Pictured above is Claudio Sanchez rocking out on his Gibson X-plorer, one of the guitar he’s become associated with throughout the last decade playing in the band.
Coheed at the Warfield
Alex Hawes, Staff Reporter
Hundreds of people flowed into the architecturally magnificent structure known as The Warfield located on the 900 block of Market Street in San Francisco.
It was surprisingly small for a “big show” venue with about a 900 square foot floor directly below the stage, a lounge/reserved seating area located a short staircase above the floor, and balcony seating placed high above that for the posh and petite fans.
The first band that played was The Fall of Troy and they fell into the ever popular scream-o genre (screaming vocals, fast paced metal guitar riffs and often soft, melodic intro’s and bridges). One could easily pass them over as another typical scream-o band in the mold of a Hawthorne Heights or The Used, but this was easily the most talented band in the genre. They were a 3 piece, which is very rare especially in this genre; talent is maximized and there is less unnecessary noise. All the members were 21 years old, including lead singer and guitarist Thomas Erak, whose screeching vocals and pulsing guitar riffs set the tone for a great opening to the show.
After a half hour set from The Fall of Troy, a band on the other side of the rock spectra appeared on the stage. Clutch was an old school southern grunge style of rock n’ roll that provided a great polar opposite to The Fall of Troy. Led by Neil Fallon with his clean vocals, the band had a tough calling playing before the much anticipated Coheed and Cambria.
Many audience members were impatient and wanted the high-energy main show to start, but Clutch played hard despite how the audience responded. They were carried by superb drummer Jean-Paul Gaster who dominated the stage with a six-minute drum solo that got everyone pumped and ready for the third act.
Ten minutes later, the curtains pulled back and Coheed appeared on stage. The band consisted of lead vocals/guitarist Claudio Sanchez, backing vocals/guitarist Travis Stever, bass player Michael Todd and new drummer Chris Pennie. They opened with the number 2 track on their new album “No World for Tomorrow” and simply put, they blew the previous two bands out of the water.
Pictured above is Claudio Sanchez rocking out on his Gibson X-plorer, one of the guitar he’s become associated with throughout the last decade playing in the band.
The talent level in this band was extremely rare, with each member contributing heavily to make each song its own unique rock fest. Sanchez and Stever switched back and forth with lead and rhythm guitar providing a shift in traditional rock music where each guitarist is designated as a lead or rhythm player.
Travis Stever soloing on his Gibson Les Paul.
Sanchez’s unbelievable vocal range was what really made the band stand out, as he’s unmatched in falsetto. Granted, it can be extremely hard to get used to Sanchez’s high pitched vocals and it can even cause one to dislike the band because they are so abnormal. But even at that, they are clearly the king of progressive rock and whether or not Sanchez’s vocals may sometimes bug, the talent level of the group is clearly superior to the competition.
Michael (Mic) Todd was a unique rock bassist with several different styles to emulate his complex bass lines which included some slap bass and traditional finger approach. He was up and down the neck of the guitar throughout the night and he never got lost in the music like many rock bass players do
Finally, new drummer Chris Pennie who has taken the place of previous member Josh Eppard proved his meddle to all the fans who still questioned him as a replacement. Like Eppard, Pennie used a single bass pedal and a fairly small set to pound out his sick drumming style that can get almost jazzy at times.
At the end of close to a two hour set, the band left the stage and the audience chanted, “Co-heed, Co-heed, Co-heed….”, begging for an epic encore to end the night. And the band didn’t disappoint, with Sanchez taking the stage with his Gibson 12 string Doubleneck, signifying the band would perform their biggest single “Welcome Home”.
Claudio Sanchez always plays Welcome Home on the Gibson 12 string Doubleneck.
To end the concert, Sanchez switched his Doubleneck in for a new unknown guitar that looked like it was straight out of the glam rock filled 80’s and the band performed their 20 minute finale “The Final Cut”. This gave every member of the band a chance to strut their stuff with a song that went from metal to hard jazz and back to metal in an ending that blew the top off of the Warfield.
Claudio with his famous mop of hair and his new unknown guitar for the last song The Final Cut.
All in all, the 3 bands performed well during the night, but Coheed and Cambria proved why they were the headliner. They oozed talent but even more so, they had the ability to utilize that talent most effectively.
