Oh boy, oh boy, oh BOY, I was waiting for this show to arrive. Not that I'm a huge fan, but I just had a good feeling about this one... And good golly was I right!

First up was Kataklysm, a band that I play frequently on the Stew for both myself and the request whores. Now for some reason I had one hell of a time getting close to the stage for these dudes, so I spent most of my time trying to get a few worthwhile photos. I didn't have that much time to do an all out observation of the bands performance, but I did see enough to make a judgment. The fans were apeshit for them, that's for sure. They held their arms up for the whole show and were goin' bonkers the entire time. They also never broke out into pits, but did thrash violently in their respective spots. The band was pretty good and they had lots of energy, but I found them to be better on their CD's. The only real flaw I noticed was that the drummer was pretty sloppy. Anyway, I suppose they were good enough to earn a 7 out of 10.

And then there was Chimaira (said like "kai-MEE-ruh"... It's official, kay?) They sounded simply fantastic. The six member band, comprised of two guitars, bass, vox, drums, and the keyboard/sample guy. But the band had brought along a bonus member. The lighting guy. The 7th member of the band. Simply put, with the extra lights, brilliant timing, and colors, this dude showed me THE BEST lighting show I have ever seen at Jaxx. No doubt. The most unique thing about his style was that for each song he would use a color theme. One song would be all blue lights, then one song would be all yellow lights, etc. This dude used every single trick he could think of. Okay, enough geeking on him, huh?

The club was probably sold out, but thankfully it wasn't sold out to the point of not being able to move. Something I noticed about this crowd that is different than all the other Jaxx shows I have been to is that mosh pits formed in any area of the floor, not just in the center which is the standard. One song it would be on the left wall, the next would pop up on the right wall. I wasn't near the bar, but I wouldn't be surprised if a pit started up there too. This "pit phenomenon" leads me to my next point which is to thank two people from that show. When I was standing in one of my usual, safe, photo spots with my camera up in the air all of the sudden I was being bombarded with moshers. I stood there and snapped photos as fast as I could while I got thrashed, then all of the sudden it stopped. Turns out some dude recognized me from these articles I write for Jaxx and he was standing there knocking them away from me so I could work. Cool huh?! So thanks bodyguard dude! The other guy I have to thank is the dude who recognized me during Kataklysm. He saw that I couldn't get near the stage to get any photos and he gestured me to the spot he was standing in and then gave me his spot so I could get some shots. Thanks to you too dude! I have to admit, I am still not used to being a local celebrity. LOL!

Anyway, back to Chimaira... The sound effects from the keyboard guy were rumbling the ultra lows in the joint. The band was fuckin' flawless. It was very apparent that this band doesn't play clubs a whole lot for a reason. The reason is because they are WAY too good for clubs. I noticed that they didn't roll with a small roadcrew either. They had a ton of very serious crew guys. The only other band I have seen at Jaxx with that big a crew was probably Zakk Wylde's. Now I have been sitting here trying think of individual things to tell you about all of the band members, but it really doesn't work to do that. This band was a machine. A unit. I mean each band member was awesome. Point blank. What else do you need to know?! Chimaira in a club! 10 out of 10! If you get the rare chance to see them in a small venue, you gotta do it.

In my next report I hope to give you the scoop on the Hatebreed show on 12/20 ! Stay tuned.

Go to the BGR gallery (CLICK HERE) and check out my pics from last night's the show.

BE SURE to check out our friends at JAXX NIGHTCLUB! www.jaxxroxx.com

If you would like to attend a Jaxx show please let me know. I might be able to drag you along with me.

Comments Questions or Concerns? Hit me up! berube@braingell.com

And oh yeah...

Peace and Metal Grease!

berube