Red Line Chemistry Austin’s Fuel Room Review

Monday, January 31, 2011
By Aaron Keker

AUSTIN’S FUEL ROOM, Libertyville – Earlier in the evening, it was chaotic between long lines at the gas station to individual paranoia of buying water and other supplies at the grocery store.

This lunacy was in anticipation of the nasty blizzard conditions that would eventually batter Illinois the next day.

In all of this wintery chaos, people ventured out to Austin’s Fuel Room in Libertyville, Illinois to watch the headliner Nonpoint.

The evening opened with a glimpse of the rising Kansas City rockers, Red Line Chemistry (“RLC”).

At the stroke of 8:30 p.m., Brett Ditgen entered the stage with his bandmates wearing a black leather jacket and sunglasses. Brett remarked: “Make some noise!” Brett sang: “Living coma take me in” and Red Line Chemistry opened the night with “Vicious Cycles.”

RLC performed a six song set list that included their latest singles released from Dying for a Living in “Dumb Luck” and “You Don’t Get It.” Those were the same two songs that RLC performed acoustically, earlier in the day, at 95.1 WIIL Rock.

RLC opted to perform the entire evening at a higher tempo, which included “Knock Down Drag Out” and “Ultragigantor” and never performed their ballad “So Many Days.” Although I was disappointed that song wasn’t incorporated into the set list, I really enjoyed my first Red Line Chemistry experience, including the cover of Tom Petty’s “Runnin’ Down a Dream.” The audience enjoyed RLC’s performance too.

I scanned the audience during “Dumb Luck” and “Runnin’ Down a Dream” and they were either tapping their feet, shaking their head or singing along to the lyrics.

Brett Ditgen vocalized those high notes with such a passion on “Runnin’ Down a Dream” that the audience erupted into the loudest ovation of the evening.

Brett remarked when Red Line Chemistry first started touring that “[RLC] had to go back to work on Monday to their other job[s] while the other bands continued on the next tour stop.”

Those days have departed because Red Line Chemistry has worked extremely hard on their brand name, which has allowed them to tour on a more consistent basis.

Red Line Chemistry may have been foreign to some at Austin’s Fuel Room, but they secured an additional fan base with their performance. After Red Line Chemistry’s performance, their merchandise table was hopping with orders. You should give Red Line Chemistry a listen and keep an eye out for them when they visit a city near you because the best is yet to come from these Kansas City rockers. Below is Red Line Chemistry’s set list from Austin’s Fuel Room.

Red Line Chemistry’s Libertyville Set List:

1. “Vicious Cycles”
2. “Knock Down Drag Out”
3. “Dumb Luck”
4. “Runnin’ Down a Dream”
5. “You Don’t Get It”
6. “Ultragigantor”