Down At Lupos in Providence RI
In providence, RI there used to be a well known club called the Strand. Many acts played there and I was able to see an amazing show years ago when Pantera came to town. The Strand is now said and gone but another well known venue Lupos has taken over the existing building and on this particular night it wasn’t Pantera but the man I loved and adored in Pantera, Phil came to town with his band DOWN.
Although I’ve been asked a dozen times to see this band live I have never gotten the chance until tonight. The de-virginizing began tonight and I was totally amazed on how good they sounded.
When I first got to the venue I realized there were no opening bands and from talking to hardcore DOWN fans I found out they never bring bands out with them!!! Which I thought was odd but I guess they can’t find someone who fits them musically. (My first thought was what a good interview questions)
So as I thinking how will they fill the time before they go on, the band came handy with a screen prompted in front of the stage and an hour before the guys took the stage a movie played. A movie about the backstage times with DOWN and then they showed classic performances of bands like Black Sabbath, AC/DC and a great video by the band themselves. So there fans got a chance to kick back get more beers in them and listen to some classic music that is brilliant and shows why DOWN is DOWN. As the video was ending the smoke filled the venue, the screen came down and Phil and Company attacked the audience with their hard hitting, laid back, gritty, dirty and impeccable heavy rock sound.
To be honest with you Since I had never seen DOWN perform I didn’t know if I would be too into hearing this type of music for a while hour and a half but once the guys start playing you become one with them and the presence of their sound just captures you. Phil sounded the best I have heard him in years. So relaxed and just laid back and mellowed out, it seemed like this is the music he was meant to do for years upon years. The rest of the band were tight, vicious and just playing like it was nothing. The sound tonight was on target and the packed house was feeling the energy and showed it with their crowd participation which made Phil pull out a stellar front man performance. Phil even made a comment through the set about how Providence, RI was such a overwhelming presence tonight, which RI better have taken that to the top of the pedestal coming from a icon like himself. The band did a lot of old and new songs and one that stood out was the song LIFER which he dedicated to the one and only DIMEBAG!!! A quarter through the set the band had to stop the show so Phil could make comments to two people who were fighting in the pit. As he told the bouncers to kick them out he made them turn the kids around to face him before they got kicked to the cold and said DOWN show is not for negative energy and that is why he was making them leave, that they should respect their temper and respect the audience. After that comment they were told to leave and we didn’t see them again!!!
All and all DOWN was awesome! This band defines what down to the bone rock should be. No frills, No thrills, just dudes with their instruments making music that speaks from the soul.
Down III: Over The Under get it on amazon | i-tunes
February 21st, 2008 at 4:32am
I had the privledge of seeing down on the 30th of January in PA… it was beyong immaculate! Phil dedicated Lifer to Dimebag their as well…fuck it here is the post I put on my blog:
Thursday, January 31, 2008
THE DOWN SHOW LAST NIGHT!!!!
Current mood: still amped from the show!
