Strength in Numbers tour featuring D.R.U.G.S. Rocks the Marquis
By Katie Schmoker
Photo Credit: Max Giffin
Craig Owens has a philosophy behind his stage presence: he believes that showing the crowd vulnerability leads to an intimate, sincere, and passionate performance. When he visited Denver with his latest band D.R.U.G.S. on the Strength in Numbers tour, he delivered this unique energy to a sold out Marquis who had been warmed up with Hit the Lights, Like Moths to Flames, Sparks the Rescue, and The Action Blast.
Heartbreak, disappointment, rejection, and the positive hope for something better were common themes in the songs played throughout the evening at the Marquis Saturday, February 19. Because of the emotionally expressive lyrical content, it wasn’t surprising that the audience was mainly composed of girls displaying X’d hands who frequently “whoooed” in support.
The Action Blast warmed up the crowd with a fast tempo and harmonious vocals. The band describes their sound as aggressive rock with positive encouraging lyrics.
Sparks to the Rescue got people moving-heads were bopping and hands were clapping along to a quick tempo, upbeat guitar riffs, and Alex Roy’s clean lofty vocal range.
Like Moths to Flames continued the momentum. As they played, more of the audience took an interest in finding a place to stand and watch the show. Like Moths to Flames was the “hardest” band on the bill, featuring a double driving base tempo that had the audience jumping in place. A pit even formed while rough vocals highlighted emotion of the clean vocals. The band reacted with smiles.
Much of the crowd found themselves singing along comfortably to catchy anthems from Hit the Lights. The guitar chords and lyrical content were basic and poppy, while the drum work included a focus on the cymbals section. Nothing too heavy, the band kept the energy high and the audience at ease with simplistic songs backed with enthusiasm.
The headliner band D.R.U.G.S., which stands for Destroy Rebuild until God Shows, is composed of veterans of previous bands: Owens (vocals) is from Chiodos, Aaron Stern (drums) is from Matchbook Romance, Matt Goode (guitars, vocals) is from From First to Last, Nick Martin (guitar, vocals) is from Underminded, and Adam Russell (bass) is from Story of the Year. Therefore, the cult-like following that the band has is far from surprising. D.R.U.G.S. released their first album in January of 2011, which reached number one on Billboard’s Hard Rock chart, and have been touring in support of the album since.
The beauty of having an older album is that the audience will be more familiar with the material. Owens took advantage of this. He commanded the captivated audience, allowing the eager crowd to complete verses and sing choruses in almost every song. Owens built his vocals up to a pivotal crescendo of harmonies that climaxed in a guttural scream which seemed to originate from the very core of his soul. The emotions of the audience boiled over, with a frenzied crowd screaming at the breakdowns and reaching for their beloved Owens. Owens, who is known for crowdwalking frequently, stayed on stage, safely out of reach most of the time. He tactfully-without skipping a note vocally-at one point fought for his shirt as girls tried to rip it off.
Owens left with his shirt on, and his followers left more affirmed in their love for their leader with the lingering melodies resounding in their hearts.
Category: Planet Buzz
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