Since 1996 |
  
Your Gateway to Music and More from a Christian Perspective Slow down as you approach the gate, and have your change ready.... |
|
Since 1996 |
Your Gateway to Music and More from a Christian Perspective Slow down as you approach the gate, and have your change ready.... |
| Home
Subscribe About Us Features News Album
Reviews
|
Stavesacre Live Cornerstone 2009 July 2, 2009 By Ryan Ro Stavesacre played eighty minutes, did every song I really wanted to hear except "Minuteman," played some new tunes, made mistakes and laughed about it, and despite being part-time at this point put on a performance that blew almost every other set at Cornerstone out of the water. Oh, and we drove 2500 miles specifically to see the band. My wife and I are huge Stavesacre fans, neither of whom ever had the opportunity to see them perform live. But after calling it quits a year and half ago, the band's go at recording a "final" EP - and the rejoining of founding member Jeff Bellew - seems to have re-energized them. So when they were announced to play Cornerstone 2009, the wife and I had to go; it might have been our last chance. So many moments, reflections, snapshots of that hour and a half... Steam rising from Mark Salomon's glistening bald head. Sam West's on-point and rattling drumming. Jeff Bellew's enormous smile as he ripped at his guitar for almost the entire set. Dirk Lemmenes providing the energetic rock and playing the hell out of his bass. Ryan Dennee's focused intensity, almost attacking his guitar. The amazing opener of "Kill My Darlings." The frenzy of "Threshold." The droning hypnotism and emotional resonance of "Rivers Underneath." The sheer beauty, heartbreak and hope, Salomon's lungs seeming to burst from his chest during "Gold & Silver," my wife and I raising our clasped hands into the air, tears streaming from our faces and those of many others in the crowd. The -energy- of the aggressive new tracks. "Keep Waiting." Bellew's intro to "Wither/Ascend" and the band making the song fit its title. Ending with the glorious, powerful, inspiring "At The Moment," the only sound in the tent hundreds of people shouting "MY SOUL WILL WAIT" near the end of the song. I do not like over-emotional responses to music/musicians these days. But I cannot deny the overwhelming sense of freedom & hope Stavesacre's performance and outpouring of themselves into their music gave to me. It was the sensation of...belonging. Stavesacre means freedom, hope, heart, faith, love, ROCK & ROLL. In short? It was worth
the 2500 miles.
SETLIST
|
|
|
|
