Concert Review: Family Values Tour 2007, Phoenix, Arizona- Main Stage

With a only a few dates left in this grueling summer festival, the Family Values Tour 2007 brought its brand of rock ‘n’ roll to Phoenix’s Cricket Pavilion in an all day, balls-out assault on the populace. Even the nearly 110 degree desert heat wasn’t enough to slow a steady crowd that filtered into the spacious surroundings of the Cricket at an ever increasing pace.

With so much going on and so many bands on the bill, let’s break them down main stage and second stage (in two different reviews) in the order they appeared. My only concession going to second stage performers Droid, who through a serious of circumstances, I didn’t catch – my apologies.

Main Stage

Through You – Yet again, I missed a memo.  I hate it when that happens. See, on the bill I saw these guys were on the second stage but there they were, opening the show. I only wished there would have been a larger crowd to take in this Orlando based outfit.

Lead singer Mike Kirkland screamed and bounced his way through a 45 minute set with enough energy to light the City of Angels. Nothing complicated about their sound, a straight-ahead rock band with strong metal influences in the neighborhood of Iron Maiden. Definitely worth checking out once they’re off the tour and you can catch them in a smaller, intimate environment.

Neurosonic – If, as Andri Agassi so plainly put it, “Image is everything” these guys had everything to spare. With enough metal chic to punch the tough-guy aesthetic and enough brooding style to make the ladies quiver, Neurosonic delivered a set pumped full of adrenaline. It has to be tough being the opening few acts in a tour where the vast majority of folks in attendance are there to see those who go on much later in the evening. Neurosonic seemed to know the score, going for broke and delivering the goods. I have to say, of the bands I knew little about, this band placed a close third in the “list of those who impressed me.”

Article Author: Benjamin Cossel

A working journalist, Benjamin currently serves as a combat photojournalist and is the managing editor of a weekly newspaper in southeastern Wyoming. He’s worked as a reporter in Ohio, Arizona and done several deployments in the military crossing the globe. …

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