The Strength In Numbers tour (S.I.N. abbreviated) hit New York City this past weekend, and I was fortunate enough to be there for the action. The sold out show consisted of headliners Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows (D.R.U.G.S.) with openers Hit The Lights, Like Moths To Flames, Sparks The Rescue, My Arcadia, and The Action Blast. The tour line-up is very interesting because practically all the bands sound different in terms of sound! But in my opinion, it’s line-ups like that, that provide the most interesting shows.
The line was already down the street and past the corner when I arrived around 2 in the afternoon. The fans dedication was to be commended as the venue was near the water and the weather was freezing to the point you couldn't feel anything in your body . Luckily myself and a few other fans had VIP tickets that allowed early entry plus access to D.R.U.G.S. sound check and meet and greet. The VIP’s were let in around 3:45 and the band graciously greeted everyone, “Welcome to soundcheck!” Craig Owens happily said. They began with a few impromptu jams and one sounded particularly like Careless Whisper, maybe I’m wrong but it did sound a lot like it. The band proceeded to perform “My Swagger Has A First Name” , Craig Owens enthusiastically said “Feel free to sing along if you know it!” The small group of fans singing overpowered the band, in a good way.
After the performance the band proceeded to take pictures and sign autographs for everyone there, thankfully we were lead upstairs to wait and then let in first to the floor. The room filled up quickly as doors opened at 5:15, and fans filled up the room quick, before long the crowd reached the back of the room. Around 5:30, the first band “The Action Blast” took the stage, hailing from Chicago, the six piece delivered an explosive performance and by the end of their set they received an ovation by the crowd. They will be on the S.I.N. tour until the Arizona show, so be sure to get there early! They did not disappoint!
My Arcadia took the stage after The Action Blast, and continued the momentum that had begun with the last set. Their euphoric performance raised the energy in the venue and lead singer Jacqui Sandell even received a Hello Kitty bracelet as a gift. After their set, the crowd was buzzing about their performance and most comments were about how impressed they were with Jacqui’s vocal range. Another band added last minute to the S.I.N. tour; they will be on the tour until the Philadelphia stop. You can watch a video of their intro below.
After My Arcadia, the band Sparks The Rescue took the stage, while not being of fan of their genre of music, the energy they brought in their performance made great for keeping up the energy that My Arcadia and The Action Blast had started. Major props to their guitarist who made a quick recovery after his guitar wasn’t working, the band were very appreciative of D.R.U.G.S. for the spot on the tour and thanked the crowd when the performance was finished.
After Sparks finished, was when the crowd began to push up toward the stage, being as there was no barricade, the front began to feel sandwiched between the crowd and the stage. The lights dimmed and Like Moths To Flames took the stage, and from the first riff the crowd began to get rowdy. From the lead singer jumping into the crowd, to fans crowdsurfing to the stage, to many objects being thrown back and forth across the floor, Like Moths To Flames brought the chaos. After their final song, the crowd was literally chanting “ONE MORE SONG, ONE MORE SONG.”. The crowd was more than warmed up for Hit The Lights & D.R.U.G.S. From The Action Blast, to Like Moths to Flames the show had been an uphill energy filled show. Truly a great show, which goes back to what I had said earlier in this review, different genres of music can make the best shows. The question was, would Hit The Lights be able to continue the trend of delivering a high energy show?
When Hit The Lights began, it started off as passable, but as their set dragged on, I could feel the energy of the crowd dissipating. Unfortunately, in my opinion, Hit The Lights did not deliver, the lead singer even acknowledged the crowd asking what was going and even called the crowd pussies. The only high part of the set was someone dressed in a banana costume crowd surfed to the stage and that was towards the end. The lead singer said they had been off the road for two years, maybe back then they were a great live act, but maybe somewhere in those two years they lost what they had in their live show.
The moment had arrived, what everyone had been waiting in the freezing cold for, the anticipation could be felt in the air as the stage was being set for D.R.U.G.S., the crowd pushed torward the stage once again as well. The lights dimmed and Aaron Stern’s drum kit lit up as the dub step intro for “The Only Thing You Talk About” began. One by one the band took the stage and at the climax lead singer Craig Owens didn’t even need to start the intro, the crowd made sure of that by singing it for him. Watch the video of their intro below
"The Only Thing You Talk About"
The set was brutal in terms of energy, the band made an excellent setlist in terms which flowed perfectly with songs that had yet to be played live or played rarely such as "The Hangman", "Stop Reading, Start Doing Pushups", and even performed a b-Side "A Little Kiss & Tell". The new song that was released last Monday "Scream If You're Crazy" was also played, Craig Owens lead the crowd in chants of "ohh ohhh yeah" and by the end of the song the crowd was louder than the band with the chanting!
"Scream If You're Crazy"
It should also be noted that this was one of the first shows that new bassist, Tai "Never Wrong, Always" Wright played with D.R.U.G.S. after Adam Russell left the band. I have to give him props, he has big shoes to fill but seeing him play in person I was impressed he threw improvised a lot and it came off excellent, also he plays using his fingers instead of a pick! As fas as I'm concerned, he makes it work and is a great addition to the D.R.U.G.S. live show.
The encore was one of the most memorable I had ever seen in my five years of going to live shows, Craig Owens came out solo with an acoustic guitar, thanking the crowd and dedicated the song he was about to play to all those who had, or going through a struggle and began to play "Im Here To Take The Sky" acoustic. An amazing rendition and right before the second verse started, the rest of the band flawlessly joined in and finished the song with Owens. The band thanked the crowd and Owens asked the crowd if they were ready for one more song, going into one of the most intense speeches about the song they were about to perform. Pumping the crowd up by telling them to think about all the people who had done them wrong in their life, to take all the hate they had and unleash it at that moment, and then said "If You Think This Song Is About You, It Probably Is!". Right when the song kicked in, all hell broke loose, and by the time the song had finished, guitarist Nick Martin had crowdsurfed and Craig Owens had lost his shirt. If the S.I.N. tour is hitting your city, please make it a point to go, you won't be disappointed. You can view a video of "I'm Here To Take The Sky" below as well as a picture of Tai Wright's stage setlist. Click HERE for the complete itinerary for the S.I.N. Tour.
"I'm Here To Take The Sky"
