I wasn’t really sure what to expect going into this show – I hadn’t really heard any of the bands, except for one song from Hawkboy via a rough cell phone video and one from Kansas City locals Maps for Travelers. But when I got there around 6:30, kids were lined up outside of El Torreon – something I haven’t seen in years at this venue.
I have to say, these kids really showed up for this concert. It became apparent by the end of the evening that they had been waiting for Emery, but I was surprised at their attentiveness of the other bands, too. Rarely do you see people arrive early and stick around for an entire show anymore. 
Because I interviewed Emery and Hawkboy before the show, I missed two of the opening bands from Kansas City (Coronado Left for Dead and A Sequence of Ghosts). However, I did catch Maps for Travelers, who have been gaining buzz in the local scene and will be playing SXSW – and they’ve only been a band for about a year. They played a solid set. I was expecting radio-friendly rock ‘n roll, but was pleasantly surprised to hear a trumpet make its way into a few of their songs.
Next was Hawkboy, which I have to admit is what brought me there in the first place, being they were two members from one of my favorite bands, As Cities Burn. (And I had read they were playing some old ACB songs on this tour.) As excited as I was, the sound quality was a little disappointing; the vocals dropped off fairly often and Cody Bonnette does not yell-sing anymore, even on the ACB songs, making it difficult to catch his words. This definitely didn’t ruin their set by any means. A lot of the crowd loudly sang along to the three songs they played from Hell or High Water (“Petty”; “Pirate Blues”; “Errand Rum”). But one of Hawkboy’s songs in particular really stood out to me, because it was totally different from the others – and totally awesome, twangy, Johnny Cash-type rock. I’m really looking forward to hearing their recorded music – and seeing them again (hopefully) at a different venue. 
To Speak of Wolves, another band on tour with Hawkboy and Emery, followed. I wasn’t expecting this kind of band to play this show – these kids were moshing and jumping on top of each other to get to the front to sing along. I was falling asleep in the back. No offense to the band, I’m just a grandma and not really into this kind of music. From the look of the floor, I was probably the only one. They did dedicate one of their songs to Flee the Seen (from Kansas City, broken up since 2009) and that got my attention, but I was ready for Emery. (It was past my bedtime.)
I’ve never heard Emery, not even in my pre-grandma days, but had an idea what they might sound like. They opened with an older song, and they immediately had the crowd hanging on their every word. Good thing, because the next song they played was from their newest CD, which is set for release on the 29th – and was nothing like their first song. I think their fans were a little shocked at first. When they told me in their interview that this was their “heaviest” record, I almost didn’t believe them. Not that this song was metal or anything, but compared to the other song, it sounded like Pantera. Ok, I’m exaggerating… a lot. There was quite a difference, though.
I didn’t stay for the entire set, but did catch a couple of other new songs and watched the crowd just sort of stand there. As dedicated as their fans are, I’m sure it was probably mostly because they didn’t know the words to sing along; once the record comes out and Emery tours again, I bet they’ll show just as much enthusiasm as they do for Emery’s older stuff.
I hate to say it, but the only band I would keep up with from this show is Hawkboy, and that’s because I know how talented they are and will forever check out anything they do. I didn’t become a fan of anyone else, not because they aren’t good at what they do – unfortunately, nothing really wowed me.
