Celebrating the one year anniversary of the Jewel Nightclub, New England Concert’s Bernie Goulet would bring in Michigan natives, Pop Evil, for night one. Solidifying its place as the premier rock club in southern New Hampshire, this tops off the year that has seen Buckcherry, Puddle of Mudd, John 5, Tom Keifer, and the late Scott Weiland play to sold-out crowds. Heading into year two, the Jewel shows no signs of taking its foot off the gas with Orgy set to take the stage on January 10th, and Hinder not long after. Support rock music by heading over to the Jewel’s website and getting to a show there; you will not be disappointed. http://www.jewelnh.com/.
Now. I wasn’t too familiar with Pop Evil. I mean, yeah their name has been out there for a while, I’ve seen them on many festival fliers, and I believe I’ve seen them open up for another band a few years back, but I honestly never paid much attention. Boy, was that my mistake!
Earlier in the evening, I had the opportunity to sit down with lead singer, Leigh Kakaty. This would be the beginning of my transformation to becoming a fan. We discussed the history of the band, working with producer Adam Kasper, Pop Evil’s music on ESPN, his Michigan roots, and politics (even though I didn’t get very far on that one). From our half an hour conversation, I could easily see Leigh’s passion for rock music and for those that supported it. I never felt rushed or like I was intruding; he was truly welcoming, and by the time I walked off the bus, I knew this wasn’t just a job for him. This is his life, and he loves it. When I can see that the band is passionate about music, that gets me excited.
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Coming to life in 2001, Pop Evil has released four studio albums, with their 3rd effort, Onyx, being the real breakthrough, yielding three #1 Rock Radio Singles and selling a couple hundred thousand units domestically. This is something that doesn’t come easily in today’s environment. Now with the release of their latest album, Up, in August of 2015, Nick Fuelling – lead guitar, Davey Grahs – rhythm guitar/backing vocals, Matt DiRito – bass/backing vocals, Chachi Riot – drums, and Kakaty – lead vocals, are positioned to continue the climb to the top. And if you think you haven’t heard Pop Evil before, think again. If you’re a sports fan and happen to turn on the television on occasion chances are you’ve heard one of their latest singles, “Footsteps”, as it’s become the anthem for most sports teams as well as a recent Dodge commercial.
Around 10 pm, Pop Evil took the stage in what would be the final piece of solidifying a new fan: me. Throughout the day as I prepared for the show, listening to their music, talking with Leigh, and interacting with the sold-out crowd, my curiosity grew. Once they hit the stage, the final brick had been laid – I had now become a fan. This evening would give me a look at what their career has been about: hard work, perseverance, and building a fan base one fan at a time. The passion they brought to the stage was second to none. Creating an energy at the Jewel I had not seen up until this point, and with a setlist built off of their four album catalog, they would give us all of their hits and more. Their performance was highlighted with my favorite, “In Disarray”, from their latest record Up. They got the crowd rocking from the very beginning of their 17 song, hour and a half set with their first number-one single, “Trenches”, and closed it out with their latest anthem, “Footsteps”. It seems as though things are going according to plan for Pop Evil, as Leigh mentioned during our conversation earlier that if they can just get in front of one new person at each show and turn them into a fan and listener, then it’s worth it. And, as I said, on this night they did just that with me. Be sure to do as this new Pop Evil fan has done, get over to their website and check out their catalog including their latest, Up. Do yourself a huge favor and click on the tour tab to see if they are passing by you anytime soon, and if they are, do not miss them! http://popevil.com/
Setlist:
- Deal with the Devil
- Last Man Standing
- Sick Sense
- Goodbye My Friend
- Dead In The Water
- Torn To Pieces
- Ways to Get High
- Take It All
- I Won’t Back Down (Tom Petty cover)
- Bosses Daughter
- Ghost of Muskegon
- Monster You Made
- Hero
- In Disarray
- 100 in a 55
- Trenches
- Footsteps
