Chevelle leaves Grand Rapids, Michigan speechless & sore

Ever want to just lie down on the floor and sink into a black hole… but in the best way possible? If you were there for Chevelle’s latest tour, you would have experienced just that.

I was shocked when I saw Return to Dust hit the stage.

These guys, even though they are young and it was their first tour, mopped the floor from the very first song. Their guitarist, Sebastian, I definitely couldn’t keep my eyes off of as he completely threw all of his energy into the guitar. These boys played like they have been touring for years.

The second band to hit the stage was Tigercub. Or shall I say second and third band? These guys had their guitars on them ready to go when they had to get back off the stage super quick. That didn’t stop these boys. They came straight from Britain and were absolutely going to make the most of it. Imagine going to an abandoned hotel and then throwing Coheed & Cambria solos in. That’s what Tigercub reminded me of. Not even that, but they were truly lovely people. In the middle of the set, lead singer Jamie Stephen Hall stopped the show to grab security for someone in the crowd. Band members like that are some of my favorites.

If you haven’t seen Chevelle live, I almost would pay you to do so.

You think they are good on a CD? They are better in person. Each time I show up for their shows, they blow me away. This night, they started off strong with “Young Wicked”, immediately followed with their single, “Self Destructor” — both of which are top favorites of mine. I was immediately looked from the lights to their background screen that seemed to add to the story of each song as lead singer Pete Loeffler and bass player Kemble Walters made sure there was plenty of headbanging — slamming on the guitar, slapping of the bass, and interacting with the crowd. These guys, no joke, never stop moving! “Piistol Star” became my new favorite song by them when they played it, me being able to identify the influence of Tool. Eventually, Pete asked the crowd if they were sick of “The Red” and dismissed anyone that would even think something like that before playing it: starting off with only guitar before letting the bass and drums join in during the second chorus. 

This show left me speechless; I only wish that I could watch it all over again. All I could say after that was “wow” and “dang”. See these bands live. You absolutely won’t regret it.

Photography by Kayla N. Rising

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