Radio friendly rockers THEORY of a DEADMAN have gotten familiar with Las Vegas after playing two of the last three years down on Fremont Street during the summer. They finally made an indoor stop to the area when they played at the House of Blues inside the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino on February 18th, with guests Spirit Animal.
The Canadian chart toppers were in support of their latest release tiled Wake Up Call, a release that features the mega-hit “Rx(Medicate)”, that is all over the radio these days, and which the band waited until the first encore to release on the crowd. This song tackles the tough subject of prescription drug abuse and it was great to hear vocalist Tyler Connolly explain to the crowd before the song, that they were selling pins out front to raise money in order to fight the plague that has not only affected the rock community, but the entire world.
It was great to see T.O.A.D. indoors this time as we got to experience not only the light show the band brings, but also the video screens playing as a backdrop to the songs. Speaking of those songs, I called them radio-friendly rockers earlier for a reason. Anyone who listens to rock radio in the area can’t help but be familiar with Theory of a Deadman as so many of their hits have turned into radio staples, which has to be a testament to the incredible song writing abilities of Tyler Connolly.
As one of my favorite acts in what I call the “new rock scene”, I always like to say that there are two sides to Theory of a Deadman. You get a few songs such as “Lowlife,” “I Hate my Life” and Bitch Came Back” that have a tongue in cheek almost humorous lyrical style, missed in with songs like “Meant to Be,” “All or Nothing” and “Angel” that have a straight up serious or ballad side. I for one think the mix works great, and I have radio on my side telling me I am right.
Overall, the band stuck to what has worked for them since their formation back in 2001, and that is sticking to the hits. Maybe this is due to the fact that there are just so many hits to choose from. The band stuck to this format and played only two songs off the latest release, the earlier mentioned “Medicate”, and also “Echoes”, but I did find these two to be two of the highlights in the show. One of the best things about any Theory of a Deadman shows is that it is virtually impossible not to be familiar with the songs you hear, and this makes for a fun, enjoyable show.
Theory Of A Deadman photos: Harold Mountain / JustAFanPhotos
Spirit Animal photos: Harold Mountain / JustAFanPhotos