Review & photos by Rachel Jablonski
Alpine Valley Music Theatre in East Troy, WI was a bit intimidating upon arrival. Arguably the largest venue I have seen a show, the lawn and seating was massive and steadily became filled with an incredible amount of people throughout the day. The stage and more expensive seating resided below an overhang and those underneath caught a break as it began pouring during Stone Sour’s set. The $10 lawn seating turned into a war zone as the area quickly transformed into a gigantic mud pit. The steep decline of the amphitheater resulted in mudslides and filthy people to finish out an eventful day.
Walls of Jericho: hardcore sporty spice
Walls of Jericho, the first band of
the Family Values day, showed much effort in front of the small 2pm crowd.
Fronted by a bouncy, smiley female vocalist, the sporty headband, tight
shorts, and tank top strongly resembled that of an aerobics instructor.
The growls of her hardcore style continually preceded a friendly smile
and a sweet sounding “thank you” after each song. Without
any super catchy riffs, the music was mostly full of bass and distortion.
The vocalist seemed genuine, definitely not as if a gimmick, and fit the
band’s style however unimpressive.
For more information on Walls
of Jericho:
http://www.wallsofjericho.tv
Bullets and Octane: cheery ooohs
Fast tempo, tight pants, and good beats sum up Bullets and Octane. A long white cord dangled from the frontman’s mic, amplifying his rough vocals. Buckcherry-like in sound and style, the band rocked out with many predictable, easy sing-along “ooooh”s.
For more information on Bullets and Octane: http://www.bullets-and-octane.com
Dir
En Grey: Everyone very focused and intense – band and crowd! 
When the roadies came out to set up the stage, the crowd was already going crazy. You would have thought you were at an NSYNC concert or something the way the girls were screaming. Wow do the girls seem to love Japan’s Dir En Grey! When the band finally emerged, the females in the crowd erupted and the high energy set began. Most noteworthy was the vocalist whom has a great scream and can really hit high notes. Part way through the set, the short, skinny frontman took off his shirt and really brought the place down. Though most of the songs are in Japanese, a good number of females were “singing” along. It just makes you wonder, do that many young girls in Wisconsin know the language?
For more information on Dir En Grey: http://www.direngrey.co.jp
Deadsy: riding out the day’s events
Foggy glam with eyeliner galore was
Deadsy. Not really fit to be a 3pm band outside in the middle of August,
distortion, heavy synth, and deep bass still signified the dark atmosphere
intended. With no talking or pauses between songs, the band played an
optimal set. The finale of the set was a cover of Rush’s “Tom
Sawyer,” a unique interpretation that Deadsy made its own.
For more information on Deadsy: http://www.deadsy.com
Bury Your Dead: dead set on having fun
A hardcore band from Boston, Bury Your Dead had a playful stage presence that really involved the crowd. Swinging their guitars, hilariously posing for my camera while playing, never standing still, and completely hamming it up, these guys were having fun with their time allotted. Perhaps the heaviest band of the day, the sound was rhythmic and the vocalist intense. When the vocalist ran from the stage all the way up to the lawn in order to jumpstart a pit, the task was effortless as the crowd readily complied.
For more information on Bury Your Dead: http://www.weareburyyourdead.com
10 Years: acoustics did not do justice
The extremely melodic, harmonic, and
atmospheric presence of 10 Years was unfortunately not quite fit for such
a massive outdoor venue as Alpine Valley. Sound not exactly optimal in
all places at such a big arena, the typically crisp vocals with mesmerizing
melodies did not completely radiate brilliance to the fullest, but not
at the fault of the vocalists. Despite acoustics, the frontman gave it
his all and, impressively, the drummer also sang backup harmonies well
while playing drums. Their time on stage was effective overall as the
audience became engrossed in the performance. The set ended with the band’s
first single, “Wasteland,” in which a member of the Korn crew
came on stage to sing backup.
For more information on 10 Years: http://www.10yearsmusic.com
Flyleaf: schizophrenic
The tiny Flyleaf vocalist, maybe just slightly bigger than the Dir En Grey frontman, displayed her vocal abilities well with decent singing and a few screams. Playing their first two radio singles very early in the set, it was interesting to see a number of people in the audience, particularly a roughly thirty-year-old gentleman in a Slipknot shirt, singing along to every song thereafter. Adequate in sound, it was the stage presentation that seemed to be the band’s downfall. Seemingly trying to acquire more than one image, each band member fit a different role – punk, goth, indie, female, and just a normal average joe. A guitarist in olive green pants and a blue shirt, a gothic looking bassist, a guitarist in a plaid short sleeved shirt, a drummer in just a t-shirt and shorts, and a female in dress pants and a cute shirt, the chemistry on stage gave off an aura of confusion.
For more information on Flyleaf:
http://www.flyleafmusic.com
My third time seeing Deftones, the performance was good, but pretty run of the mill for the band. Cool colored lights, soft blues and purples, illuminated the stage and complimented the stage backdrop – a woman with her face tilted up, the image to be on the cover of the upcoming Deftones release Saturday Night Wrist. Socks pulled knee high, frontman Chino Moreno was, as always, enthralling with his vocal rhythms and haunting melodies. Chino grabbed a guitar for “Change (In the House of Flies)” and another song that I did not recognize – one that will perhaps be on the new release. Playing a good mix of many crowd favorites, the highlight of the set was “Seven Words,” one of the best Deftones songs to hear live.
For more information on Deftones: http://www.deftones.com
Stone Sour: unmoving
After
standing me up for an interview, Stone Sour gave a performance that is
difficult to write about. Entertaining enough I suppose, the set was nothing
special. Though frontman Cory Taylor can work a crowd and the performance
was polished, the basic rock sound was somewhat bland and unmoving. The
audience lit up, however, as the band left stage and Taylor remained to
perform a solo of the songs “Bother,” transitioning right
into “Through Glass.”
For more information on Stone Sour: http://www.stonesour.com
Korn:
headliners
With two drum kits on a high rise alongside a pit orchestra, the stage was set for ultimate and elaborate sound. Headliners Korn were accompanied by a handful of additional musicians wearing animal masks, attempting to enhance the performance. Two drummers making for an interesting concept, it was peculiar and disappointing to see the second drummer synchronizing with the Korn drummer more often than complimenting and challenging him. The Korn originals were on however with many of their hits such as “Twist,” “ADIDAS,” “Shoots and Ladders,” and so on. Deftones’ Chino Moreno joined Korn frontman Jonathan Davis on stage for their duet of the song “Wicked.” A surprise for fans, Korn chose this show to shoot the video for “Politics,” the latest single off their newest album. The song was played twice in a row allowing for two takes of video footage. Toward the end of the show, the band made a trek up to the top of the venue and performed a song exclusively for the muddy people in the lawn. The encore was explosive with confetti and “Blind,” the first hit that began their career.
For more information on Korn: http://www.korn.com