Emily May 10/3/23 Emily May 10/3/23

The Mars Volta @ Old Forester's Paristown Hall - Louisville

September 29th, 2023: The Mars Volta, Teri Gender Bender @ Old Forester’s Paristown Hall - Louisville, KY

Progressive rock band The Mars Volta brought their North American Tour to Old Forester’s Paristown Hall on September 29th to a packed house! The band released their latest album Que Dios Te Maldiga Mi Corazon in April of this year, an acoustic re-recording of their 2022 self-titled album, and performed songs from the album this evening that included “Shore Story”, “L’Via L’Viaquez”, and “Graveyard Love”. As the lights went down and the band came out on stage, the crowd erupted in a sea of cheers and screams of excitement. Starting out with “Vicarious Atonement”, “Drunkship of Lanterns”, and “Graveyard Love”, they performed a 12-song setlist with a varied selection of tracks, with several from their first album De-Loused in the Comatorium. With Cedric Bixler-Zavala (vocals/lyrics) and Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, the founders and only constant members of the group, dancing around the stage throughout the set, awash in a kaleidoscope of beautiful lighting, it was clear that the crowd was having a great time. The Mars Volta’s music has a fun and eclectic mix of sounds, going from slow and progressive, with sounds of jazz, Afrobeat, and salsa, to heavier and more rock and punk-oriented sounds, sometimes in the span of one song, all the while sounding cohesive. Going from one song straight into the next, there was no talking between songs, with the music taking center stage! Hanging at the back of the stage, behind the band’s setup, were several rectangular mirrors flanked in lights that made for a cool and dramatic backdrop, with the band’s reflections being mirrored back to the audience. Ending their set with “The Widow” and “Inertiatic ESP”, they gave their fans an energetic and fun evening that will no doubt leave everyone hoping the band comes back soon!

Opening the show was Teri Gender Bender, singer of Le Butcherettes, and her band. Full of energy, she and her band came out on stage with colorful onesies that had unicorn hoods pulled onto their heads, with Teri Gender Bender holding a unicorn stuffed animal that she held through the first song. Presenting the stuffed animal to the audience towards the end of the first song, she then set it on the stage until later in the set, taking the opportunity to move about the stage. Moving her body throughout the set, whether in slow and synchronized moves or faster-paced dancing, she was a bundle of energy on stage, constantly interacting with the crowd and her bandmates. Alternating singing songs in Spanish and some in English, with some spoken word moments, the crowd was having a great time dancing along, with her infectious and fun energy permeating the room. Overall, it was a really great night of music!

TERI GENDER BENDER

Emily May 9/5/23 Emily May 9/5/23

Parliament Funkadelic ft. George Clinton @ Old Forester's Paristown Hall - Louisville

August 26th 2023: Parliament Funkadelic ft. George Clinton, Fishbone at Old Forester’s Paristown Hall - Louisville, KY

Parliament Funkadelic Ft George Clinton brought their Just For The Funk Of It Final Tour?!? to Paristown Hall on August 26th to a hyped and eclectic crowd of fans who were ready to dance, get funky, and have fun! Opening the show this evening was Los Angeles rock band Fishbone, who combined elements of ska, punk, funk, metal, reggae, and soul, resulting in a distinct sound that fans have been enjoying since the band formed in 1979. The band is touring with original members Angelo Moore, Norwood Fisher, Dirty Walt, and Chris Dowd (who hasn’t appeared on a Fishbone record since 1993), as well as longtime drummer John Steward and new guitarist Mark Phillips. Although the band experienced some technical issues during the first couple of songs, it didn’t slow the band down and the issues were quickly resolved! Starting their set off with fan-favorite “Party At Ground Zero”, they got the crowd hyped from the first note! Playing a 12-song set that included other hits such as “Everyday Sunshine” and “Ma & Pa”, they also performed a few songs from their latest self-titled EP (produced by Fat Mike) that included “All We Have Is Now”, “I Don’t Care”, and “Estranged Fruit”, their take on the Billie Holiday classic protest song that saw them collaborate with NOFX. Ending their set with “Servitude”, Norwood talked a bit about Parliament’s amazing legacy and announced to the crowd before leaving the stage “Maybe if we make enough noise the mothership will come down and land on us!”.

And land they did! George Clinton and his collective of Parliament-Funkadelic members came out on stage and it was an instant party! Everyone was having so much fun together on stage, with that energy quickly transferring to the crowd. At 83 years old, George Clinton was moving around the stage and having fun with his collective of singers and musicians and with the crowd. Spending much time at the front of the stage with his microphone out in the crowd, the fans happily sang along with him! He spent some time sitting in a chair towards the back of the stage when he wasn’t singing, but no less engaged, as other members of the collective all came together to take turns at the front. As energetic as the collective was on stage, the crowd was just as upbeat, dancing and singing along to every song! The energy was happy and euphoric and evidence of the power of music to bring people together for their love of the arts. Performing a set list that included Parliament and Funkadelic covers such as “Funkentelechy”, “Cosmic Slop”, “Baby Like Fonkin’ It Up”, “Get Low”, “Flash Light”, and the George Clinton hit “Atomic Dog”, they gave everyone a great night of music and a funky good time!

