Sunday, August 31, 2008

Review - The Sleeping at Irving Plaza w/ Envy on the Coast




The Sleeping Live at Irving Plaza on 8.27.08


Unannounced, The Sleeping went into hibernation for most of 2008 greatly due to the departure of guitarist Cameron Keym. Armed with a new guitarist, a pianst, and two new songs, The Sleeping made its comeback by touring the east coast this August. The tour witnessed its peak this past Wednesday night as The Sleeping took center stage for the first time ever at Irving Plaza.



Opening Acts: The Gay Blades, Secret Lives of the Free Masons, I am the Avalanche, and Envy of the Coast



A great sense of camaraderie and admiration could be sensed throughout the entire show. Douglas Robinson of The Sleeping appeared on stage with openers, Secret Lives of the Free Masons. Joe Zizzo (The Sleeping), Ryan Hunter and Dan Gluszak (Envy on the Coast) accompanied The Gay Blades for a song which included three separate drum kits on one stage. These opening bands illustrated exactly why they're sometimes referred to as "supporting acts."



I had never heard of The Gay Blades previous to Wednesday night. From my 3-day post recollection, they didn't seem to really differentiate their Indie sound. However, the lead singer's enthusiasm and love for the audience turned The Gay Blades into one of the most memorable performances of the evening. Dare I say, more memorable than Envy on the Coast?



Before Envy hit the stage, I Am The Avalanche performed a delightful intermission. Just days before the show, the band was announced to appear for a surprise acoustic performance. The performance included acoustic versions of "The Brooklyn Dodgers" and "I Took A Beating." Although The Sleeping had toured with IATA in the past, a surprisingly few fans seemed to know the songs. Those that did, got quite the treat.



By the time Avalanche finished, nearly everyone within the venue had pushed their way up to get closer for Envy on the Coast. Envy displayed a stellar performance and sounded...dare I say...better than their CD, Lucy Gray? Just before the band finished for the night, Ryan Hunter (lead singer of Envy) announced that "if it never gets bigger than this" he's ok with that. When Envy finished, 15 year old girls pushed shoved themselves to the side of the stage to get photos with the band along with a chance to touch Ryan Hunter's hair.


The Sleeping Performance At Irving


As the Envy groupies piled out, Sleeping fans pushed their way in. Douglas Robinson opened with an acoustic version of "King of Hearts." This was the first time I've ever seen the acoustic guitar work throughout the entire song. "King of Hearts" was played beautifully and it was only enhanced by the collective singing of every fan in that venue. You just knew that song had an impact on every kid who was singing it including yourself.



The Sleeping played two new songs. The first one sounded a bit repetitive and slow. The second one perfectly entwined pieces of melody along with hard riffs. You can tell Cameron had no part in the creation of these songs. The Sleeping Part 1 had died with Cameron's departure. However, their new guitarist, Paul Cadena, has already brought a lot to the table, and I'm absolutely looking forward to hearing more from their release in February. We can call it The Sleeping: Part 2 (Part 2's are usually better anyway, ie Back to the Future, Empire Strikes Back, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade). In other words, I'm not worried. In fact, I'm like a little kid waiting for Christmas now.



Out of the 7 Sleeping shows I've been to, nothing, and I mean NOTHING could compare to Wednesday night's show at Irving. Every single person in the venue from the fans to the band members were there because they wanted to be there. Fans were dancing and flailing their arms around in the front just as much as they were in the back. Everyone just...bonded through their love for The Sleeping. In my opinion, it doesn't matter how many people show up for a show, but how many people WANT to be at that show. Not only was Irving Plaza filled, but it was filled with bands and fans alike who all were there to adore and come together with their admiration for The Sleeping.



For the band's encore, all of the bands came out to rock out using one drumset, a bass and two mics singing (err...rapping?) Snoop Dogg's "Gin and Juice." What a wonderful surprise! The video can be seen below.