2011 Avalanche Tour Review

Saturday, March 26, 2011
By Aaron Keker

THE RAVE/EAGLES BALLROOM, Milwaukee – Last evening, the Avalanche Tour 2011 kicked-off at the Eagles Ballroom in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

The avalanche suddenly barreled down the mountain-side with Art of Dying. It continued to gather momentum with Halestorm, Skillet, Theory of a Deadman, and finally shattered into a million snowflakes with Stone Sour.

Vocalist Jonny Hetherington possesses the vocal magnitude to rock any venue. Art of Dying entertained the audience with songs like “Straight Across My Mind,” “Get Thru This,” “Best I Can” and their first single “Die Trying.”

With a little more notoriety, AOD might actually find their name listed on a headlining poster at the Eagles Ballroom.

The rock progression continued as Halestorm performed. Lzzy Hale is as talented vocally as Lacey Mosley and Amy Lee. Halestorm performed hits like “It’s Not You,” “I Get Off” and tossed in a cover of Skid Row’s “Slave to the Grind.”

Skillet opened their evening with “Sometimes” and then scorched it with hits like “Hero,” “Believe,” “Comatose,” “Whispers in the Dark” and “Awake and Alive.”

One of the coolest things about Skillet’s set was the vertical raising platform that John Cooper’s wife Korey and other band members rode as they played their guitar or other instruments. Skillet’s performance, coupled with the vertical raising platform, was definitely one of the most memorable highlights of the evening.

If Skillet performed the ballad “Say Goodbye,” who knows how much higher their stock would’ve risen!

Theory of a Deadman entertained the audience respectably, but there was something missing. The audio needed to be tweaked to accommodate Tyler Connolly’s vocals. At certain times, if you shut your eyes and listened to the vocals, you would’ve wondered: “Who’s singing?”

Nevertheless, Theory performed some of their most popular songs like “So Happy,” “All or Nothing,” “Not Meant to Be,” “Hate My Life” and “Bad Girlfriend.”

They managed to wet the beaks of the fans at the Eagles Ballroom by performing two new songs in “Low Life” and “Bitch Came Back.” 

As the Avalanche tour continues, you can guarantee that the audio will be tweaked to accommodate Tyler’s voice. When that moment arrives, Theory will be back with a vengeance and it will be a killer concert to attend!

The preferred mixed drink of the evening was the Stone Sour. Stone Sour opened with “Mission Statement” and in hockey terms, they received the #1 star.

Corey Taylor entered the Eagles Ballroom, like a six gun shooter, with the guns a blazing! During “Mission Statement,” he tossed water into the crowd and then proceeded to toss the bottle into the audience. 

Corey even appeared to slip onstage, but he performed a Top Gun maneuver by quickly repositioning himself as if the slip never occurred.

Stone Sour included their mega-ballad “Hesitate,” while including fan favorites like “Say You’ll Haunt Me,” “Bother” and “Through Glass.”

For those of you who had reservations about the bands line-up, relax and enjoy. You will not be disappointed! Each band entertained the audience in their own little way, which made each performance fresh but addicting.