Going to a Coheed and Cambria concert could be a lot like going to a freak show.
Not that the people who attend are that strange - although it's amazing how many people actually wear black mascara à la Good Charlotte - but there's a chance you'll hear a freak. You see, Coheed's lead singer, Claudio Sanchez, has a freakishly high voice.
No offense to him or the band's fans, but it's a fact. Many people confused him for a girl when the band's hit, "A Favor House Atlantic," took over the radio.
Regardless, a shitload of people hit up Coconuts last night to hear Claudio let out his signature yelps. Unfortunately, the highest notes were often ignored, as Claudio's afro pointed toward the microphone while the crowd sang along and wondered, "Can't he hit those notes live?"
He didn't really try, which leads me to believe that he can't. This small misstep of the show didn't seem to discourage the mostly teenage audience dressed in black. While Coheed's music is only occasionally built for sing-alongs, fans up front repeated every word.
Spending almost equal time on "In Keeping Secrets" and "The Second Stage Turbine Blade," Coheed played an hourlong set, mixing screams, slight guitar fingering and crashing power chords.
Instead of a traditional take on their single, Coheed slowed down "A Favor House Atlantic" to an almost alt-country pace. Since many fans came for this one song, I heard people asking all night if they were going to play the normal version later. They didn't.
The end of the show turned out to be the strongest, with "Everything Evil" closing off the set. For the encore, they chose the 8-minute epic "In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3." An anthem for fans of their prog/metal/punk style, the song built to a climax and the building seemed to shake.
The mosh was stomping throughout the show, as melodic hardcore band Underoath opened. The dual-singer group never caught the crowd's full attention, as they screamed through verses and pushed pop-punk choruses. This leads to a sort of commercial metal that is becoming less and less original. The drummer, however, can play drums and sing at the same time. He does neither very well, though.
Coheed wasn't as sharp as they were at previous shows, and it might be the ridiculously large crowd they pulled in. A few months ago at The Rock, the crowd was only half as big.
As they get more popular, I hope they can pick up the intensity to keep pleasing their core fans. Otherwise, it might be one-hit wonderland for the men behind "A Favor House."