Chicago based hard rocking power trio Chevelle made a highly anticipated stop at The Rapids Theatre in Niagara Falls, NY. The sold out crowd packed it in this past Sunday night, to catch the band in their second ever appearance in Western New York. Lead on stage by lead singer/ guitarist Pete Loeffler, they got right into their heavy, high energy set with their 2007 hit “Antisaint”. After powering through two more songs, Pete Loeffler took a moment to utter two words, “Niagara Falls”. The crowd erupted and Chevelle continued on with the title track from their latest album “Hats Off To The Bull”, named for the affection the band has taken for the underdog.
Chevelle didn’t spend much time talking to the crowd, instead they just moved from song to song, delivering one favorite after another to the feverish fans. Their 18 song set consisted of the type songs you would want to listen to in your iPod random playlist. On a couple of separate occasions, Pete Loeffler encouraged them to sing along with their hits “Send The Pain Below,” and “Vitamin R,” which they played back to back.
Chevelle had an interesting opportunity for any fans with some extra money in their pockets. For $100, you could purchase a pass giving you the chance to stand on the side of the stage during the entire show. What made the opportunity more enticing, was the fact that the venue was packed to the walls and a small group of raucous fans decided to mosh and crowd surf.
As the set wrapped up with “Clones”, the band exited stage right, waving as they left. Usually a crowd will chant to get a band to return, this was not the case Sunday night. Instead they unleashed the loudest ovation I have ever heard in my life, and it lasted close to an entire minute. When Pete Loeffler and his band mates returned to the stage, the fans joined him in singing “The Red” word for word. When re-joined by his brother Sam on drums, and Dean Bernardini on bass, Chevelle closed the show with their biggest and most recent hit “Face To The Floor”.
Having been a fan of of Chevelle for some time, I was really looking forward to seeing them in my favorite venue, I was not disappointed. The trio was taut and clean, and P. Loeffler sounded incredible. Their performance isn’t geared towards fan interaction, it’s all about the powerful music that defines them, and that’s fine with me. It’s pretty clear, after spending a few hours with them, that Chevelle is definitely throwing their hat in the ring as one of the best trios in music today.
Setlist:
Antisaint
Letter From A Thief
Another Know It All
Hats Off To The Bull
Sleep Apnea
Same Old Trip
Closure
Jars
Send The Pain Below
Vitamin R
Straight Jacket Fashion
I Get It
The Clincher
Envy
Wonder What’s Next
Clones
Encore:
The Red
Face To The Floor
We would like to thank Bari Lieberman from MSOPR for allowing BackstageAxxess to review the show.
