photo : michael maly

Silverchair @ La Zona Rosa 11.27.07

After a long, mostly patient wait by throngs of Austin fans, Silverchair made their long anticipated return, landing on the stage at La Zona Rosa November 27^th. While Silverchair was loved by many back in the day, their performance that night was a clear indicator that the boys many of us adored back then had gone and grown up on us when we weren’t looking.

The set started out strong, with the guys playing their new album’s sorta title track, Young Modern Station. Energy exuded from the stage immediately and it wasn’t hard to deduce that the guys were more than ready to once again fight for their place as a leading rock band. Having had the opportunity to see their set at Lollapalooza, I had already mentally prepared myself for an obvious absence of any beloved Frogstomp tracks. Much to my delight, and no doubt the delight of the majority of the crowd, this proved to be an exercise in futility as the first licks of Israel’s Son reverberated through the crowd, kicking off Silverchair’s third song. Hearing Daniel belt that song out impressed upon myself, and based on their reaction, the crowd as well, a true realization that Silverchair was no longer the band we remembered; they had grown into mature, extremely talented musicians, to be taken seriously and not be fawned over for being 15 year old rock star prodigies. When the band reached the bridge of Israel’s Son, the crowd, already worked into a frenzy, seemingly exploded with delight and for that brief few minutes the entire venue seemed to be celebrating at one big party, delighting in the nostalgia of the song.

The energy subsisted straight through the next few songs, largely due to the bands desire to interact with the crowd. Insomnia, one of my favorites of the new album, proved to be nothing less than a lesson in what it really might feel like to want to stay awake for days. Front man, Daniel Johns, so rambunctious up on that stage, made you, at least for a brief moment, wish you suffered from the same inability-to-sleep affliction yourself.

As Johns, clearly to the delight of many the lady in the crowd, removed the only layer of clothing separating his bare chest from the hungry eyes of the fan girls, the lights dimmed and the band broke out with their ultimate crowd pleaser, Ana’s Song. With only a spotlight illuminating Johns, the mood was set for the song, eerie yet beautiful. Johns wailed out the emotional lyrics to the song, impressing upon me the feeling of angst and despair, well documented sentiments Johns openly experienced during his past struggles with an eating disorder. The crowd sang along spiritedly, making room for plenty of “I love you Daniels!” spattered throughout the performance.

As the song closed out peacefully and as if in quiet resolution, Silverchair once again beckoned the crowd to participate and rock out by exploding into the sounds of Straight Lines. Johns allowed the crowd to carry the weight during the majority of the verses, always a crowd pleaser for those choosing to partake.

The show was nothing short of a stellar “come back” for the Silverchair boys. And while I would hate to go such another long spell without them, the show made it all worth the wait. Drummer Ben Gillies promised another round of touring in the near future, and here’s to hoping that brings them to our neck of the woods once again.

-Kristin Owen

photo : michael maly

photo : michael maly

photo : michael maly

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 6th, 2007 at 3:31 pm and is filed under live shots, touring news.