Nonpoint
In This Moment
Webster Theatre
Hartford, Connecticut
4 December 2010
Tony Pijar
Nonpoint and In This Moment proved to be a rather attractive double bill; just ask the sold out audience at the Webster Theatre. Most impressive is that there was little out there in promoting the event.
In This Moment was excellent and kudos to the beautiful Maria Brink whose voice was beautiful and poignant one moment and barbed wire-like the next. She appeared on stage ravishingly resplendent in what looked like a slutty puritan-like dress; paradoxical for sure! The band opened with the awesome “Just Drive” and followed up with “Blazin”, “The Rabbit Hole”, and “Iron Army”. Brink’s microphone stand, too, was an absurd, disturbing contradiction – a skeleton head adorned the top of the mic stand and below was at least 20 little doll heads! The band was spot on with Chris Howorth blazing on the frets. Particularly powerful were “The Promise,” “The Gun Show”, and “Daddy’s falling Angel” where Brink catapulted herself into the heart of the crowd and finished the song from atop the middle railing perilously balancing herself while singing impeccably at the same time! Great opening act! How would the headliners fare…
Nonpoint has a diamond in the rough as well and he goes by the name of Elias Soriano. He, as with Brink, commanded the stage with unbridled abandon. Nonpoint, nu-metallers gone hard rock, is out promoting “Miracle” and played three songs from it as well as visiting their past. The band hit the stage with “Broken Bones,” “Witness”, “Hands Off,” and “What a Day.” Soriano engaged the audience from the onset and had them in the palm of his hand for the whole of the evening. Zack Broderick, new to the band, provided that indelible crunch while bassist Ken MacMillan and drummer Robb Rivera locked in with a double dose of bottom-heavy, heart attack inducing rhythms. “Shadow,” “5 Minutes Alone” and the title cut off “Miracle” went down well, but the crowd waited for and got a pummeling “Alive and Kicking” and closer “Bullet with a Name.”
This is a can’t miss double package, and if you like metal with both contemporary and classic touches, then this is a tour you should catch.
8 out of 10 Powerpoints
