12 Stones Energizes Crowd with Tight Set | George’s Majestic Lounge – 9/29/09

By Jeff Sistrunk
Ozarks Unbound

12 Stones probably couldn’t have picked a worse night to schedule a show in Fayetteville. Temperatures dropped into the 40s and rising country star Eric Church drew hundreds of students to the nearby Chi Omega Greek Theatre.

But for the fifty or so fans who showed up, it was an intimate, high-intensity set.

For awhile, it appeared as if the New Orleans-based quintet might have decided to skip town. There was a 45-minute lull after the final opening act, Wake the Light, wrapped up its set of technically proficient but dull modern rock tunes. They capped their performance with an inexplicable segue into Kenny Loggins’ “Danger Zone,” which was, incidentally, the most interesting moment of the band’s whole song cycle.

12 Stones finally cued up around 11:30 p.m. with a pre-recorded cinematic introduction. Drummer Aaron Gainer led the band onstage to grateful cheers from the patient faithful. The crowd – which included representatives of Houston, Baton Rouge, and Kansas City, Mo. – was treated immediately to a powerful rendition of 12 Stones’ biggest hit, “Far Away.”

12 Stones is very similar to the current crop of rock radio favorites (Chevelle, Trapt, Breaking Benjamin, Three Days Grace…the list goes on and on), but what sets the band apart are the larger-than-life stage personas of its members, especially heavily tattooed vocalist Paul McCoy and bassist Shawn Wade.

McCoy was a force of nature the entire night, flailing around the stage, rolling his eyes back into his skull and twisting his face into sinister grins and sneers a la the Joker from The Dark Knight. Some may find his antics tiresome, but the simple fact is the guy can sing.

He proved himself equally adept at executing metallic scream-fests (“Soulfire”) and tender, introspective ballads (“The Way I Feel”). Even better, he was incredibly gracious toward his audience and kept everyone laughing while he and his band weren’t busy melting faces.

“Has anyone been in a bad relationship?” he asked before launching into “Stay.” “Well, if you’ve been in a terrible relationship, chances are you’ve dated me at some point.”

Later on, an audience member responded in kind to McCoy’s request for a round of shots to celebrate Wade’s birthday.

One of 12 Stones’ strongest selling points is the incredibly tight, fluid rhythm section of Wade, Gainer, and guitarist Justin Rimer. They were on point all night and hit a peak when they locked into an irresistible groove toward the end of “Soulfire,” laying the foundation for a burning solo by lead guitarist Eric Weaver.

By the time the band tore into taut set closer “Adrenaline,” McCoy and company had the crowd wrapped around their fingers. Their sonic attack was more than enough to erase McCoy’s earlier endorsement of the LSU Tigers from the attendees’ minds.

Set List

“Far Away”
“Open Your Eyes”
“Anthem for the Underdog”
“The Way I Feel”
“This Dark Day”
“My Life”
“Shadows”
“Stay”
“Games You Play”
“Lie to Me”
“Soulfire”
“Adrenaline”

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