Oh MY FUCKING LORD! it was beautiful! beyond perfection! I think I saw one of the best bands ever in the history of music last night.. I was right up on it close as I could be… although ready to kill 2 tards next to me .. (some yellow coated guy who saw I was getting pissed at him & moved & told me to get in front of him instead of beside him.. & then some dorky looking guy who was having a seizure as opposed of knowing how to head bang properly).. but ALOT OF MEMORABLE SHIT HAPPENED….. the pre show video was great.. /w/ clips of Kiss, Black Flag, Black Sabbath, Ac Dc interwoven /w/ clips of Down out on the road & some familiar faces in Satyricon, Zakk Wylde, Tony Iommi etc. popping up…me & Steph were on the left side of the stage infront of Kirk & Rex.. Kirk just fucking grooves & is kinda in his own world for the most part & doesn’t look to the crowd directly as in 1 individual.. but everyone then locks in on who’s singing along… at one point in the show Phil & Rex did the old school circular head bang like in the cowboys from hell days of Pantera.. they were laughing & really enjoying themselves which is beyond awesome seeing a band that tight & having fun /w/out goofing up anything.. (although Phil looked at Kirk on one song & said something (not over the mic but to Rex & Pepper about him being too early or late..I never heard it personally)… they dedicated “Lifer” to Dimebag Darrell & “Losing All” to the “older” people in the crowd.. the craziest occurrance for me was a guy outside the show was selling roses & approached me to buy one for Stephanie.. I told him I was strapped for cash being I had $30 & knew shirts were roughly around that price.. he talked to Matt & Matt just gave him money so he gave a rose to Steph out of Matt giving him money for no real reason.. & he talked to us about metal being huge in the 80’s.. he was an older black man he actually knew what he was talking about though.. it was just odd though.. anyways.. the point.. in the show & during.. I think it was “Learn From This Mistake” Phil came over & high five/shook hands /w/ our side of the stage.. & Steph gave him that rose… Phil thanks her alot actually & comes back over after the song & say’s who gave me the flower?.. looking around.. me & a couple people point Steph out & he thanks her again & say’s you’re beautiful to her twice.. he then gave her a bottle of water & told her to drink it & share it /w/ everybody around her… it was funny cause right after he got the flower he gave it to his woman (I believe) put stuff on his hands.. some sort of hand disinfectant I’m sure in case someone out there had a cold in case not to get it.. & then he took the flower back from her & kinda paraded it around.. it was so unbelievably awesome!.. Also amazingly they played “Jail”.. a song I never thought I’d see live.. Jimmy was back on the bongo type drums, Kirk & Pepper on back up vocals & everything.. I was watching in amazement… they left the stage before the last 3 or 4 songs like they were done but came back & stomped more ass.. they ended the night of course /w/ “Bury Me In Smoke” & at the end of it went into the last verse of “Nothing In Return”.. & Snake Sabo (Skid Row) came up on stage & went off on the guitar…then as they shake hands /w/ the crowd as they’re preparing to leave .. Casey (our ride) his shirt ends up in Phil’s hands.. it was crazy.. I never saw it happening it was all the sudden ..Phil leaning to catch something behind me & there he is /w/ Casey’s tan shirt /w/ the charlie manson eyes on the front & Down logo on the back (among other related bands like Valume Nob etc..) on him.. wearing Casey’s shirt… Another funny thing was I remember Phil kneeled down by the drums /w/ a cell phone earlier during the show.. I thought nothing of it.. thinking someone had called him on his phone at the most inappropriate time ever.. but Matt tells me that besides starting the Rex chant (which Phil amped the crowd /w/ then said “you started it..we ended it”…) that Matt had thrown some guy’s cell phone he had found in the pit onstage… some guy in line /w/ us gabbing before we got in got a cigarette from Jimmy Bower & Jimmy lit it for him .. crazy.. the band is just so down to earth it is crazy.. they themselves are just fans … it was so pure & I felt all of us who crammed in that car & went to PA from West Virginia really needed that.. it was awesome! Thank You Down!!! you guys put on a unbelievable show
Here are the songs they played (not in order):
Lysergik Funeral Procession
Lifer
Losing All
Jail
Stone The Crow
Bury Me In Smoke/ Nothing In Return
Ghost Along The Mississippi
Learn From This Mistake
New Orleans Is A Dying Whore
On March The Saints
The Path
Three Suns And One Star
N.O.D.
I Scream
Beneath The Tides
Lies, I don’t know what they say but…
Temptation’s Wing’s
Eyes Of The South
Go check out Down if you ever get the chance.. I’m not bullshitting ya, one of the best bands ever.
SIN:JoRdAnHeStOn
February 22nd, 2008 at 9:35pm
Down are good in concert. Not nearly as good as Pantera was when I saw them in 1999, but pretty good. Rex and Phil haven’t lost their edge but it really isn’t the same without Dimebag.
March 7th, 2008 at 12:39pm
I was at this Providence show. Best show I’ve ever been to!
It was so awesome. And then Phil came to the left front of the stage where I was an I got to shake his hand!
Best show ever.
I’m going again!