Avenged Sevenfold, Buckcherry deliver big load of rock for the money
by Troy Reimink | The Grand Rapids Press
Wednesday November 19, 2008

Press Photos/Katy Batdorff
Avenged Sevenfold lead singer M. Shadows performs in DeltaPlex Arena Tuesday night.
Tuesday's co-headlining bill at the DeltaPlex was, if anything, a study in why not to fix what ain't broke.

Avenged Sevenfold and Buckcherry are, in a sense, throwback acts performing somewhat divergent types of music -- stylized old-school metal and gritty hard rock, respectively -- and they don't stray far from the playbook.

But, then, why change the shape of the wheel when there's so much built-in entertainment value? The enthusiastic capacity crowd of 5,500-plus would have preferred it no other way.

The better of the headliners, Avenged Sevenfold, has worshipped at the right altars -- Pantera, Iron Maiden, older Metallica -- and has a firm grasp on the epic possibilities of metal.
Having widened its audience without alienating too much of its original fan base, Avenged Sevenfold, or A7X, has become a capable and confident arena act. Its newer songs -- show opener 'Critical Acclaim' and closer 'Almost Easy' chief among them -- are excellent examples of songcraft combined with brute force.

Crucial to the band's success is the dueling work of its guitarists, stage-named Zacky Vengeance and Synyster Gates, who put forth searing riffs and melodic interplay.

The set was spirited if not overly theatrical. Frankly, after the Nine Inch Nails concert on Saturday, pretty much every visual show seems like a flickering light bulb in comparison. Also, the co-headlining format restricted A7X to a mere 10 songs, not really long enough for a band to seize an audience.

Less convincing was the slightly longer set from Buckcherry, an exercise in Sunset Strip sleaze-rock revivalism. The band's approach -- scummy riffs, vaguely and not-so-vaguely misogynistic lyrics -- would qualify as edgy if countless other bands hadn't been doing the same thing for decades with catchier tunes.


Buckcherry frontman Josh Todd performs for Tuesday's sellout crowd in the DeltaPlex.The band performed a newer single, 'Too Drunk ...,' and to pre-empt speculation about what that ellipsis might represent, I should note that the song is about how the excessive consumption of alcohol might adversely effect one's sexual performance, so use your imagination.

To its credit, Buckcherry has capitalized on a rare second chance. After charting a few hits in the early part of the decade (the best of which, 'For the Movies,' didn't make the set), the group split up. Not long ago, band leader Josh Todd recruited a new lineup and made another go of it, and good for him; he doesn't look cut out for an office job, anyway.

The hit that landed Buckcherry back in the game is a heartfelt track titled 'Crazy ...,' which closed the show. Before that, Todd asked the crowd what song the band should play and seemed thrown off when somebody yelled 'Livin' on a Prayer.' Seemed appropriate, though.

Solid opening performances were turned in by Saving Abel and Shinedown, bands whose combinations of aggressive rock and soulful earnestness are backed by plenty of market research. But if it entertains, it entertains.

Fuente: www.mlive.com