TROUBLE - Big City Nights: Chicago Doomsters Kickoff Tour In Philly

June 23, 2014, 9 years ago

By Mark Gromen

trouble feature

In 35 years of attending live shows, only set foot inside Finnigan's Wake on one previous occasion. The long running Irish themed bar played host to the first date of Trouble's Northeast trek, but the club's website hadn't been updated in several months, still advertising St. Patty's Day activities, which didn't bode well for attendance. This was my first chance to see former Exhorder frontman Kyle Thomas singing for the Chicago outfit, having heard good things, but tempered by the fact those reports were often in comparison to the ill-fitting Kory Clarke (ex-Warrior Soul). Admittedly, BraveWords had a small hand in resurrecting Trouble's international viability, with superlative inducing performances, in back-to-back years, at the 6-Pack Weekend festivals. So much so that their soundman admitted they still reference that show, often saying, "We need a Cleveland tonight," meaning in terms of mix clarity and intensity. From there, Germany reprised our Candlemass/Trouble co-headlining show and ultimately the two recorded DVDs in Stockholm, prior to original singer Eric Wagner departing the group. Needless to say, I'm a Trouble fan.

Ironically, it was the 27th anniversary of their Run To The Light album being released (June 15th, 1987), yet nothing from said disc was offered.. The show began more than two hours late, due to mixing board feud within the band. Wouldn't have mattered much, but the five (!) opening bands still got to play full sets. On a Sunday night? By the time Trouble went on, after 1:30AM, less than half the original crowd remained and the Chicagoans had to drop a couple of songs from THEIR set. WTF! Newly installed singer Thomas acknowledged the time overruns and thanked those now standing in front of the stage. "The Tempter" began the evening, with Rick Wartell pulling off the leads. After "The Sleeper", Thomas did a more than admirable job with the Bruce Franklin started "At The End Of My Daze". He also added backing vocals. There something warm and reassuring about a B. Franklin in Philadelphia, although his guitar partner is the one with local family ties.

Mentioning 2014 marks three decades since the debut, a (purposeful) wall of feedback and Thomas' soliloquy kicked off a storming rendition of 'Psalm 9". The chugging riffs are meaty, in American buffet-sized portions (ie. huge!). A pair of Distortion Field tracks (the only ones aired, although others had been planned) were up next. "Paranoid Conspiracy" has that Trouble crunch, but also a groove similar to several like-minded acts. The animated Franklin took over, then the twin leads to "Hunters Of Doom" followed, with Thomas mimicking air guitar. They had to juggle the planned set, due to impending curfew, resulting in "Flowers", "Wickedness Of Man", When The Sky Comes Down" "One Life" and "Sucker" (all printed on the stage front list) were axed, As they discussed amongst themselves, the bandana headbanded Franklin launched into Black Sabbath's "Supernaught", accented by windmilling arm. Given they only played eight songs, would have preferred another original, however well it accompanies their sound.

Prior to the set concluding "Revelation" Kyle joked that the last time he was in Philly, he was eleven years old, "Fingering the Liberty Bell." The chunky, staccato introduction flows effortlessly into a groove that even toys with an atypical speedy passage. The night ended unceremoniously, the band off the stage and many heading for the door. Said my goodbyes to the band, Bruce & Rick certainly in better spirits than before the show.

More photos from Philadelphia can be seen here.



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