Away Team

Sunday, November 27, 2011 – Rams Head Live, Baltimore, MD
Photos by Marcy J Royce

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Setlist:
Taking You Down
Over and Under
Ghost Town
Kick Ass
The Drug
You Make Me Sick
White Rabbit

I was excited that EGYPT CENTRAL was going to be an opener for STAIND in Baltimore, MD. What a bonus for me! However, to me they are still a relatively new band. And I say that because their first release (Egypt Central) was in 2008 and their second release (White Rabbit) was in 2011. Even though they formed in 2001/2002. Fellow journalist/photographer here at Away-Team, Jason Rybak, had an interview with singer John Falls earlier this year and I was eager to catch their live show (link for interview: http://www.away-team.com/rock/2011/05/the-writing-on-the-wall-an-interview-with-egypt-centrals-john-falls ).

This band has had me intriqued since I first learned of White Rabbit back in the spring of this year. I’ve listened to the cd quite a few times and keep toggling between songs as to which one is my fav. So I was really, really glad to see Kick Ass, White Rabbit, and The Drug in the set. Being an opener doesn’t afford a band the to chance to really showcase more of what encompasses them. But the songs they chose did the job well for the limited time they had. Seeing these guys for the first time, and up close in the pit through my lens was killer, and a high. I was smiling a lot as I spent my time photographing them for those first three songs. I just felt every bit of energy they spewed into the crowd. EGYPT CENTRAL certainly did not treat this as though they were an opener, they made me feel like they were the headliners. They gave it everything they had. And that is why my personal opinion is they should have gone on JUST BEFORE STAIND, not first. They had a much better set than the band that followed them. I was more enlightened and drawn to their performance than the next band.

I left the pit after those three songs eager for more. I headed for higher ground to get a few more photos that I couldn’t get right up front. I only photographed two more songs since I knew their set was just seven songs long. I made my way back downstairs and took my usual position in the back, slightly off center. I try to always position myself for the best sight line since I’m short and for the best possible intake of the sound. WOW! What a set for EGYPT CENTRAL. I am certainly glad I was there. They left me wanting more. And the crowd also. I can’t wait for them to come through my area again. And I do hope that I can photograph them again. They are just one of those bands I can’t photograpy once or twice, they have so much to their performance that it will take me a few times to truly encompass who they are and convey that through my photos to you. I’ll be watching their tour cities and hoping it’s not too long before I see them again.

Check out everything EGYPT CENTRAL at www.egyptcentral.com

I want to give a shout out and a high five to my girl, Amanda Cagan at ABC Public Relations, for working with Away-Team to be able to bring you the best of the best.