It's been a hyper-busy year so far, and I was really looking forward to the Power of Omens show in San Antonio, Texas. Then it seemed to all of a sudden be the time for them to play, and I had to scramble my schedule to be able to stay the weekend and enjoy the show. I am so glad I was able to experience the show. The last time I saw them live was at ProgPower 1.0 in Chicago.
On Friday, I was invited to the PoO practice session at Alex the drummer's house. I formally met Bob Beach of Hex (we've passed each other at the ProgPowers,) who came all the way from Chicago to see the show.
It was really fun watching PoO run through the material for Saturday's set. Chris Salinas said he wasn't going to sing in order to rest his voice, but he ended up singing about half of the set. It's amazing to notice how fast the 20-minute Test of Wills goes by, and it sounded great. Overall, a fine practice session, and a taste of the live performance for Saturday night. Then we went out to dinner for some laughs and good conversation about music.
Saturday afternoon they did a sound check, and it was cool watching them setup and tweak on getting the sound just right. Then they had to break it all down again, because there were other bands for the evening. By this time I was chomping at the bit to see the show.
Saturday evening came and I arrived about 10 PM. Although I respect the other bands, I just wasn't interested, so I stayed outside and chatted with the fans and PoO. I got some great pictures of us loonies. Bobby of Outworld fame was there, and fellow PM'ers Angela and Alex came up from Houston. There was a little bit of a snafu when PoO went to setup their gear, someone had trashed (sabotage or stupidity) their soundboard settings, and they scrambled to get the sound right in the very little time they had to get it together. They soldiered on, and everything came together.
The set was simply fantastic. Everyone sounded great, the sound was good, and the crowd, although smaller than I expected, was pumped up. I got a kick out of watching long-time fans sing along to older material, like Test of Wills. Speaking of which, that song is really nice in a live setting, and they played it superbly.
Chris Salinas sang great, he's got such a powerful and soulful delivery. He's an excellent frontman. Tate who?
Dave Gallegos is a guitar player extraordinaire. He uses very few effects, and lets his playing speak for itself ... which is masterful. His use of the seven string is akin to Petrucci, in not using it just for a low sound like so many lesser bands do. Dave also programmed the keyboard sequencers, highlighting more of his talent. BTW, PoO is still looking for a permanent keyboard player.
Chris Herring is a very tasty bass player. After countless shows to see other bands, where it's usually muddy in the mix, I finally got to HEAR some really nice bass for a change. Chris also does very good backing vocals.
Alex Arellano is ... mesmerizing. He is one of THE best drummers I have every heard. He has his own style, and sounds unlike anyone else. He has taken the drums to a different plane, and is fundamental to the sound of Power of Omens.
Here is the set list:
* With These Words (godly!)
* Toast to Mankind (smokin!)
* Alone I Stand (crowd went nuts on the first note)
* As Winter Falls (Chris S. really shines of this one)
* In The End (nice, about half of the song)
* Test of Wills (awesome!!!)
No encore but that was a very nice set to digest. Why this band isn't getting more praise or record offers is puzzling to me. They are truly unique, are virtuoso players, and write very strong material. I hope the best for them, as they deserve more attention from the industry.
After the show a bunch of us ended up eating breakfast and winding down from the high energy of the evening. It was a great weekend, and one of the best shows I've seen in a while.
Rawk!
Jeffery
On Friday, I was invited to the PoO practice session at Alex the drummer's house. I formally met Bob Beach of Hex (we've passed each other at the ProgPowers,) who came all the way from Chicago to see the show.
It was really fun watching PoO run through the material for Saturday's set. Chris Salinas said he wasn't going to sing in order to rest his voice, but he ended up singing about half of the set. It's amazing to notice how fast the 20-minute Test of Wills goes by, and it sounded great. Overall, a fine practice session, and a taste of the live performance for Saturday night. Then we went out to dinner for some laughs and good conversation about music.
Saturday afternoon they did a sound check, and it was cool watching them setup and tweak on getting the sound just right. Then they had to break it all down again, because there were other bands for the evening. By this time I was chomping at the bit to see the show.
Saturday evening came and I arrived about 10 PM. Although I respect the other bands, I just wasn't interested, so I stayed outside and chatted with the fans and PoO. I got some great pictures of us loonies. Bobby of Outworld fame was there, and fellow PM'ers Angela and Alex came up from Houston. There was a little bit of a snafu when PoO went to setup their gear, someone had trashed (sabotage or stupidity) their soundboard settings, and they scrambled to get the sound right in the very little time they had to get it together. They soldiered on, and everything came together.
The set was simply fantastic. Everyone sounded great, the sound was good, and the crowd, although smaller than I expected, was pumped up. I got a kick out of watching long-time fans sing along to older material, like Test of Wills. Speaking of which, that song is really nice in a live setting, and they played it superbly.
Chris Salinas sang great, he's got such a powerful and soulful delivery. He's an excellent frontman. Tate who?
Dave Gallegos is a guitar player extraordinaire. He uses very few effects, and lets his playing speak for itself ... which is masterful. His use of the seven string is akin to Petrucci, in not using it just for a low sound like so many lesser bands do. Dave also programmed the keyboard sequencers, highlighting more of his talent. BTW, PoO is still looking for a permanent keyboard player.
Chris Herring is a very tasty bass player. After countless shows to see other bands, where it's usually muddy in the mix, I finally got to HEAR some really nice bass for a change. Chris also does very good backing vocals.
Alex Arellano is ... mesmerizing. He is one of THE best drummers I have every heard. He has his own style, and sounds unlike anyone else. He has taken the drums to a different plane, and is fundamental to the sound of Power of Omens.
Here is the set list:
* With These Words (godly!)
* Toast to Mankind (smokin!)
* Alone I Stand (crowd went nuts on the first note)
* As Winter Falls (Chris S. really shines of this one)
* In The End (nice, about half of the song)
* Test of Wills (awesome!!!)
No encore but that was a very nice set to digest. Why this band isn't getting more praise or record offers is puzzling to me. They are truly unique, are virtuoso players, and write very strong material. I hope the best for them, as they deserve more attention from the industry.
After the show a bunch of us ended up eating breakfast and winding down from the high energy of the evening. It was a great weekend, and one of the best shows I've seen in a while.
Rawk!
Jeffery
