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AUGUST BURNS RED
JavaJazz Coffeehouse
Houston, TX
8/8/07
By DAVID STAGG

August Burns Red is the best there is right now. Alongside As I Lay Dying and As Blood Runs Black, they are the heirs apparent to the metal throne—no one is doing the game better than them right now.

At least on record. “Messengers”, ABR’s sophomore release and the one the band is on tour supporting, absolutely killed. It was time to check them out live to see what they could do in person.

JavaJazz Coffeehouse is located in the corner of a strip mall next to a swingers’ club (the real deal) in north Houston. It was ridiculously muggy outside; standing in line (a pretty decent-sized line, at that) you’d start to sweat, like if someone took a shower with the door closed and then you stepped into the room. This heat would prove nothing compared to what the inside of the venue would be like by the time ABR was done.

Local Houston act School Girl Knife Fight kicked the night off with their second to last show ever. They were definitely talented and obscene. Casey Jones, a former side-project of previous members of Evergreen Terrace, brought their straight-edge, old school hardcore (think Minor Threat) to the stage next, the beginning of the major-label bands. The audience, who was already packing the venue to its brim, received them very well, with the pit in true form. The Warriors followed; the band grew on the audience with their back-to-back breakdown style of music, similar to that of the Los Angeles ’90s rock-rap movement (sans rap) and bands such as Downset.

But no matter how much the audience was vibing previous bands, the second that The Warriors finished their set, not a person left the venue for air, despite the heat inside. Everyone pushed forward to get a better spot for August Burns Red.

From the second the band started the set, ABR never let down. The crowd never let down. The heat never let down. “Your Little Suburbia in Ruins”, the first song of the night, hyped the audience to a new level. Vocalist Jake Luhrs trapped the band with his engaging stage presence, constantly grabbing the heads and hands of those crushed against the barriers in front of the stage.

From there on out, ABR never let up. Kids were so hyped at the show they actually pushed down one of the metal barriers at stage left. There were so many people in the audience, there was hardly any room to even dance. It was so hot, people would breathe and sweat and it would hang in the stagnant air and, ironically, push the show to a new level instead of bring anyone down. Evergreen Terrace lead singer Andrew Carey took notice and brought out waters to throw to the audience. Eventually, he got so into the show, he grabbed a water bottle, cut a hole in the bottom, and jumped into the crowd, squeezing the bottle, drenching the audience and himself.

Luhrs had little to say throughout the show in between songs, but made sure to mention before their next-to-last song that the band members were Christian. “I’m not trying to shove it in anyone’s face, but we had to let you all know we’re Christians,” he said as part of the audience cheered. “You can do with it what you will, but we had to let you all know.”

By the time the show was over, everyone was exhausted. The entire band looked like they had been doused with water, sweat dripping from every pour of their body. Speaking with Luhrs after the performance, he could barely for sentences, leaving all his energy on stage. August Burns Red returns to Houston in October. Don’t miss it. Because the show at JavaJazz may have been the best performance I’ve ever seen.

SONG LIST:
1. Your Little Suburbia is in Ruins
2. Truth of a Liar
3. Composure
4. Endorphins
5. Back Burner
6. The Eleventh Hour
7. An American Dream
8. The Seventh Trumpet


©2007 HM Magazine - All Rights Reserved

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