Upon completing my pre-show homework, it was apparent that Still Remains would be the opening act. After giving them a listen and hearing keyboards, I decided there was no need to get to the show on time to see their whole set. As I walked into the venue, I immediately saw an August Burns Red banner and keyboards on the stage. This was a huge disappointment in two ways. One, I was missing August Burns Red. Two, they had keyboards? How did I not catch this the night before when doing my research? It took me all of about 20 seconds to realize that it was in fact Still Remains and I would not be punished for my uncharacteristic tardiness after all.

Still Remains is actually pretty good. That is until those awful keyboards kick in. Note to Still Remains. We are officially in a recession. By losing the keyboardist, you can cut payroll by roughly 17% while actually making your band better.

The first band I actually wanted to see was Evergreen Terrace. While I didn’t love them by what I heard on MySpace, I was looking forward to squeezing in a bit of hardcore at this predominately metal show. They did not disappoint. As a matter of fact, they won themselves a new fan with the show they put on. I have to give props to their vocalist Andrew for having such amazing patience regarding a certain obnoxious stage diver that kept tackling him. At one point late in their set, he actually had him down on the floor of the stage. I would have gone Phil Anselmo on him after the first time when he put him in a headlock. Instead, this cat just kept wailing along like it was nothing. Their mix of singing with old fashion hardcore style vocals makes for some very catchy tunes and they do a great job playing them live. I will definitely be picking up their latest release Wolfbiker as soon as I get a chance.

Next up would be August Burns Red. The set these guys put on could be summed up in one word. WOW! Until now, I have never used or even thought of using the phrase “rock your face off”. The problem is that right now this is the only phrase I could think of to describe this show. I may even go as far as to say that this phrase may have even been coined after seeing an August Burns Red show. This may have been the most hard hitting, energetic, utter destroyal of a show that I have ever witnessed. I believe there is an unwritten rule that a supporting act is not to outdo the headliner. In my opinion, August Burns Red got about as close as one possibly could to doing just this without actually doing so. I am certain though, that the boys in As I lay Dying would not have taken offense as they too may realize that one day, they may very well be opening for August Burns Red. If every show they put on is this good, this may happen sooner than later. Needless to say, my shopping list just got longer.

Pleasantly surprised by both Evergreen Terrace and August Burns Red I got to thinking that As I Lay Dying may not be able to continue the trend and live up to my hype. After a relatively long intermission, and with much anticipation building in the crowd, it was time for the main event.

I am not sure if it is because I am more familiar with them now or if it is that they are more seasoned, but this show was better than when I saw them on Ozzfest 2005. What stood out most to me this time was that Tim Lambesis had an amazingly dominating stage presence. When performing, he comes off like he owns the place and wants to annihilate you. At the same time he doesn’t hesitate to express their gratitude to the fans. I know most bands give the obligatory thanks to the crowd, but I detected much more sincerity from them. I have only started getting into AILD with the release of An Ocean Between Us and as expected most of the set consisted of tracks from it. Being an AILD newb, I was unable to figure out of a few of the songs in the set list. If you know them, please let me know and I will complete the list.

1. Through Struggle
2. Forever
3. Nothing Left
4. Within Destruction
5. Confined
6. Distance is Darkness
7. Meaning in Tragedy
8. An Ocean Between Us
9. Elegy
10. I Never Wanted
11. Comfort Betrays
12. The Sound of Truth
13. Departed
14. 94 Hours?
15. This is Who We Are?

It was no surprise that audience participation would continue to be encouraged during their set as it was throughout the evening thus far. Luckily they have the budget to employ enforcers which prevented that annoying stage diver guy from getting too carried away. They ended the show by inviting everybody up on to the stage and played their last song amongst the chaos. My respect for bands can come and go when I see them live. In the case of AILD, my respect for them has grown enormously after seeing them this evening.

Overall, this was a terrific show packed with rockolaty goodness. I am glad that I didn’t bail on it as I was thinking of doing earlier in the evening. With the exception of Still Remains, I will look forward to seeing all of these bands again the next time they roll through the ATX.

While I don’t blame anyone but the Cleveland Browns for not making the playoffs this year, I decided the last week of the season, I would absolutely be rooting against the Colts this year.

If you are a pro football fan, you may recall the talk in week 17 about the Titans needing to lose to the Colts in order for the Browns to make the playoffs. To summarize, most of the Colt’s starting lineup sat on the sidelines for most of the game and, in my opinion, Tony Dungy all but gave the game to the Titans. There have even been accusations of collusion between the two teams. After the game, Tony Dungy was quoted as saying “I have to congratulate the Titans and I think it is a feather in the cap of our division to get three teams in the playoffs,”

Well, what happens when you give your team two weeks of rest heading into the playoffs Tony? I think you know now. YOU LOSE! As a matter of fact, the whole AFC South lost their first or second game of the playoffs! I think I can speak for all bitter Cleveland Browns fans and say take that feather out of your cap and stick it Tony!