On the road supporting their brand new album “Connect,” the hard rock trio, Sick Puppies, stopped at the historic Rapids Theatre in Niagara Falls, NY. Led by charismatic front man Shimon Moore, they took the stage and opened with the first track off of the aforementioned album, “Die To Save You.” As the fans echoed every one of Moore’s words, it was apparent that they had come prepared to enjoy a Sick Puppies show.
Aside from having a great front man, the Sick Puppies also possess arguably one of the best bass players in the industry, Emma Anzai. If you’ve never seen Anzai perform live, you are surely missing out. Watching her cover every inch of the stage, while slapping out chest pounding rhythms in time with drummer Mark Goodwin, is well worth the price of admission.
The set they put together covered everything from their very beginning, up to their most recent offerings. They even incorporated some of their favorites, including a portion of Rage Against The Machine’s “Killing In The Name Of,” within in their hit “Riptide.”
One of the best things about a Sick Puppies show is the connection Moore makes with his fans. Leading into the bands biggest hit, “Maybe,” he told the story of them leaving Australia and moving to Los Angeles to pursue their dreams of succeeding in the music industry. He also spoke of the legend of the theatre being haunted by a young actress who reportedly hung herself, so he dedicated the title track, “Connect,” to her.
After finishing their set with a two song encore, that included the hit “You’re Going Down,” the band came to center stage, took a bow, and handed out souvenirs to the fans in the front row. Moore wanted to make sure that everyone in attendance got a chance to meet the band after the show, again proving how accessible he is.
Every time I’ve seen the Sick Puppies play I’ve been more and more impressed. Not only has the performance gotten better, but they still maintain that “down to earth” mentality. With them giving their all at every show, whether there’s 100 fans or 10,000 fans attendance, you’re guaranteed the same great show, and you’d be crazy to miss it.
Setlist:
Die To Save You
Cancer
No Going Back
Odd One
Riptide
My World
Maybe
Connect
War
Gunfight
Pitiful
Nothing
Encore:
All The Same
You’re Going Down
We would like to thank Ken Phillips Publicity Group for the credentials to review the show.
