Coheed and Cambria

Aragon Ballroom / Chicago, IL

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Photos by Laura Sedor

It’s been over 20 years and eight studio albums since Coheed and Cambria formed, so it’s no surprise that they have a devoted following. They play with the intensity of a newly formed band while they fly through a diverse set list. Opening up with a song from new album The Color Before the Sun, Coheed hit the stage with full force. The crowd repeated the song’s lyrics back to Sanchez as soon as he belted the words from “Key Entity Extraction V: Sentry the Defiant.” New songs like “Here to Mars” allowed the band to really show off their musical skills. With a fantastic light show, the energetic group played five songs from the new album as well as three from In Keeping Secret of Silent Earth: 3.

Coheed’s penchant for proggy musical excess was fully on display in support of past albums which were based on Sanchez’s comic book series The Armory Wars. For those unfamiliar with the comics, all of the books, as well as a variety of signed product, are available at the merchandise stand. Getting the audience fully immersed seems to work better live than on record.  You can get surrounded by Sanchez’s audiovisual world, so much so that you might forget where you are. While their new album is not part of The Armory Wars concept story line, Coheed makes it all work together live, including touching songs like “Atlas,” a song dedicated to Sanchez’s young son.

As Coheed came back onstage for their three-song encore, they kept the energy up to finish the concert strong with, “You Got Spirit, Kid,” “The Running Free,” and “Welcome Home.”

-Laura Sedor

Check out Laura Sedor’s exclusive interview with Travis Stever HERE

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