 Silvertide |
 Sum 41 |
 Motley Crue |
Story and photos by Matt Schwenke
Stuffing three note-worthy rock acts in front of their carnival tent that covered most of the Marcus Amphitheater stage, Motley Crue brought out a little bit of everything that is rock 'n' roll with their Carnival of Sins Tour stop in Milwaukee.
Charged with the task of opening up and playing to a small and scattered crowd, the Philly five-piece Silvertide had enough raw energy to reach even the furthest of fans up in the grass seats.A likeness to The Black Crowes instantly came to mind; Silvertide tends to take their rock down a grittier Southern sort of path and lead singer Walt Lafty, who not only resembles Chris Robinson in build, is also a little flamboyant and very lively while on stage. The band was exciting in their short set that included the hard-driven "Blue Jeans" and the anthemic "Ain't Coming Home" from their 2004 debut Show and Tell.
Next to take the stage were The Exies, a four-piece band based in Los Angeles. Though the crowd remained transient for most of their set, The Exies found a way to lock in a group of intent listeners who grew to a sizeable number by the end of the set. With songs like "Ugly " and "What You Deserve," the Exies were harder and more technical than Silvertide (even Tommy Lee nodded in approval side-stage during their show), but some emotion was lacking in their tidier, computerized sound.
Then, with a considerable amount of seats filled, Sum 41 quickly took the stage and began cranking out their tunes that waiver between rock and punk. The energy and emotion was undeniable early on in "Over My Head (Better Off Dead)" from Does This Look Infected? and in "Some Say" from their latest release Chuck, but as frontman Deryck Wibley admitted, their drunk performance sounded a bit off initially. After the band sweated out some its collective buzz, the Canadian four-piece turned things around with the more dynamic "We're All To Blame" and some fun in changing instruments. A nearly full crowd was left standing and cheering as the main attraction at the carnival was about to begin.
Complete with a ghoulish clown and two tempting rock seductresses, the big top opened up to flames bursting and the Crue playing a raucous version of "Shout At The Devil." As Vince Neil darted around the stage, there was a surprising amount of energy that spawned from the drums of Tommy Lee and the low-end of Nikki Sixx. Mick Mars proved he can still light-up a guitar, and though he wasn't very animated, the show had plenty of other things for the eyes to feast upon.
Motley Crue
The Exies
Motley Crue
Sum 41
Silvertide
Motley Crue
Motley Crue
Sum 41
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