Live: Red in Indianapolis

It’s been a few years since we heard from Red, 10 Years and Otherwise but they all have new music out this year and they’ve all hit the road….together for a US Tour that, even when they all go their separate ways, will see the touring long into 2018. The collective tour recently hit Indianapolis’ Vogue Theater for a night that saw the venue almost at capacity and saw all three bands bringing out the big guns to give fans every bit of their money’s worth. Otherwise started the night off early with a nine-song set, which is a good length for an opener on a big tour. With a new album in Sleeping Lions, the band was recently just that- in hibernation while writing a new record two years in the making- but Indianapolis saw firsthand that they’ve been awoken and they have a new sense of aggression and are ready to take the rock world by the horns and turn it upside down. They played four tracks from the new record, a few from their sophomore and the rest came from their debut- True Love Never Dies, and the crowd was singing along to every single word- the years of touring and coming through Indiana- whether Piere’s in Fort Wayne or the Old National Centre in Indy- have paid off and they’ve built a nice army of Otherwise faithful- including this reviewer for the last four years. Not long after they finished up, 10 Years took the stage and reminded the Indy fans why 10 Years have been as strong of a force as they have been for so long. Three albums ago, they went independent and hit kind of a low point in their career. They were still very successful but fans weren’t flocking to the music as strongly as they used to- a lot of it because they band began experimenting with their music and brought in a lot of slower, progressive aspects and fans just weren’t feeling it. Fast forward to 2017 and the band have brought two longtime members back in and they’re right back on track with the heavy 10 Years sound everyone has come to love over the years and the band proved they still have a lot left in the tank with the Indy show. Singer Jesse Hasek spent a lot of the set either on the barricade singing up close with the crowd and if the wasn’t doing that or running around the stage he was in the crowd. The band made sure to raise the bar Otherwise set and to give Red a run for their money and that’s exactly what they did. However when Red took the stage, all bets were off. With the stage props adorning the stage, it was set for of of the most theatrical and dramatic atmospheres The Vogue has ever seen. Having just released their sixth studio album- Gone- the band is riding with a strong confidence that translates to the live stage. With the record being so new, the band played just enough new tracks to make the album known but also played a strong balance of fan favorites as well. Frontman Michael Barnes didn’t waste any time getting up close with the fans, coming right up to the barricade during the second song and spending at least a little time during almost every each song in the set. Then throw in the energy of brothers Randy and Anthony Armstrong on guitar and bass as well as Dan Johnson on drums and this was exactly the Red show fans came wanting to see. The band was loaded with aggression and fury and they made sure anyone who saw them across town back in May with Breaking Benjamin didn’t regret coming to see them again. Barnes took some time to talk about the early days of the band back in small town Pennsylvania, explaining that they really just wanted people to hear their music but never would have expected to have people around the world and country fall in love with their art as well. He also talked about going to grade school with the Armstrong brothers and how much the two really mean to him. Over a decade into their career, Red are showing no signs of slowing down and are just as powerful and passionate as ever and things are just getting started on the Gone album cycle. -Reggie Edwards