Concert review: Cold | 04.19.23, Pop’s (with photo gallery)

Photos by Colin Williams and Erica Vining

w/ Divide the Fall, SHE, and Facing Infamy

Pop’s in Sauget, IL, has a history of hosting some of the biggest names in the music industry. The venue is known for having an impressive and recently updated sound system as well as being a smaller venue, giving audiences an opportunity to experience their favorite bands at nearly arm’s length. On Wednesday April 19th Cold headlined an amazing rock show celebrating the 20th anniversary of their hit record The Year of the Spider, which released in May of 2003. Despite day-of tickets remaining, patrons could be found shoulder to shoulder, clinging to the rail supporting Scooter Ward and the talented mix of artists accompanying him.

Kicking off the night was Facing Infamy, who greeted the audience quickly and dove into their setlist. Fraught with heavy distortion and plenty of passion, the band set a benchmark for those who followed. St. Louis natives, the band has been around nearly a decade and has opened up for other big names in the past including Avatar, Escape the Fate, Pop Evil, and Trapt. Lead vocalist Matt Schroeder uses clean vocals that are accentuated by aggressive screams from his backing vocalists.

Second out to take the stage was Evansville, IN, band SHE. This four-piece band formed in 2020 and joined the The Year of the Spider tour last minute as it came through their hometown, playing their first show on the run at Evansville’s Ford Center. After a successful night, they were invited to join the tour for one more show at Pop’s. The group displayed amazing technical skill throughout their set. Lead vocalist/bassist Damian Baker could be found constantly engaging the crowd as he jumped and played his way across the stage. They performed explosive tracks with impressively melodic solos from their guitarist. The band is currently polishing up their debut album Head Under Water that will definitely be worth adding to your playlist. These guys were incredibly talented and I cannot wait to see where they go in the future.

Keeping the momentum going was Minneapolis, MN, metalcore/hard rock band Divide the Fall. The band opened with “Broken,” a single released in October of 2020. Another four-member team, DIVIDE THE FALLformed in 2017 and compare their sound to other artists in the genre like Breaking Benjamin or I Prevail with deep bass choruses and crashing cymbals. Front man Ethan Weinaug kept clear vocals and wore a grateful smile while singing increasingly popular tracks from their two EPs,  Dead Memories and self-titled Divide the Fall.

Scooter Ward was greeted by enthusiastic fans of all ages when he emerged from backstage following Divide the Fall’s set. After battling abrupt lineup changes for various reasons before the tour kicked off in March of this year, Coldhas coalesced back into a band worthy of filling a stadium. Through over two decades and six studio albums, countless festivals and tours, Ward admitted during his interview with The Arts STL that he preferred the smaller venues (Pop’s especially!) to experience a unique intimacy with the audience. Attendees on Wednesday would all agree that throughout the band’s extensive 19-song setlist (most of which were from Year of the Spider), Ward proved true to his word as he told stories of his inspirations over the years and utilized frequent direct engagement with the crowd.

Fans sang along with Ward’s ethereal voice when the band opened with “Remedy,” “Suffocate,” and their most popular song to date, “Stupid Girl.” Ward spoke sincerely of a fan he had met who was abused and inspired him to write “Sad Happy,” and he held back tears describing his sister’s long-time battle with cancer that influenced “Cure My Tragedy (A Letter to God).” Between songs, Ward often expressed gratitude for the many years of support as well as appreciation to the current touring members of the band for helping him get back on the road. After twelve songs and a brief intermission, the band resumed the show. Ward expressed his disapproval on the generous space between the stage and rail then proceeded to join the audience as he stood on the rail shaking their hands as they performed another popular song, “Gone Away (A Song for Starr).” Moving further back in the band’s history, they played older and heavier Coldmusic like “Just Got Wicked,” and “No One,” from 13 Ways to Bleed on Stage. Prior to starting the title track off their 2005 record A Different Kind of Pain, Ward spoke of his battle with depression and suicidal thoughts and how he overcame it for his now eighteen-year-old daughter, who was in attendance at the merch table.

For self-proclaimed Cold Army fans such as myself, this show was an unmissable opportunity to experience and celebrate the twentieth anniversary of an expertly crafted album, The Year of the Spider. Scooter Ward and his accompanying tour members of Cold put on one hell of a show that will not soon be forgotten. | Colin Williams

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