I hate to say it, but the first thing that strikes you about ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead is that they are for the most part, very, very tiny. Not since the Muppet Babies has such a massive sound come from such a small outfit.
After finding a parking spot and walking through a giant construction/destruction area that was once (and I assume will soon be again) known as Congress Street, I neared the historic Hotel Congress and got stamped just in time to enter the club and catch the last bit of Tucson's own Holy Rolling Empire, who were actually quite good, from what I could gather.
The second band, Mostly Bears, another local band, were unfortunately quite bad but their lackluster set was saved by some extreme people watching activities. (The most memorable thing about Mostly Bears was that their bassist looked like Chris Cornell in his long-haired days and the lead singer looked like the lead dude from Hot Hot Heat)
Trail of Dead's Conrad Keely (guitar, vocals, drums, keyboards) appeared out of the darkness, but he's really the only member of the group who has a distinct look. Not until the entire band took the stage were my suspicions assured. I was surrounded by them the entire time!
I did recognize Keely, but I could not bring myself to approach him. I wanted to tell him about my upcoming book, thank him for inspiring me and tell him how underrated his band's last two albums were, but the best I could come up with was a half-assed wave.
The only other member of their troupe who stood out to me was a man I discovered a few minutes later was their guitar tech. I was half-positive that the other guys lurking around the area with their tight, logoless, black t-shirts were the other members of the band, but I could not be sure. Most of them looked so normal and mellow and I only counted one who "towered" over the 5 ft. 10 inch mark.
Luckily, I'm not a very judgmental person, because if one were to judge this book by its cover, you might find a gruesome murder mystery disguised as a romantic comedy. Another thing that struck me right away is how fun loving they were. If you were to believe strictly what you read on, say, the internet, you could conclude that they're a collective of serious, scowling musicians who break their instruments at the end of every show. Period.
This couldn't be further from the truth. Only one member of the band didn't look like he was having a good time at any time during the evening. The rest of them poked fun at each other, smiled frequently and showed their sense of humor by choosing a bunch of cheesy, '80's top 40 songs (Phil Collins, Hall & Oates, Styx and Elton John among others) as their between sets playlist.
Drummer Doni Schroeder is simply a goof ball and I mean that as the highest compliment. While waiting for them to come on, I couldn't take my eyes off of him as he playfully danced and sang along only half-jokingly with the aforementioned '80's mix. His best dance performance was arguably during Styx's "Mr. Roboto", in case you were wondering.
Just in case you're still not sure what to expect, the best advice I could give you is to bring some earplugs. I didn't have any, but I would definitely recommend you don't make the same mistake. This was easily the loudest show I've ever attended. (The other three that immediately come to mind are Rocket From the Crypt, Rage Against the Machine and Pantera. If such a bill existed and any of you had the pleasure of seeing Trail of Dead and RFTC play together in the mid to late 90's, you're probably reading this because you can't hear anymore.)
There was a small turnout. I'm guessing 300 or so people, but the crowd gave a lot of energy back to the band and they seemed to appreciate it. Keely thanked the crowd very sincerely after one tune that followed a quick double take, as if he was surprised at how many people were singing (and screaming) along. It was nice to see a band put on such an inspired performance to a small audience because I've seen my share of bands putting on lame performances for crowds of thousands.
A few of the younger audience members seemed to be shocked by the gigantic wall of noise surrounding the stage, but they didn't budge. And everybody seemed to have a good time. Even those who didn't know any of the lyrics. Downtown Tucson has always sort of reminded me of a mini-Austin, Texas. Maybe that's why ...And You Will Know Us... (who just recently left major label Interscope Records) looked so comfortable here. (They formed in Austin)
Never has noise sounded so melodic. They do what other bands do better because they don't try too hard. In a way, they seem to consciously not want to alienate the audience, though they walk a fine line from time to time. Other bands seem to be more into amusing themselves, or are too snobby to care either way, but ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead never veer too far from the business at hand.
They have fun and it's enormously evident that they enjoy what they do, but they are also extremely passionate, driven and focused. It seemed as if they were striving to give us every ounce of their energy. They perspired for us and they perspired with us. A memorable moment was Jason Reece (vocals, guitars, drums) performing an entire song, which I confess I didn't recognize, on the floor, with the audience, "pogo" dancing nearly the entire time. It was a very magical and unifying thing. After that, we all felt like we were truly part of the show. It was something you could definitely feel.
They played a few songs from every album. They timed everything masterfully. Each song was an extended version beginning with epic intros and concluding with dynamic and mind-numbing epilogues. They played only a dozen songs or less, but they left you wanting enough to come and see them again.
Importantly, they also didn't overstay their welcome. It takes a smart band to know when the perfect time to leave is. I can say almost certainly that I would see them live again, not just because the show was that great, but because there are still so many of their songs that I have yet to hear live, which is hard to do when a band plays for an hour and a half to two hours. They did it so swiftly it seemed like less than an hour. I was shocked to see what time it was when I returned to my car. There was no encore and there was no destroying of instruments. Simply a graceful exit. Maybe that's the way it should always be, but it's not for me to say.
The guitars shredded viciously, the bass thumped rhythmically and the drums pounded full throttle, matching the heartfelt vocals to a tee. The keyboards were a bit distracting at times and perhaps out of tune, but the show was simply amazing. Nothing could have ruined the core of the show. It was intense and electrifying. Controlled madness at its best. Make sure you catch them when they come to your humble abode. Don't forget the ear plugs.
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