IN THIS MOMENT/ HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD/ VANA – COLLEGE STREET
By Joe Perusse
In This Moment and Hollywood Undead at College Street Music Hall with I See Stars, Vana and Melrose Avenue.
It was an early start for a weeknight, but the “Taste of Chaos” tour brought a stacked lineup to College Street Music Hall featuring In This Moment and Hollywood Undead, with additional support from Vana, I See Stars, and Melrose Avenue. The early start didn’t keep the crowd away, and by the time the headliners hit the stage, New Haven was ready to go.
Melrose Avenue kicked things off at 4:35 p.m., with vocalist Vlado Saric asking if everyone was ready to party before launching into “Taste.” Mitchell Black delivered a sweet guitar solo during “Cemetery Friend,” while “Fool and the Beggar” had the early crowd already banging their heads.
Phone lights filled the room during “Through Hell,” while devil horns went up for “Suffering.” Shawn Mayer (Guitar, Backing Vocals) and Jed McIntosh (Drums) rounded out the lineup.
Next up was Vana, who hit the stage with her masked band for “Pray.” Hands were immediately waving in the air during “In Your Name.” Vana spotted two people wearing banana suits in the pit and figured that was all the proof she needed that New Haven was ready to get weird. She challenged the crowd to create the world’s tiniest wall of death on the College Street floor, and they were more than happy to give it a shot.
Harlen Allen-Jones laid down a smooth bass line during “Bleeding Heart,” while Vana jumped into the photo pit for “Bite Back” and had the crowd drop down on their knees.
“Beg!” followed before Vana grabbed a guitar and encouraged everyone to hug the person they came with. “Clandestine” closed out the set, with Niles Gibbs (Guitar) and Mathieux Davis (Drums) rounding out the band.
I See Stars took the energy up another notch with “Ten Thousand Feet,” immediately showcasing the chemistry between Devin Oliver (Vocals) and Andrew Oliver (Keys, Backing Vocals).
Welcoming everyone to “Taste of Chaos”, Devin introduced touring drummer Dakota Sammons, who delivered a quick drum solo before the band launched into “Running With Scissors.” Brett Allen (Guitar) and Jeff Valentine (Bass) joined the action on the front risers as the song kicked in.
Devin bounced from side to side across the stage while encouraging the crowd to wake up during “Break.” He also called on the banana-suited fans for some assistance in the pit, because apparently that’s just what happens at a “Taste of Chaos” show. “Filth Friends Unite” had the crowd clapping rapidly along before the phone lights returned for “Calm Snow.” “Anomaly” closed out the set, with Devin thanking New Haven for all the love.
Then came the band I was really there to see.
I bought my ticket as soon as the presale was announced because Hollywood Undead are always an outstanding live band, and tonight was no different. With touring drummer Anthony Ghazel joining Jorel “J-Dog” Decker, Dylan “Funny Man” Alvarez, George “Johnny 3 Tears” Ragan, Jordan “Charlie Scene” Terrell, and Danny Murillo, the band delivered the kind of unpredictable, anything-can-happen performance that makes their shows so much fun.
One of the coolest things about Hollywood Undead live is watching the members switch between vocals, guitar, bass, and keys from song to song. For the opening three songs, though, they kept the masks on, kicking things off with “Undead,” featuring Johnny 3 Tears and J-Dog, followed by “1×1” with Charlie Scene and “Renegade” led by Funny Man.
Crowd surfing started almost immediately. Charlie asked how many people had been at the band’s previous New Haven show and how many were seeing them for the first time. He then took over lead vocals for “Riot,” while a crew member jumped onstage with a tambourine and a beer.
Johnny 3 Tears returned to lead vocals for “CHAOS,” followed by Danny announcing that things were getting spooky before “Another Way Out.”
J-Dog asked if anyone could give him a tour of Yale before “Hollywood Forever,” while Danny challenged Connecticut to make some fucking noise before launching into “Savior.” J-Dog and Danny both shined on “Black Dahlia,” and the devil horns were back in the air for “War Child.”
Then Charlie spotted a kid named Ruger in the pit and brought him up onstage. After complimenting him on his cool name, Charlie asked which member of Hollywood Undead was his favorite. Ruger answered Johnny and J-Dog, prompting Charlie to ask if he liked him at all.
Apparently, Ruger was more than happy to make up for it. Charlie had him lead the crowd in throwing their middle fingers in the air, and Ruger got to sing a little and deliver a pretty impressive scream during “Comin’ in Hot.” It was one of those spontaneous moments that you couldn’t plan and probably wouldn’t want to.
“Feels Like Home” had the crowd clapping along before Johnny tossed the microphone into the audience during “Bullet,” allowing a fan to finish the song.
“Hear Me Now” came complete with an impressive smoke-filled visual before Danny gave a shoutout to all the bands on the bill ahead of “Day of the Dead.”
Charlie then asked if everyone wanted to see “IT” before realizing something was missing and joking, “What the fuck, someone stole my dick.” That led into the crowd favorite “Everywhere I Go,” which closed out the set.
After Hollywood Undead left the stage, it was time for the headliner.
In This Moment opened their set with “Crawl,” immediately bringing their theatrical production to life. Maria Brink (Vocals, Piano) and her Blood Goddesses whipped their hair around during “Sanctify Me,” setting the tone for a performance that was as much about the visuals as it was the music.
Brink had the crowd follow her lead during the lyrics to “Blood,” while smoke filled the stage for “Sleeping With the Enemy.” The Blood Goddesses appeared with glowing orbs during “I Want to Believe,” adding another striking visual to the performance.
Brink eventually left the stage for a costume change, telling the crowd she was going to let the boys have some fun. Chris Howorth (Guitar) put on a Michael Myers mask, joining Travis Johnson (Bass) and Kent Diimmel (Drums) for a performance of the “Halloween Theme,” the classic John Carpenter composition. Meanwhile, the Blood Goddesses ran around the stage “stabbing” the band members.
Brink returned in a black outfit for “Sick Like Me,” reassuring the crowd that she knew exactly how they were feeling.
The band then left the stage again, allowing Brink and the Blood Goddesses to perform “Wrapped Around Your Finger,” The Police cover, while phone lights filled the room.
In This Moment returned for “Adrenalize,” with the Blood Goddesses performing a synchronized arm routine behind Brink that made it look like she had six arms.
From backstage, Brink told New Haven she couldn’t hear them and challenged the crowd to make themselves heard. Then she told them she wanted to feel them.
Brink playfully pretended to be offended when the crowd called her a “Whore,” before returning for the song of the same name. She explained that the song is about rising above expectations and refusing to let other people’s opinions define you.
As “Whore” played, balloons bounced around the room while the crowd waved their hands back and forth. It was a fittingly theatrical ending to a night that delivered everything you’d expect from a “Taste of Chaos” lineup—heavy music, big personalities, plenty of crowd interaction, and more than a few moments that you probably had to be there to appreciate.
For a weeknight show with an early start, New Haven showed up ready to party. By the time the final balloons were floating around College Street Music Hall, it was pretty clear the “Taste of Chaos” had lived up to its name.
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