Chevelle
Tuesday, July 18th, 2017
The Fillmore Miami Beach
Miami, FL
Review: Matthew Pashalian (Miami)
Photos: Scott Nathanson (Orlando)

 

It was a night of trios as Chevelle brought a total 90’s nostalgia trip without the bands actually being from the 90’s. Sort of. The band’s latest effort, The North Corridor, is a back to basics album that harkens back to their more straightforward, earlier influences; namely Helmet and Quicksand. Look no further than the bands own merch for this tour that even boasts a shirt aping Helmets Meantime album cover.
For those who lived close or took off work early to make it to the Fillmore at doors, you were treated to the first band on, the very grunge Dinosaur Pile-Up. Put early Nirvana, Weezer and Foo Fighters circa 1995 in a blender and you have the ingredients of Dinosaur Pile-Up’s muddy, sound. The band was very thankful of their audience who mainly packed the standing room section at this point and joked about having to run from the beach to play their set. Breaking strings, vocalist Matt Bigland finished the bands closer, the head bobbing “11:11” with vigor and energy to a crowd that were most likely getting their introduction to the three some from London.

Another act making their first South Florida area appearance was San Francisco’s Black Map. If you haven’t heard this band I highly suggest you check them out. Immediately. Their sophomore album, In Droves, powered by lead single, “Run Rabbit Run,” has been making waves since its March release. The band powered through a 10-song set that relied heavily on tunes from In Droves, such as set opener “Ruin,’ and the kick to the face “Octavia.” The moody “Heavy Waves,” and “No Color” were also present, as well as two tracks from the band’s debut, “Code,” and the driving set closer, I’m Just the Driver.” From front man Ben Flanagan’s smooth vocals to guitarist Mark Engles deeply effected guitar lines, Black Map stands out as an act poised for greatness as evidenced by both their album and live show.

By the time Chevelle took the stage, the Fillmore was nearly packed with more people flooding in (this is the problem with having a Tuesday night show in Miami) when they exploded with “Another Know It All,” and the massive sing-along of “The Clincher.” Unlike some larger acts, Chevelle didn’t rely too much on a set heavy of singles and actually played material off of The North Corridor, as sonic stomp of “Young Wicked,” the Spanish tinged “Rivers,” and lead single “Joyride (Omen),” were all present. The bands lighting was definitely on point this evening, adding ambience and strength to their set.

Surprisingly, “An Evening with El Diablo” made an appearance, having not been performed at a South Florida area show since 2009. Of course no Chevelle show would be complete without breakout tracks, “Vitamin R (Leading Us Along),” “Send the Pain Below,” which they closed with, and of course “The Red.” The latter of which began a 4-song encore as vocalist/guitarist Pete Loeffler emerged solo for half of the song before the band came crashing in second chorus.

Hopefully this evenings show lets Chevelle’s management, or whoever it is who has kept them from coming to the area all these years, that the band does indeed have a nice fan base here who would be happy to see them return many a time.

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