SHOW REVIEW: Coheed & Cambria @ Ace of Spades in Sacramento, CA 9/16/16. By Ben Mitchell

This week I had the special opportunity to see rockers Coheed & Cambria at the Ace of Spades in Sacramento, CA. This was my third time seeing the band live; once at a large indoor venue, and once acoustically in an outdoor amphitheater. Knowing that the band regularly play at larger venues, I was shocked to hear they were playing at the considerably smaller Ace of Spades. Needless to say, tickets SOLD OUT not long after they went on sale.

Simply labeled as their “North American 2016 Tour”, this was just the third stop on the 23-date saga. Polyphia and Saves The Day played solid sets and did their jobs getting the crowd hyped up for the main event. From the beginning of the night, constant shouts of “COHEED! COHEED!” rang through the building and only grew louder after each band finished their respective set. As the lights went dark, I was thoroughly ready to have my mind blown with electric guitars and Claudio Sanchez’s signature hair flying everywhere.

The lights come on and Claudio surprisingly comes out, hair tied back, with an acoustic guitar and starts out singing their song, “Ghost”. The crowd goes silent. As the soft chorus begins, the fans quietly sing along and finish the song out together. He then exits the stage only to exchange his acoustic guitar for an electric and is joined by the rest of his bandmates into an exciting rendition of “In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3”. Immediately the night became a giant sing-along, as it felt like everyone in the room knew the lyrics to every song that followed. By the 4th song, Claudio let his hair loose and held nothing back during the band’s amazing set.

All-in-all, this was an amazing opportunity for die-hard Coheed fans to see the band in an intimate setting and to sing their hearts out. Be sure to catch the band on the rest of their North American Tour and to check out their new release: The Color Before the Sun: Deconstructed!

As described on their Facebook Page,

09/21 – Boulder, CO – Boulder Theater

09/23 – Lincoln, NE – Bourbon Theatre

09/24 – Oklahoma City, OK – Diamond Ballroom

09/25 – Memphis, TN – Minglewood Hall

09/27 – Austin, TX – Stubb’s Waller Creek

09/28 – New Orleans, LA – The Civic Theatre

09/30 – Gainesville, FL – The Forum

10/01 – North Myrtle Beach, SC – HOB

10/02 – Asheville, NC – The Orange Peel

10/04 – Knoxville, TN – The Mill & Mine

10/05 – Athens, GA – Georgia Theater

10/07 – Louisville, KY – Mercury Ballroom

10/08 – Grand Rapids, MI – Orbit Room

10/09 – Cleveland, OH – Agora Theater

10/11 – Toronto, ONT – Sound Academy

10/12 – Montreal, QC – Corona Theatre

10/14 – Port Chester, NY – Capitol Theatre

10/15 – Sayreville, NJ – Starland Ballroom

~ Review and Concert Photography by Ben Mitchell