The traveling hybrid of a circus sideshow combined with a lot of excellent rock music, known as the Carnival of Madness, made a stop in Raleigh, North Carolina - and what a stop it was! An entire day full of music and packed with thousands of people, all mixed with unpredictable Southern weather and humidity level souring, combined with the chance of thunderstorms, always makes for an interesting day…

We As Human

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We As Human have been making the most of their opening slot on this tour since day one. Its tough pulling the opening band slot because the venue is far from being packed and people are rolling in as you play. That hasn’t deterred lead singer Justin Cordle and his band from taking the stage as if playing to a sold-out crowd at Madison Square Garden. They only have a twenty minute slot, but pack more into it than most bands do in a complete set. Highlights included “Strike Back” as well as an appearance from John Cooper of Skillet on the song “Zombie.”

In This Moment

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In This Moment was up next and Maria Brink and her boys who bring the noise brought an even bigger show since their last visit to the state at the Carolina Rebellion in May. The audience was introduced to the addition of two “blood” girls, who interact with the charismatic Brink, at the beginning of the show. The band excited the crowd with “Adrenalize”, “Whore” and “Blood” all of which are from their latest album. The crowd responded with fists in the air and sang right along. The dual guitar attack of Chris Howorth and Randy Weitzel supplied plenty of face-melting riffs and air guitar moments for those in the crowd who chose to participate.

Skillet

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Skillet took the stage as dark clouds began to emerge over the amphitheatre. Lead singer John Cooper stormed the stage bouncing around like an eight year old jacked up on Mountain Dew. His wife Korey, on rhythm guitar and keyboards, is an equally dynamic force to watch as she prowls her talents on the stage. The hits were plentiful during their set and included “Monster”, “Sick of It”, “Comatose” and “Rise.” The sky grew darker and midway through their set, clouds erupted with thunder and lightning and the torrential onslaught of rain began. It was surprising that the show was not halted given the intense lightning storm that was happening during their set. But the COM wasn’t saying anything, so Skillet wasn’t going anywhere if there were still fans willing to brave the pelting downfall, so they braved Mother Nature and completely rocked out their set to the soaking wet end.

Papa Roach

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If you’ve ever been to a Papa Roach show, then you know it’s a big party with Jacoby Shaddix and the boys bringing all they have to the table. Jacoby has had more vocal issues before the tour kicked off, so many were curious to hear how he sounded. Their set opened with “Burn” and the band wasn’t going to let a little rain ruined the day. Alas, after running through such staples as “Leader of the Broken Hearts” and “Scars”, the guys were forced to cut their set short due to safety reasons, but not without playing the song that put them on the map “Last Resort.” Oh yeah, Jacoby’s vocals sounded just as strong as ever. The precautions that he is taking to ensure that they don’t flare up again are definitely helping.

The rain continued to pour down in sheets – deluging everything! An announcement came over the PA that the venue would attempt to finish out the show, but only when it was deemed safe to do so. Papa Roach had to begrudgingly call it a day and make a run for it! Fans did as well - scrambling for cover; some taking off to the parking deck across the street while others ran for the bathrooms. Yeah, there’s nothing like 50-75 people, male and female, crammed into a small bathroom waiting out a storm. People packing in together over a mutual love of music are great, but this was a bit extreme.

There were some fans that were upset at Papa Roach for cutting their set short, but the venue was the one who made that call for safety reasons, killed the electricity to the stage - and that was all for Papa Roach that day, folks. Some things in life are simply unpredictable and unstoppable – and the relentless front of storms was hell bent on sticking around.

Shinedown

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After waiting for what seemed like an eternity in bathroom hell, the music came back on the PA and the show was about to start back up! Wet fans emerged from hiding and rejoiced as they headed back out to catch the headliners!

Shinedown took the stage just a few minutes past their scheduled start time and “I’m Not Alright” began to blare from the speakers as the rain started to flood down again. The travelling circus side-show performers were onstage with the band for this performance, juggling fire and doing other assorted acts. The pyro played a huge part of this particular song and massive flames shot high in the sky.

Shinedown’s set ran like the track-listing of a greatest hits CD, although it drew heavily off of their last two releases, Amaryllis and The Sound of Madness. Although the crowd was soaked from the monsoon, songs such as “Second Chance”, “Unity”, “If You Only Knew” and “Bully” had them singing right along. Brent Smith has one of the top voices in music today and he sounded phenomenal. The creative bond that has been forged between Smith and guitarist Zach Myers is one of the strongest and best in the industry for sure, which shines through completely watching the band perform live.

When all was said and done, the Carnival of Madness stop in Raleigh, North Carolina was a hit with just about all who attended, although Mother Nature was not. Even in the rain, a great time was had by just about all in attendance on what may have been the strongest lineup of the three years that the tour has been in existence. It definitely sets the bar high when it comes to planning next year’s tour.

~ Review and live photos by Johnny Price, Senior Writer

Click the cover read the latest issue of RockRevolt Magazine, featuring Maria Brink from In This Moment

Writer Spotlight:

Johnny P’s picture should truly be in the dictionary next to “music lover” as he seriously personifies the very essence of the word. He lives, sleeps, eats & breathes music. When he’s not at shows conducting interviews, he’s writing out his experiences for all of you in his wonderful, down-home, “don’t need a damn thesaurus to read it” storytelling way. He is our Knight in Metal/Rock Armour, our tireless attendee of every show, and most importantly – a champion and friend to musicians at every level (he treats everyone like a rockstar!). If you ever get the chance to meet him, you’ll know by his big smile and humble southern boy charm that he is about as real and nice as they come.