Photos and Review by Kate Drexel
Otherwise Photos HERE
Like A Storm Photos HERE
The warm Pennsylvanian afternoon air drastically changed into a chilly damp evening however, after the performances of the previous bands, Islander warmed the crowd up with their energetic set of “Counteract,” “The Sadness of Graves,” and “Cold Speak.” Fans and concertgoers rocked their horns back and forth, head-banged along to the beat and occasionally singing along with the band. They continued their set with “Lucky Rabbit,” “New Wave,” “Criminals,” ending it with their current single, “Coconut Dracula,” and “Pains.” Islander’s energy washed over the crowd and warmed them up for the rest of the evening. Now, it was time for Like a Storm to continue carrying the rock torch, which they did in a phenomenal way.
The devoted Like a Storm fans (Storm Chasers) pushed their way to the front of the stage, awaiting the presence of the Brooks brothers (Chris, front man; Matt, lead guitarist; and Kent, bassist). Finally, one by one, through the light haze on the stage, each of the band members made their presence known; the last to appear was front man, Chris Brooks. He brought out the indigenous windpipe, the didgeridoo and began to play the eerie introduction to their first song, diving right into their set, “Chemical Infatuation,” and “Never Surrender,” from their latest EP, Chaos Theory, Part 1. A sea of jumping Storm Chasers took over the crowd, as they sang along passionately and completely mesmerized by their music. For the next song, Chris’ brother, Matt, took over vocals with Chris as backing, “Just Save Me,” from their debut album, The End of the Beginning. Then, Chris took over again with “Alone,” their epic metal cover of Coolio’s hit, “Gangsta’s Paradise,” “Enemy,” all immediately followed by a killer didgeridoo and drum solo. They ended their set with another cover, AC/DC’s “T.N.T.,” the fans head-banging to the beat, and their current hit single, “Love the Way You Hate Me.” Towards the middle of the song, the legendary didgeridoo was brought out for a little while then Chris jumped from the stage and walked into the middle of the crowd, continuing the rest of the song with the fans singing along whole-heartedly. The kiwi metal band definitely brought the night to a whole new lever, however it was time for the Vegas guys, Otherwise, to come for the throne.
The band’s strong following, the Wise Ones, crowded up the front of the stage, eagerly waiting for Otherwise. An occasional excited shout escaped from a few of the fans whenever they saw one of the band members on the stage. Finally, the music that played overhead came to a screeching halt and a very brief moment of washed over the crowd before they roared with excitement. The first to appear was Corky Gainsford (drums), followed by Vassilios Metropoulos (bass), Andrew Pugh (rhythm guitar), Ryan Patrick (lead guitar), and finally, the last to emerge from the shadows, front man Adrian Patrick singing the last few verses of their intro “IV” from their sophomore album, Peace at All Costs. Without a moment wasted, the band began their set with “Love and War,” from their debut album, True Love Never Dies, “Lighthouse,” and “The Other Side of Truth.” During the songs, Adrian reached out for the Wise Ones, holding some of their hands and high-fiving them, giving the fans a night to remember. Otherwise continued their highly energized set with “Silence Reigns,” their unofficial party anthem, “Vegas Girl,” and from the new album, “Fate is Your Enemy.”
Ryan was then given a small camera by one of their crew members to take a brief video of the fans and Adrian holding up hand-hearts before playing the next song, one of their hit singles, “I Don’t Apologize (1000 Pictures).” The Wise Ones in unison waved their arms with Adrian’s encouragement, belting out the lyrics with him. The band then played their current single, “Darker Side of the Moon,” followed by “Crimson,” “Scream Now,” and “For the Fallen Ones.” For their last song, the song that got their name out there, “Soldiers,” not only did Adrian have the crowd sing along as they have done so famously at their previous shows, but he brought up three young Wise Ones to the stage. Towards the end of the song, he jumped into the crowd, having them bounce up and down with him, singing along. Adrian then made his way back to the stage so he could have the crowd chant Otherwise with them. The band then walked off the stage, leaving the Wise Ones begging for more. Suddenly, Otherwise came back to the stage, surprising the crowd with two encore songs: “Die For You” and their killer cover of Rage Against the Machine’s hit, “Killing in the Name.” Otherwise had left their mark on York Springs and certainly gave their ever-adoring fans a night to remember.
To say Otherwise “brought their A game” is a huge understatement. There are no words to describe their performance. After having seen their current hash tag, #ComingForTheThrone, it is safe to say that they came for the throne and conquered it. Be sure to catch Otherwise, Like a Storm, and Islander while they are out on the road. They are all shows you will not want to miss!
Otherwise and Like a Storm at the 2014 Jam Fest – PA
