REVIEW: Taproot, Eva Under Fire, Dead By Wednesday at Gramercy Theatre | 11.04.2023

Show Reviews

Nov 8

Written By

July 8, 2000. The day I went to my first (and only, unfortunately) Ozzfest. I talked about it a bit during my review of Static-X and today I’m going to talk about it again (it won’t be the last time, I’m sure).

I have a difficult relationship with time. This goes much deeper than a show review needs to go, so I’ll just sum it up by saying that time moves fast, and the only way that I can make sense of it is by constant reflection. It’s more than nostalgia, though that’s certainly a sizable chunk of it. Reflection helps me be grateful for the journey of life. Oof, let me reel this in…

Taproot was the very first band I saw at Ozzfest, so therefore they were my very first metal show. I remember it, or at least I think I do. I looked it up and old schedules have them on the second stage but I swear it was the main stage; either way, I can hear the show in my mind. And when they did a signing at the autograph booth I went and they became the very first band I ever met. I framed the promo card when I got home. I still have it tucked away in a drawer to this day.

That was 23 years ago. Now I’m a metal concert photographer and (still) a die hard metal fan. You can see why this deserves reflection. From standing on the lawn of Blockbuster Pavillion in Charlotte, NC to the photo pit at Gramercy Theatre in Manhattan. I am grateful for the journey that happened between these two points. With that, let’s dive into the present.

Taproot wrapped the latest leg of their tour in support of their new album, SC\SSRS, on Saturday night at Gramercy Theatre. The band was joined by Eva Under Fire as well as Connecticut heavy metal outfit Dead By Wednesday.

THE SHOW

Dead By Wednesday kicked off the night with a stellar and energetic set that got the mosh pit warmed up the nu-metal vibes flowing. The band’s set included tracks from their newest album, Capital Conspiracy, which was released last year.

To cap off their set, vocalist Estaban Alvarez brought out Taproot’s manager, Thom Hazaert, passing Hazaert a mic to co-handle vocal duties in celebration of Hazaert’s birthday. It was a fun way to end the set, and fans were more than excited to join in on the festivities.

Next up was Eva Under Fire who kept the momentum going with an upbeat and high energy set. Vocalist Eva Marie’s performance was as vibrant as the colors flashing in her shoes and beaming from her fingertips as she hyped the crowd with her soulful vocal delivery.

Eva Under Fire delivered an excellent rendition of Journey’s “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)”, Marie delightfully acknowledging that the band lures the crowd in with the tune so they can follow it up with some powerful originals, which they did with “Unstoppable” before concluding with “Blow.”

Taproot hit the stage to close out the evening, opening with “Smile” the first track from their 2000 debut release, Gift. It honestly gave me chills a bit to hear the song live again 23 years later. Time flies, if I haven’t driven that point home enough already.

I could tell that I wasn’t the only one reliving their past in that moment, evidenced by the passion with which the fans were singing along. Taproot continued scratching that itch with “Again and Again” followed by “Mine” from their 2000 sophomore release, Welcome.

While Taproot was plenty happy to revel in their past with the fans, they also shared their future with songs from SC\SSRS, the band’s first album in eleven years. Songs both new and old involved a lot of fan participation, with vocalist Stephen Richards passing the mic into the crowd from time to time so that he could join the mosh pit. Richards brought the show beyond the stage a few times, at one point to dive off the soundboard into the crowd, and at another point to take a piss break.

Guitarist Taylor Roberts, a newcomer to the band, noted that this was not only his first time playing New York City, but this was actually his first time visiting New York City in any capacity. The Gramercy Theatre crowd welcomed him to the city and to the band with open arms.

Ending the show in continuance with the element of fan participation, Richards invited ten fans onto the stage to trade off vocal duties for “Poem” so that he could hop back into the mosh pit before climbing back onto the stage to join the fans in delivering the final lines.

Taproot's tour picks up again in a few weeks for a few dates before wrapping with a home area show on December 9th at District 142 in Wyandotte, MI.

THE SHOOT

Tonight I had what I’ll call an “off night illusion.” There are nights where the shots are flowing; I feel able to anticipate a band member’s next moves well enough to always find myself in the right place at the right time. Then there are nights like this one where I find myself being more reactive than proactive; often in the wrong place at the “right” time.

During Taproot’s set, vocalist Stephen Richards made his way into the mosh pit and was delivering his vocals from there. Lights were shining on Richards directly as he interacted with the crowd and sang along. It was all perfect, with the exception of the fact I was at the rear of the theatre and was shooting into the light. I took some shots anyway but I knew it would be in vain, while I tried to ignore the fact that the photo pit that I had just exited would have been the perfect place to grab those shots.

Later in their set, when Richards made his way to the soundboard area to jump off into the crowd, I was determined to not mess it up. I struggled with the decision of whether to capture from above or below, and ultimately decided to do it from the crowd perspective:

It's not a mind blowing shot, but it still captures the moment. Therein lies the “illusion” part of the “off-night illusion.” For all three bands, it didn’t feel like the compositions were coming to me, the double exposures weren’t coming out right, the epic moments were missed. I kept doom scrolling through my images while I was shooting to find a few shots that alleviated the anxiety that I wasn't getting anything usable. But when I got home and went through the photos, there were still plenty of options.

Not every show has to produce a portfolio-worthy shot, and having that expectation will cause unnecessary stress. It's the chase of the "portfolio shot" that's part of the fun of being a concert photographer anyway.