05/18/23
Herman’s Hideaway, Denver, CO
Full Gallery HERE
“I’m going to see Cold”
“Who?” is the response that I get about 95% of the time. Occasionally I’ll come across someone who knows of “Stupid Girl”, but every now and then…
Music has the ability to bring together people in a way that is more than just fans, but family. Members of the Cold Army belong to the latter in that, as the love and respect for the band, each other, the lyrics and the music, it all fits. We all know the lyrics, we all sing along, and it becomes all the more important for the band as they are on stage for us to pick up the song and help them along during the hardest of songs. The Cold Army is a family I have thankfully been a part of for the better part of the last nearly quarter of a century. Being around others that have the same love and passion for the band and their music allows me to feel comfortable in a strange and new place.
Normally, we do not cover music and artists from outside the Kansas area (and the Kansas City area), but having the opportunity to attend and cover a show featuring Cold is a genuine dream come true. I saw them for the first time on my birthday a couple years ago in Lincoln, NE, and again at the end of April in Phoenix, AZ. Now, my third show seeing them in Denver, CO was where I could mark off the top band from my bucket list.
The night opened with Englewood, CO band Sin on Six. The local hard rock band had a good following joining them for the show as they took the stage. Incorporating a couple covers along with a number of original songs, a number of which can be found on streaming platforms. Their drive and energy was certainly a great way to start the evening off.
Following them was hard rock from Maine in Sygnal to Noise (Spotify). This foursome came with melodic hard rock that shook the house, along with a couple covers of some classic hits, to finish their set, “Rebel Yell” to “Breed”. They move from soft melodies to harder edged sounds smoothly and kept the energy moving through their set. Their latest album “Human Condition” is available wherever you stream music.
Unfortunately Awake For Days (Spotify) from Italy, who had been playing for the majority of the tour, had transportation issues before this show and were unable to perform. I had the opportunity to meet and talk with them in Phoenix and encourage everyone to take some time to dig into their music and check them out.
Following Sygnal to Noise was the Minneapolis, MN group Divide the Fall (Spotify). There’s something building with this young collective of artists that will eventually break through to the mainstream. They kept the energy going from Sygnal to Noise’s set, playing a number of songs off their 2020 EP “Dead Memories” including “Fake Love” which brought with them audience interaction, harmonizing the lyrics “Fake Love” and “Dreaming Of” through the song. Keep your eyes peeled on them as there’s something promising about this group from the Twin Cities.
Finally, Cold (Spotify) took the stage. The darkly lit venue did not lighten up much more for the set, as an attendee pointed out to frontman Scooter Ward that she could hardly see them. “Welcome to a Cold show.” he would respond to her, bringing slight chuckles and cheers from the crowd. Having a dimly lit show for a photographer is, to say the least, difficult. But as a fan, not having an extravagant light show allows everyone to focus on the most important thing. The music.
This tour celebrated the 20th anniversary of their third full length album, Year Of The Spider release, with the album played in its entirety. While the lineup over the years has changed, the band remains solid and just as ever with Lindsay Manfedi on bass, Tony Kruszka on drums, Ed Cuozzo running lead guitar, and Angelo Maruzzelli on rhythem guitar.
“Remedy” and “Suffocate” opened up the set, the Cold Army in attendance accompanying Scooter throughout, following up with the first single from the album “Stupid Girl”, followed by “Don’t Belong” and “Whatever You Became”.
It was at this point where Scooter slowed the show down a little, introducing the next song, “Sad Happy” with the background of the song itself. (Personal Note: When I was in Phoenix for their show there, the audience in attendance was at attention, quiet and respectful of what Scooter was saying. In Denver, there were people in the back of the house that were far too focused on their own conversations that it greatly distracted not only the others there for the show, but the band themselves. Disappointing as a fan and disrespectful of the music, the stories and Scooter who was telling emotional background information on the next songs.)
A lot of the appeal of Cold, for me at least, has been the focus on stories and emotional connections with their songs. Year of the Spider was written based on stories from fans that they interacted with through the years leading up to the production of the album. Through the set, stories were told about some of the songs, about Scooter’s own personal experiences, and the Cold Army was there for all of it.
“Rain Song”, and “The Day Seattle Died” followed, the latter being accompanied with a story about Layne Staley attending a Cold performance in a fisherman’s outfit. “Cure My Tragedy” followed next, along with the story behind it, Scooter’s sister’s battle with cancer. “Black Sunday”, “Change the World”, and “Kill the Music Industry” rounded up the first part of the show with an emotional fever. And after a slight breather, the band returned to the stage for an encore with one of my personal favorites “Gone Away”.
They then played music from their previous album “13 Ways to Bleed Onstage” with “Just Got Wicked” and “No One”, and then two more from “A Different Kind of Pain”, the aforementioned title track, and “Happens All The Time”
They closed the show with an unplayed track from YOTS, “Wasted Years”. 20 years ago, I recall playing this track on repeat over and over in my college apartment, and hearing it again always brings with it an emotional response. Scooter entered into the crowd to sing along with everyone in attendance and finish an incredible and unforgettable evening.
