Last Friday at Gramercy Theater fans had the opportunity to rock out with Nashville band Red. With a mixture of elaborate lights and heavy music fans were pleased throwing up the different hand signals expressing their love for the band. It being that it was my first time hearing of this band, I was pleasantly surprised and came instantly home to download their albums.
Red is an American rock band that was formed in 2004. They are based out of Nashville, TN. he band’s lineup consists of singer Michael Barnes, guitarist Anthony Armstrong, bassist Randy Armstrong and drummer Joe Rickard. They are labeled as a christian rock band, however have key elements of alternative rock, heavy metal, and grunge that are rarely seen in this genre of music. They have released 4 studio albums End of Silence (2006), Innocence & Instinct (2009), Until We Have Faces (2011), and Release the Panic which they are currently touring. This band was absolutely fantastic. I had no idea I was going to walk in to a legitimate rock show. I found myself banging my head up and down and having so much, and I wasn’t the only one. The Gramercy Theater was packed wall to wall. When the band started performing it appeared that every member of the audience knew every single lyric that the singer spouted out. You can really judge a band by the loyalty of their fans and this one had theirs roped in with excellence. On top of the magnificent music and dedicated fans the light show around the concert was something else. At first with the blaring strobes knocking my eyeballs, I though it could have done with out and was slightly unnecessary, however, once I got adjusted, I see how the element really added to the show. It wasn’t just a cliche of red wash considering the bands name, it was a glorified light show. Something you would pay to walk around and listen to Pink Floyd in. All of it was absolutely magnificent. The singer mentioned that he was playing songs from every single one of their albums, which is a sigh of relief to long term fans because a chunk of the time, bands only play the album they’re touring. Needless to say their set was fantastic. There was high energy, great acoustics, fans were pleased, and it was aesthetically beautiful. Well done guys, I’ll definitely catch you again the next time you’re in town.