Show: Chevelle
Date: April 25, 2012
Venue: Club Nokia
City: Los Angeles, CA
Chevelle
Photos by Nicolas Bates
Written by Katie J. Norris
Showmen from the get-go, Chevelle took the stage and livened up the crowd immediately. And, oh my goodness, they started exactly on time! They had great sound from the first note and started the show like modern day rock stars with incredibly high energy. The lighting was remarkably well choreographed. The second song started in the dark and only bass, guitar and vocals played the opening lines. When Sam Loeffler chimed in with single hits on the drums, the lights flashed solely on his drum kit in perfect time. Then the lights rippled out in rhythm to each stick hit until the whole stage was lit, flooding Pete Loeffler (lead vocals/guitar) and Dean Bernardini (vocals/bass) with bright yellows and reds. It created a badass image.
The backstage entourage could clearly be seen, almost inching on stage from the left wings. If Pete didn’t state, “This feels like a party, L.A.!” it might have been a bit annoying. But the little groupies dancing in the wings with their video phones in hand fell in to the image of the announcement of wanting to party. And that side bar wasn’t even an ounce of a distraction after Pete really got to singing. He hit every note picture perfect, from the beautiful power-belt high notes, to soft sweet inflections, to his fervent growls. And the very clean guitar tones made Pete’s grizzly roar grounded in musical skill.
Playing live, Chevelle takes advantage of the opportunity to ride the melodic dynamics and mix in the gnarling hard rock vocals leading them into an anthem-clapping build to a bridge breakdown, exploding into a power-vocal last chorus. Everyone had a fist- pumping hand in the air. They started their next song, “Same Old Trip,” off their newly released album, Hats Off to the Bull. It sounded just like the album, but in real-time surround sound. “Closure” was the next song to follow (this is one of their slower songs). The harmony swells were enchanting and their performance was absolutely moving. Chevelle said a few checking-in words to the audience and jammed into another tune. The vocals were just outstanding. No matter what groove each song started as, a clever breakdown to highlight a specific instrument or band member always stirred it up. Each member pulled some great solos. There are no extra gimmicks or tricks to their show. It’s just lights, good sound and performance that were all enough to be completely engaging.
The next song they played was “I Get It,” which was a favorite of the night. It had everything anyone would look for in a song and a performance: harmonies, vocal sweetness, growls of passion and a driving beat. Next was “Piñata,” off the new album, and Chevelle performed it with mic effects and added harmonies that made it sound haunting. The lights were also a highlight, once again, creating shadows of the band members onto the red and black backdrop boosting up the ethereal feel. “Send the Pain Below” followed and Peter got the crowd to sing along. It was like a breezy chant across the packed audience. All hands shot in the air with applause at the end. Chevelle gave thanks and cleared the stage. After two full minutes of relentless encore cheers, Pete walked back onstage with his guitar to sing a solo version of “The Red” under half-raised house lights. Half way through the first verse, Dean walked on with his bass making the crowd go wild again. Sam followed right behind and the two took their places just in time to join in at the perfect moment of the song, turning the whole place back into a red-hot rock and roll concert. Lights went out again and Chevelle played on as silhouettes with a red, lingering glow on their backdrop. They closed out the night with “Face To The Floor” as their second encore song.
That night, the three boys from Chevelle gave Club Nokia concert-goers a show to remember.