I have to say that I was really excited to go see Adrenaline Mob on their first ever tour but what made it an even better night of music was that Chase was opening up the show.  It was the first time I got to see the band and I have to say, they certainly don’t disappoint.  Most of the set consisted of tracks off of their Imbue album.  Songs like “Beautiful” and “I Hate You” sounded just as good as the studio versions.  A couple of new tunes were featured like “Bath In The Sun” and set closer “Egg Shells”.  Both cuts fit in nicely with the material with which I was already familiar All in all, musically the band put on a great metallic prog show.  The ace in the band is also the leader Chase Carter.  He has a great voice that is more organic as opposed to a screamer like James LaBrie.  That’s not to say LaBrie’s voice is bad. It’s just that Carter has a more full voice and it fits their brand of metallic prog better.

If I had one little complaint, it would be that visually, the band was a little stiff.  I think most of that was due to the limited stage area that they were given.  Being an opening act means having to set up your equipment in front of the headliner’s and that usually means you have very little room to move.  That being said, Simon Farmery (bass) headbanged his way through the whole set and Chase Carter managed to move a bit in the limited space he had.  Fred Matthews (drums) had his kit set up pretty much to the edge of the stage so there was no real interplay between the musicians.  Again, that is minor quibble. 

Many fans before the show asked me about this band called “Chase” and what they were like.  I told them that they are the perfect opening act for any metallic prog or prog metal show.  They are local to the Chicago-land area but I think their musical reach can be much further than that.  After seeing Chase live, I think they have the ability to headline any show.  Given enough stage space, I’m sure the band can be as exciting visually as they are musically.

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