustic renditions, then a second set that includes their breakout LP, The Second Stage Turbine Blade, performed in its entirety along with a few greatest hits to top it all off.
Cool, right? A little sampling of everything from a band that’s stretched their legs quite a bit in their lifespan. There’s bound to be something even the most casual Coheed fan could sink into, right? Generally, there was, but this “cast a wide net”-like format turned out to be both a blessing and a curse.
The curse part was largely due in part to the acoustic set. “Who neutered Coheed and Cambria?” pretty much sums up my internal line of questioning during this opening portion. It might’ve been a tad more interesting if they didn’t siphon every croony ballad of their career into the set, but they did.
If the ending scene to some Katherine Heigel romcom had her reuniting with her perfectly-chiseled love interest in the rain at Jannus Live, acoustic Coheed would’ve been the perfect soundtrack. It sounded impeccable, definitely. Claudio’s delicate, high-pitched vocals danced atop lush acoustic runs and non-overbearing drum, creating an audible feast, but man, you could put babies to sleep with the stuff they were dishing out. Coheed staples like "Wake Up," "Always and Never," and "Mother Superior" were played, but left much to be desired when offered up in succession.
After a short break, they returned, plugged in and healthily amplified. Whatever semblance of soft, easy listening they’d established the first set was completely washed away within the first few seconds of Second Stage Turbine Blade. They sounded BIG, clear — like the band we knew and had come to see. Claudio was a hair-ful force onstage, bouncing from end to end, a rather jubilant servant to the music they were pumping out.
