by Adam Duncan
guest writer
The darkness of the stage radiated throughout the entire building. The crowd filled the room almost ear to ear. The lights slowly came on to illuminate the stage and introduction music filled the air. All of a sudden, a man ran out and the lights sharply light up the room. This scene took place at the Everlast concert and occurred at the Theater of the Living Arts (TLA) on South Street last Thursday night. Normally, I am not a big Everlast fan but live music always seems to be very thrilling. The TLA is a very small building compared to the First Union Center or Veterans stadium but the building was still packed with just as much excitement. Corey Johnson and I attended the Everlast concert by winning tickets off of 89.1 WYBF. The opening band called Dexter Freebish prepared the audience by performing their new album entitled Life of Saturdays. Corey and I never heard of this band but when we left the TLA we thought that they would be the next popular band. They have a sound very similar to Tonic or Vertical Horizon but they add their own style to their music. “Everlast was good, but Dexter Freebish was incredible,” Johnson said. As soon as we returned home, I began downloading their music from Napster in order to hear more of their songs. From this, I went out and purchased their CD at The Wall.
After Dexter Freebish rocked the TLA, it became Everlast’s turn. Accompanied by a DJ and his band, The Whitefolx (not a typo) Everlast played all of this radio hits and more. I was exposed to a type of music I usually would not have listened to, but I found myself liking Everlast’s rock/rap/jazz style more and more as he played songs that I have never listened to before the concert. The crowd screamed Jump Around, (referring to Everlast’s days in the rap group House of Pain) and with a simple shrug, Everlast said “Anything else but that.”
Overall, the entire concert rocked. Everlast has a sound that truly should be experienced live. He was very entertaining and knew how to handle the crowd. Dexter Freebish, however, stole the show. I expect that they will shortly be the next Tonic or Vertical Horizon so be prepared to hear them widespread on the radio in the future.
