Photos and Review: Chris Besaw
Slainte! Its St Patrick’s Days here in the Salt City and while the masses of Irish and those who were “Irish for the day” partook in various festivities around the area, indie rock legends, Cold, kicked off their Year of the Spider 20th Anniversary Tour at the famed Lost Horizon. Originally this tour was supposed to take place last year but due to tour bus shortages it was postponed until 2023. Hailing from Jacksonville, Florida Cold has been touring and putting out music for over thirty-seven years!
Leading off the evening was the five-piece melodic hard rock band Sygnal To Noise from Biddeford Pool, Maine. Regretfully, I did not get to venue until after they had played and regret not being able to check out this band live. From what I overheard from the crowd chatter, they are worth checking out and I plan to do so in the future.
Moving things right along… up next was the alternative metal band from Sardinia Italy, Awake for Days! I had not heard of this band prior to the show but was very interested in seeing them perform. From the moment front man Lukas Moore hit the stage you could feel the energy of what was to unfold! Backed up by Nic P. Red on bass and Andrew B on drums, Awake for Days played a sonically powerful mix of high energy metal, with some melodic and notable songs like “Break Your Chains,” and “Nasty.” Awake for Days is currently touring in support of their newest alum Multiverse which was released in February 2023. It is an album you should check out and won’t be disappointed with. After, a great thirty-minute set, the band left the crowd and many new fans wanting more.
Next up was the four piece Post Hardcore band from frosty Minneapolis, Minnesota, Divide the Fall. This is another band that I had not seen live before. I would describe their overall sound to be similar to Breaking Benjamin and I Prevail. Front man, Ethan Weinaug, backed up by lead Guitarist Jake Hankel, Guitarist Matthew DeMar, and Jack McKoskey on the drums brought a very impressive and energetic set to the crowd. Some songs I would recommend giving a listen to include, “Bring you Down,” and “Fake Love.” Another band that you should check out if you haven’t already.
After a brief stage changeover, the moment the now packed crowd at the Lost Horizon was waiting for, the return of Cold! It didn’t take long for lead singer Scooter Ward and company to take the stage kicking the set off with the hard hitting, heavy track “Remedy.” Cold is out on tour for the 20th Anniversary of their highest chart-topping album, Year of the Spider. The legendary Lost Horizon is the kickoff date for what is sure to be an amazing tour for this incredible band! Ward along with Lindsay Manfredi (bass), Tony Kruszka (drums), and newcomers Ed Cuozzo (lead guitar, backing vocals), and Angelo Maruzzelli (rhythm guitar) sounded spot on and were firing on all cylinders!
One thing I admire about lead singer Scooter Ward is he is not shy about getting personal with fans. He tells stories about his life, the good the bad and everything in between which gives him and the band such depth. One of my favorite stories from the night was how during rehearsals for the tour every time the band practiced the song “Happens All the Time” the power would go out in the middle of the song. So, the joke became that hopefully when they play it live, the power wouldn’t go out. Thankfully, it did not, and they played the song flawlessly.
Some other really incredible moments from the show included a stripped-down version of “Cure My Tragedy” a powerful and moving track inspired by the emotional turmoil in Scooter Ward who wrote it about his sister who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer that eventually spread to her brain. The version was just Scooter and piano and was incredibly moving.
Aside from playing the entire Year of the Spider album, the band mixed in some other classic songs like the rarely played live “Gone Away, “ and hits “ Just Got Wicked,”“ No One,” and they ended their set with “Wasted Years.”
The band wrapped up their set taking a moment to thank the fans for coming out and supporting them, a great way to kick off the Year of the Spider 20th Anniversary tour right here in Syracuse. The band will be on tour now through the end of May, so get out there and check them out on this incredible tour!
Please check out photo highlight from the show below.
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