REVIEW: Coheed & Cambria Continue to Enlighten at Hollywood Palladium

By Jessica Klausing

Claudio Sanchez
photo by Jessica Klausing

Who doesn’t love them some Sci fy/Fantasy inspired music?

Coheed and Cambria played to an ecstatic crowd at the Hollywood Palladium on Tuesday. Fans waited in line for over five hours just to ensure a good spot in front of the progressive rockers. The night kicked off with three opening bands: Silver Snakes, I The Mighty, and Glassjaw.

Silver Snakes
 photo by Jessica Klausing

Silver Snakes took the stage first. These guys reminded me of an early Deftones garage band. It felt like a time warp back to my middle school years in the early 2000s. The aggressive rhythm section fused with the gut bellowing choruses gave off an immaturity vibe. Alex Estrada can fill a room with his half growl, half scream vocals though! The sound was pretty decent if screamo is your thing.

I The Mighty
  photo by Jessica Klausing

I The Mighty was the next act to follow. The venue was already starting to get packed at this time. These guys were my favorite openers of the night. This quartet hyped up the crowd with their ambitious energy. Lead singer Brent Walsch encouraged plenty of pushing and shoving. Much to security displeasure, he invited fans to try to jump over the barrier to get onstage. Of course, nobody tried this in fear of getting kicked out. Walsch admitted to being a huge Coheed fan by showing off his band inspired key tattoo. 

Glassjaw
 photo by Jessica Klausing
 

By the time Glassjaw came out, fans were already going berserk. You would have thought that these guys were the main headliners. The band showed off their esteemed brand of hardcore metal and experimental rock. Many of the fans were proudly singing along to “Tip Your Bartender” and their latest “New White Extremity.” Lead singer Daryl Palumbo was bouncing around like a jackrabbit throughout the entire set.

Claudio Sanchez performs "Ghost"
  photo by Jessica Klausing

At 09:30PM, Claudio Sanchez and his unruly mane took the stage with lead guitarist Travis Stever. The duo opened with the acoustic “Ghost,” as blinding fluorescent lights shone down upon Sanchez. Fans cheered and eagerly pushed forward in an attempt to get closer to the stage. The seasoned rockers kept on with the graceful pace of the song. Those calming vocals and delicate guitar strumming were only just building up the anticipation ready to burst in the venue.

Josh Eppard
photo by Jessica Klausing
 

As soon as drummer Josh Eppard and bassist Zach Cooper took stage-- all hell broke loose! The band launched right into “In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3” to bring the pace back up. Jumping, pushing, thrashing, dancing, crowd surfing are just a taste of many antics to expect at Coheed shows.

One notable highlight was the excessive crowd surfing action during “No World Tomorrow.” Fans were flying towards the stage as if it were the end of times. This writer even received a minor injury from a soaring super fan.

Travis Stever
    photo by Jessica Klausing

The band toured in favor of their newest album, The Color Before the Sun. Half of the set list consisted of the brand new songs.

“Blood Red Summer,” “Island,” and “Everything Evil” followed the band’s traditional progressive rock flow. Sanchez has a one-of-a kind falsetto that just commands the attention in the room. His band mates are rock solid technical musicians. I can easily see why devoted fans would want to wait in line for hours.
 

Coheed and Cambria perform at the Hollywood Palladium
 photo by Jessica Klausing

Coheed really stands out because of their unique ability to create something different. It is not too often you hear space agey synthesizers in today’s music. Sanchez captivated our imaginations with his powerful storytelling based off of his science fiction comics, The Amory Wars.

“The Favor House Atlantic” and “Here to Mars” were examples of this artistic imagery. Coheed really gets the point across with a mesmerizing LED light show. The lights were constantly changing colors and spinning out in different directions. It was a trippy experience!

“Peace to the Mountain” slowed things down with its calm, reflective message. “I learned to keep quiet/How to keep my distance/Afraid to let strangers in/How to keep my secrets.”

The band closed out the night with their biggest hit, “Welcome Home.” Sanchez shredded shamelessly on his double neck guitar while fans wailed out the “woahs.” This powerhouse metal ballad was the perfect note to send fans off.

SETLIST:
1. Ghost
2. In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3
3. Blood Red Summer
4. Island
5. Everything Evil
6. Key Entity Extraction V: Sentry the Defiant
7. A Favor House Atlantic
8. Here to Mars
9. The Hard Sell
10. No World Tomorrow
11. Atlas
12. The Audience
13. Peace to the Mountain

ENCORE:
14. You Got Spirit, Kid
15. Eraser
16. Welcome Home