What was once known in the music world as The Roxy in Atlanta,Georgia, throughout most of the late 90’s and up until 2008, the Buckhead Theatre is ALIVE and WELL! Hosting the One Ok Rock Ambitions World Tour, music lovers experienced the magic and energy of a sold out show on July 14th. The fans were lined up early in anticipation for this tour stop. As doors opened, excited fans briskly made their way through security and into the plush reception area. Patrons were greeted almost immediately by artists from each band. To the left they had an area set up for bands to interact with their guests and a beautifully laid out lounge area and bar serving ice cold beverages to their right.
First act of the night was the highly anticipated band, Palisades. Hailing from New Jersey, these rockers really know how to engage a crowd and get the fists pumping. Formed in 2011, the band almost immediately was signed to Rise Records, and their self titled studio album, Palisades, was released in January 2017. This is the band’s third album and has been highly anticipated with the addition of Brandon Elgar on bass and Christian Muchozuki as their DJ/Producer in addition to Louis Micelli on lead vocals, Xavier Adames (lead guitar/backing vox), Matthew Marshall (rhythm guitar), Graves (turntable/keys), and Aaron Rosa (percussion) have a chemistry on stage and off that shines throughout their live performance.
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Up next were the heavy hitting show stoppers, Set it Off. Bringing a style that was categorized by Kerrang Magazine as Pop Rock, these guys had the fans eating out of their hand the entire performance. Fists were pumping and songs were being sung back to the band word for word. Cody Carson (lead vocals), Dan Clermont (lead guitar), Zach Dewall (Rhythm guitar), and Maxx Denziger (percussion) have years of experience working crowds in to a frenzy. With two years on Vans Warped Tour and supporting such tours as Black Veil Brides and Falling in Reverse, you earn your wings FAST! The bands newest release Upside Down was released in October 2017 by Equal Vision Records, which peaked at 51 on the US Billboard 200.
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Finally, after a brief intermission for the stage hands to reset the stage, the crowd regathered and the anticipation began to mount. It was apparent that everyone was there to see the evening’s headliner, ONE OK ROCK, pronounced as One O’ Clock as a reference to when the band was able to schedule rehearsal time and the interchangeability of ‘L’ and ‘R’ in Japanese culture. The lights dimmed and the intro played while the group made their way to their marks to an incredible roar from the fans. The band has a heavy head banging style that will leave you soaked with sweat at the end of the night, but the delivery of the vocals is pristine and perfectly pitched. Each and every artist in the band is a showman and really involved the fans throughout their set. With an extensive history that spans all the way back to 2005, when Toru Yamashita (lead guitar/leader) and Ryota Kohama (bass guitar) wanted to start a rock band. They have had a few changes over the years, and the current line up seems to be the most dynamic for their style. They complete the roster with Takahiro “Taka” Moriuchi (vox) and Tomoya Kanki (percussion). The band has had extensive history touring and performing throughout Asia and Europe as well as playing on all the major US tours and festivals. The band most recently signed to Fueled By Ramen in September 2016 and has already released their newest work, Ambition which came out in January 2017. They also produced a new video for “Taking Off” which hails from that same album.
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Review and photos submitted by Eric Callaway/PlayitLoud Media
