Article and Photos by: Abigail Buckler
Las Vegas, NV — With two of the three bands on this bill the crowd is guaranteed to be treated to a theatrical night. In This Moment comes to the Brooklyn Bowl with Avatar and Of Mice and Men. This is an early show for a Saturday in Las Vegas with the doors at 4:00 but from the size of the crowd no one is phased by this. Avatar takes the stage and the night is off to a great start. This band is theatrical with their circus themed costumes, but they command the stage and the music is delivered perfectly. The crowd sings along and only too soon the set is over with Avatar promising to come back more often and play longer.
Of Mice and Men is up next. They played this spring at the Las Rageous festival so the crowd had expectations and the band shattered those. The people around me commenting how much better they were this time. They were good at the last show, but they were great here, perhaps it was the different environment but this metal band delivered from start to finish.
Now it is time for the main event. Theatrical doesn’t begin to accurately describe In This Moment. There is so much on the stage complete with smoke machines and fans you begin to wonder how the band will fit. The curtain drops and the set begins with impact. Singer Maria Brink flanked by two women prowls the stage singing and almost acting at the same time. Her emotion is felt by all and the crowd stood watching with rapt attention, not wanting to miss a moment. If someone is not familiar with these songs, they can still enjoy the show due to the imagery the band presents. There is a different theme for almost every song with countless costume changes, some featuring Brink and the band alone, others have her female sidekicks to portray the story. Some songs are heavy while others are soulful, but all have meanings and the emotion on Brink’s face shines through with each one. One of the most powerful moments occurs when Brink sits at the piano to play. Before she begins the song she comments on the most recent tragedy in Las Vegas and says we are all a family and we all love you. The night continues on with more surprises and costume changes. Each member of the band gets highlighted in a mashup of popular heavy metal songs about three quarters of the way through.
Maria Brink is a show-woman in every sense of the word. She commands the stage, interacts with the crowd and the band members; she makes the audience feel the songs with her delivery. For the final moments of the show the stage is blanketed in heavy smoke and Brink introduces arguably the most well know track, “Whore” stating this song is an empowering song. Dressed in a whore dunce cap, Brink launches into the song as a mass of red and white balloons of varying sizes are dropped on the audience. Closing the show out with force.
The crowd leaves, some carrying souvenir balloons, talking about how amazing the show was, and how Brink really delivers in both vocal and overall performance. That is true. The band played perfectly and she was the master of ceremonies. It is a good thing the show was an early night, because the crowd left looking for their next adventure.