Kristen Capolino was the third act to take the stage, and the one performance to give me the most mixed feelings. Let me start with the good. Kristen is an absolutely phenomenal talent. She is a 17 year guitar prodigy, who is just amazing to listen to. She came to the stage with a Gibson Flying V which looked to be larger than her, a slight presence with a big sound and a virtual ton of enthusiasm. Plain and simple the girl can shred.
Now for the bad, or more accurately, the not so good. She needs someone who can better focus her abilities. Her songwriting was not terribly strong. The songs just did not strike me as songs so much as ways to show what she can do. Fortunately, what she can do with six strings is impressive. Then there is the problem of her singing; it was not all that impressive. Still, it is hard to dwell on the bad when in the presence of this enormous stockpile of talent. She was even able to bust out covers of Michael Schenker and Paula Abdul in the same set. I doubt many bands could reconcile that. I would definitely be interested in seeing her perform again, even if that youthful enthusiasm got to the aging cynic inside of me.
The final act before our main event was the reuniting Section 18, a band that has impressed me in the past with their straight up rock/metal sound. They came to the stage with a look which seems to bring up the likes of Pantera, yet offer up a decidedly different sound. Coming together with what may just be a one off, the band really played as a tight unit. They sounded fantastic, succeeding in getting the crowd all riled up, singer Mike Pettigrew jumping in the pit certainly helped to that end as much as the music did. I may wish they had a heavier sound, but they are still a solidly entertaining band, and if the crowd reaction is any indication, they should stick together and keep playing. They do it so well.
Now, the band of the hour, featuring birthday boy Jim Norton on bass, Audible Thought. This was a big night for the four piece and I believe it was the longest set that they have played. Plus, they were filming footage for a DVD release they would like to have out this summer, not to mention the fact that there was a very good crowd on hand. Needless to say, the pressure was on for a good show.
They went on right about midnight and proceeded to put on the show of their careers. I have had the opportunity to see them on a number of occasions, and they just keep getting better, this performance was easily the best I have seen from them yet. Their sound was a little chunkier and heavier, the vocals had a little more bite to them, the drums sounded enormous, it was a joy to listen to.
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