FISHBONE

Emily May 7/25/23 Emily May 7/25/23

Underoath @ Old Forester's Paristown Hall - Louisville

July 18th, 2023: Underoath, The Ghost Inside, We Came As Romans, and Better Lovers @ Old Forester’s Paristown Hall - Louisville, KY

Underoath - Photos Courtesy of Emily May

Underoath and The Ghost Inside brought their co-headlining tour to Paristown Hall on July 17th to a packed venue! This was Underoath’s first-ever co-headlining tour and The Ghost Inside’s first tour since their return, with fans being very visibly excited for the evening ahead. Opening the show this evening was new hardcore super-group Better Lovers, on their first-ever tour, and comprised of Greg Puciato of The Dillinger Escape Plan, Jordan Buckley, Clayton Holyoak, and Stephen Micciche of Every Time I Die, and Will Putney of Fit For An Autopsy. Full of energy with plenty of leg kicks, jumps, and hair flips, Puciato thanked the crowd early on for coming out, saying this was one of the first few shows the band had played and how happy they were to be on this tour. In addition to unreleased tracks “Punk” and “Croc”, the band performed their 4-song EP God Made Me An Animal, released on July 7th, and a really incredible cover of Soundgarden’s “Rusty Cage”. As the band was launching into their final song, Puciato joked to the crowd that “This is an old one”. These guys performed an incredibly fun set and no doubt will no doubt have plenty of new fans by the end of this tour.

Next up was the metalcore band We Came As Romans. These guys have incredible energy on stage and having formed in 2005, have amassed a dedicated fan base, with the ones in attendance this evening singing along to every song! There were platforms at the front of the stage for the band members to stand on, allowing them to stand tall above the crowd and engage more directly with the fans. Talking a bit about losing bandmate Kyle Pavone in 2018, going through the stages of grief, and feeling a wide range of emotions (happy, sad, hopeful), singer Dave Stephens told the crowd that it is ok to feel your emotions and to reach out for help if you need it. That there is no shame in needing help. Starting their set off with “Darkbloom”, they performed an 8-song set that included “Daggers”, “Wasted Age”, and “Cold Like War”. Towards the end of the set, Stephens told the crowd “We’re gonna take it back a bit and sing a song from Tracing Back Roots (2013)”, before launching into “Hope”. “I wish we had more time to talk,” said Stephens as they were nearing the end of their set. “I wanna give a shout-out to Underoath and The Ghost Inside. What a dream it is to be on this tour. I hope you guys are as excited for them to take the stage as we are! Thanks for having us in your city and showing up early.” They ended their set with “Black Hole” and left the crowd buzzing with energy!

Next up was co-headliner The Ghost Inside. Being their first tour since making their comeback, you could feel the excitement, both from the crowd and the band. Starting out the set with “Avalanche”, from their 2014 album Dear Youth, the band tore through a 14-song set list with lots of energy and with fans screaming along to each and every song with a passion. Performing older songs such as “Faith or Forgiveness” from their 2008 album Fury and The Fallen Ones and “Engine 45” and “Dark Horse” from 2012’s Get What You Give, to newer songs like “The Outcast”, “Pressure Point” and “One Choice” from their latest album The Ghost Inside (2020), they had plenty of songs for both newer and older fans alike! Early in the set singer Jonathan Vigil asked how many people had seen them before, to which there were a lot of cheers! “Wow! Thank you so much! We released an album in 2020 and we want you to sing along!”. He later told the crowd “I know I’ve said it already, but it means a lot that all of you showed up tonight and are hanging out and having a good time. A week ago, we released a new song called “Earn It”. Sing along if you know the words!”. He went on to talk a bit about the band’s horrific bus crash in 2015 and how they’d had no expectations that they would ever be back on stage, but how “People like you supporting bands like us is the reason we are back so thank you!”. It was clear the band was happy to be back on stage and were grateful for their fans’ enduring support. It was an emotional and intimate moment in the set that highlighted how far the band had come and how happy their fans were to have them back. “It’s been a while since we could tour and be a band again. It’s good to be back out on tour and see familiar faces. We always remember Louisville! You guys always go hard in the pit but take care of each other. There aren’t a lot of cities like that. It’s a great first tour back, especially being with a band like Underoath!”. The band ended with “Aftermath” from their latest album and the fans were singing along until the very last note!

Ending the evening was Underoath. The band performed a 12-song setlist that encompassed their career, with hits both old and new and some deeper cuts sprinkled in. The crowd was ready to go wild from the first note, with the energy of the band feeding the crowd’s energy. Singer Spencer Chamberlain was jumping and dancing around the entirety of the stage throughout the set, a bundle of energy that saw him engaging with his bandmates and the fans, at one point getting down from the stage to stand at the barricade and sing amongst the fans, causing a frenzy of excitement. Starting out their set with “Take A Breath” and “Writing on the Walls”, the band blew through a set list that included “Breathing in a New Mentality”, “It’s A Dangerous Business Walking Out Your Front Door”, “Casting Such A Thin Shadow”, and “You’re Ever So Inviting”, to name a few. Chamberlain chatted a bit with the crowd, saying early in the set how the band hadn’t played Louisville in a really long time and thanked everyone for coming out". The band then performed their new single “Lifeline (Drowning)”. He later said how there are a billion things going on, as it’s summertime, but everyone chose to be here tonight! “We’re going to throw it back a bit. This one is called “Reinventing Your Exit””. With a career spanning over 2 decades and 9 studio albums, the band has cultivated a passionate fan base who have followed them through their career, which included disbanding in 2013 and reuniting in 2015. Although they haven’t performed in Louisville for many years, the vibe tonight was one of sing-alongs, dancing, a bit of crowd surfing, and most of all a lot of fun! They ended their set with “A Boy Brushed Red Living In Black and White” from their 2004 album They’re Only Chasing Safety, a great end to a great evening!