LIFE OF AGONY – 30 Sick Years of Agony – 2023 Tour with SICK OF IT ALL

March 19, 2023March 27, 2023 Allen Heimberger 0 Comments Allen Heimberger, columbus, KING OF CLUBS, Life of Agony, Rock Lines Magazine, Rocklines Magazine, Sick of it All

March 19, 2023 (Columbus, OH)

Life of Agony is on the road celebrating the 30th anniversary of their River Runs Red album. Tonight they would perform that album in its entirety in Columbus, OH at The King of Clubs.

With their NYC cohorts Sick of it All accompanying them on this stretch of dates, it was sure to be an energetic show.

As the early band Coventry Carols finished their set, you could feel the excitement rise as the crew switched over the stage for SOIA.

Sick of it All

It’s like they were shot out of a cannon as Sick of it All blasted onto the stage. They did not let up on energy the entire seventeen song set.

Uprising Nation was the opening song followed by Injustice System, and Clobberin’ Time.

Vocalist Lou Koller, guitarist Pete Koller, drummer Armand Majidi, and bassist Craig Setari kept up a blistering pace as they worked through highlights from their NYC Hardcore discography.

It’s amazing how great the songs sounded with all of the stage action – running, jumping, and never really slowing down except to address the crowd. A crowd which could not come close to matching the intensity of the stage show.

Lou even stated he was giving everyone a reason to call off of work the next day following this Sunday show. He joked about most of the crowd not wanting to mosh as they were worried about throwing a back out, or other worries aging rockers might think about. He wasn’t wrong.

Even though it wasn’t a raucous audience you might have seen in the nineties, the crowd was definitely in tune with every song, and there was plenty of energy. A pair of classics, Scratch the Surface, and Step Down wrapped up their set.

It was a great set to segue into tonights headliner.

Life of Agony

Vocalist Mina Caputo, bassist Alan Robert, guitarist Joey Z., and drummer Veronica Bellino approached the stage to an ovation of applause. This crowd knew what they were is store for, but might have underestimated how good it would be.

Caputo’s vocals are still on point showcasing all the vocal ranges tonight’s setlist would present. As they started with the first track This Time, you could immediately feel how tight the band was as they traversed the timing changes that Life of Agony is known for.

Working track-by-track the band only had a rest when playing the interludes Monday, Thursday, and Friday. Everything stayed true to 1993’s track listing.

The amazing thing tonight, is how these songs come to life bigger in the live setting. A broad soundscape featuring many different styles, all brought together and packaged up in fine LOA fashion.

Thirty years – and as good as ever.

As they finished up with the thirteen tracks of River Runs Red, they had four other songs to share before calling it a night. This featured the most modern of the songs tonight, 2019’s Scars , followed by classics Lost at 22, I Regret, and Weeds.

With tour dates still available, this should be a show to put on your list of must see.