Away Team

Thursday, April 5, 2012
Pullo Performing Arts Center, York, PA
Photos by Marcy J Royce
Review by Marcy J Royce

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I first became interested in BLUE OCTOBER in 2007 after I listened to their 2006 release, Foiled. A part of the genre I don’t usually find myself having a gravitation towards. But some of the music and some of the lyrics had me intrigued. So when I knew I would be afforded the opportunity to photograph Blue October, and review their performance, I was thrilled.

The night at The Pullo Performimg Arts Center began with an acoustic performance by singer songwriter Justin Furstenfeld. It was a 25 minute solo set that included heartfelt, personal lyrics entwined with guitar and an electronically created drum beat that seems to have shed some light to the audience what Justin had experienced in his past. Meaningful and passionate peppered with jokes and laughter lent itself to a very intimate connection with a man so instrumental in leading BLUE OCTOBER.

Next up was GIRL IN A COMA. I really had not listened to any of this trio’s music prior to their set. These women started right out of the gate with hard rocking tunes that had decent riffs and hooks. Hard rocking and edgy, they proved that the audience should take them seriously as rockers. The growls of front woman Nina Diaz, the rupturing bass guitar of Jenn Alva and the drums of Phanie Diaz makes this lineup from San Antonio impressive. The crowd seem to really dig them.

The real treat was about to begin with the 90 minute set from BLUE OCTOBER. Kicking off the night with “She’s My Ride Home” from the successful 2006 release of Foiled got the crowd to their feet quickly. And singing along. Next up was “Say It” from the 2009 release of Approaching Normal and “Sound Of Pulling Heaven Down” also from Foiled. The lights stayed dimmed but the musicians shined brightly with every chord and every word. If Justin had been demure and awkward during his solo set he certainly did an about face as he slid right into the
charismatic frontman he is known to be.

The crowd seemed to be quite familiar with most of BLUE OCTOBER’s catalog of songs. Singing more loudly as the set progressed. Most of the setlist contained songs from 3 releases; Foiled, Approaching Normal, and the newest release from the fall of 2011 Any Man In America. The biggest hits of the night, and most popular with the crowd, were “Into The Ocean” and “Hate Me”. The crowd was delighted and sang along very loudly. Very happily they showed their enthusiasm and the band fed right from that energy. BLUE OCTOBER are one of those bands that seem to have somewhat of a cult following. Sometimes being viewed as an acquired taste.

Here is a link to my listing of the setlist for the night:

http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/blue-october/2012/pullo-center-yorkpa-63de0a9f.html

Here is a link to my video for “The Feel Again”:

For more info on BLUE OCTOBER including tour dates, tickets, media, merchandise, and bios, visit http://www.blueoctober.com/site/
I want to give a big shout out to Tim Tatulli of RED Music for making this opportunity happen for me and the Away-Team. Thanks!