Buffalo EdgeFest Sept 12, 2015

[MattCTUSA]

One more Summer show added! Lucky East Coasters on this one

WEDG EdgeFest
Sat 9/12/15
Buffalo Outer Harbor

W/ Rise Against, July Talk, the Sheepdogs and more

Hit up www.wedg.com for all the info

[Hugh23]

6:50-7:30pm
1. One Man Army
2. Superman's Dead
3. Innocent
4. Is Anybody Home?
5. RK 2029 - In Repair
6. Clumsy
7. Summertime Sadness
8. Heavyweight
9. 4am
10. Starseed

I will post a full review soon.

[xjsb125]

Thanks!

[Hugh23]

A huge rainstorm came in from over Lake Erie and dumped an inch of rain on Edgefest 2015. My wife Carolyn and I made the treacherous trip through the hard driving rain from Detroit to Buffalo. The concert was held on Buffalo's Outer Harbor. The outdoor festival had two full size stages set up side by side. The idea was as one band played on stage, the other stage was set up for the next scheduled band. There was a 5-10 minute gap between bands which allowed fans to move over to the other stage for the next performance. On the south stage the GA area took up 3/4 of the front of the stage. A barrier gate ran out from the stage deep into the crowd. This left 1/4 of the left stage for VIP ticket holders. This set up was mirrored on the north stage where the GA section took 3/4 of the stage and the right 1/4 of the stage front was for VIP, divided again by a long barrier gate running out from the stage. We stood near the back of the VIP section and shifted stages with everyone else. I liked the setup because there was no waiting between acts.

When we arrived at the concert the rain had slowed to a steady drizzle. As each band performed, the rain increased in intensity. A large fan base showed up to the festival despite the weather conditions. I expected fans to leave as things became worse, but no one did. I think the bands were amazed the fans responded so energetically to their music despite the downpour.

As OLP came out, Raine Maida cast a stunning rock star presence from the stage. He wore a waist length, black leather jacket with black pants. His hair was cut short and neatly on all sides, with a little length on top which he combed stylishly to the side. He reminded me of a dark haired, modern day James Dean. The band jumped into the first song as Raine artfully alternated his lyrics between his bull horn and his regular microphone. Steve, Ducan, Jason and Robin played flawlessly as they produced a powerful sound to compliment Raine's mesmerising performance.

The last 2-3 times I saw OLP perform, Raine did not use his falsetto voice. This night he sang almost every falsetto note in every song played just as he recorded it originally on the albums. When he didn't, the fans themselves provided the falsetto voice.

As the final song Starseed began, the rain was coming down heavily. Raine jumped down from the stage and climbed the barrier fence. He began to tight rope walk the barrier fence which ran out between the GA and VIP sections. He made it about 100 ft. into the crowd without falling from the slippery metal barrier. He balanced there precariously until a tall fan reached out his hand which Raine grabbed for balance. Raine was so close to me I could have reached out and touched him, but I didn't for fear of causing him to lose his balance. Carolyn caught a 45 second clip of this on her phone which I will post here when I arrive home.

The OLP performance was outstanding and worth the effort to get there and endure the cold and rain. I was disappointed with one area. OLP and Coheed & Cambria where scheduled to perform a full hour and they did not. I believe the promoter cut short their set length due to the severe weather conditions. We were treated to an excellent OLP greatest hits set list, but I was hoping for one or two deep cuts from their catalogue. Any hope for that was cut when the set was shortened. With the southern US tour looming next month, OLP will be playing longer sets compared to what is allotted for festivals. Carolyn and I are looking forward to attending the Atlanta, GA club show.

[xjsb125]

Great review! Hope to meet you guys in Atlanta!

[Hugh23]

Great review! Hope to meet you guys in Atlanta!

Carolyn and I look forward to meeting you at the Atlanta show.

[Hugh23]

Starseed: Raine Maida singing with the fans in a downpour.