Finger Eleven w/special guest Cold

When and Where? @ Club Soda, Montreal, Canada 1/10/02
 

When I got the news that Finger Eleven was coming to town, and I was going to get to cover it, I was ecstatic.  Then I found out I wasn’t going to interview them, I was still ecstatic.  It’s a ROCK SHOW!  AND I AM GOING!  Just what I needed to take away these Canadian winter blues. 

Unfortunately, due to a mess up on my editors part I missed Cold’s set.  (The message told me the wrong time....and yes, the correct time was posted outside the venue, so I will take 50% of the hate mail on it.)  I heartily apologize to the Cold fans out there.  I heard, however, from good sources, the band put on a good show, however, and I noticed more than the usual share of fans had bought their shirt.  I went and bought their CD to make up for it, if it makes anybody feel better. 

As if making a statement of longevity, Finger Eleven’s Scott Anderson kicked off their set with their single, “First Time.”  No waiting until the encore for these guys.  They’re going to get you, and get you going right away.  Not a bad move.  Scott’s emotive, dynamic voice was reflected in the bulging veins in his forehead, even if he didn’t have a big repertoire of facial expressions.  He didn’t tend to move around a lot, choosing to use his arms more for emphasis.  James Black made up for that, even if he went a bit too far in the Korn direction at times, jumping up and down on stage.  The whole backing band was very good, and tight as hell.  The drumming, the guitars, the bass; they were pretty much dead on all night.  For a first night on tour, I would say they were geared up and ready to go, tearing through “My Carousel”, with James clearly taking a good share of the audience’s attention.  In his stylish Jedi-meets-a-rave wear, and impish attitude on stage, and striking smile, it was definitely James who seemed to be pushing the audience tempo, straining for them to jump higher, mosh harder.  I won’t take it personally that I got a boot to the head—literally.  Occupational hazard. 

Throughout the night, they showed off their obviously diverse influences well, from the Doors to Our Lady Peace to Tool with some desert music thrown in there, culminating in a surprisingly accurate Depeche Mode cover of “Walking In My Shoes”.  My dj-technopop-head of a boyfriend snapped to when they crunched into that and they got his respect.  The look on his face was worth the price of admission, for sure.  To get my boyfriend headbanging is an accomplishment, indeed.

I will also say that the backing vocals done by what appeared to be all four backing members were nothing short of amazing, even if Scott’s voice totally and horribly gave out on him during the last final wails of “Drag You Down” during the encore.  For most of the night, his voice had sounded so strong and secure, so for that to happen to him must have been rough.  It was horrible, especially with that being the last note of the show. 

Overall, the show was good.  I would check them out again, and I suspect most people there would as well, judging from the faces on the crowd as they filed out.  I am looking forward to it.

Rating: (out of 5)

Just one thing, though that I must add.  While reading their webpage, I came across this little ditty explaining their name:

“finger eleven is not your penis. finger eleven is not your middle fingers corralled together in a triumphant “f*** you!” finger eleven is an instinct that lives in the back of your brain. It’s a decision made true to yourself, with a complete disregard of outside influence. It’s that one extra finger that you use to point you in the right direction. It’s the path of most resistance and that’s why it’s the perfect name for this band.”

What I want to know is then, what was their karmic reasoning for their old band name:
“Rainbow Butt Monkey”? 

Holiday N
Holly Go Heavy
 
 

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