
Throughout their 25-song set at the Visulite Theater on Monday, Feb. 6, Augustana frontman Dan Layus was never without a smile on his face as he belted out lyrics that make up the band’s nine-year history. It was quite a different sight from the frontman of two years ago — an alcoholic who couldn’t seem to see the brighter side of life.
With this tour, Augustana makes it clear that those days are long gone. Despite a lineup that has been in constant turmoil and being dropped from their label, Epic, after six years, the band is back with a new set of songs reflecting their contentment with life and a mellow attitude which is reflected in every song.
The foursome took the stage without a word. Only the low whine of a lone guitar chord announced the band's presence as they launched into “Hey Now” from their 2008 album Can’t Love, Can’t Hurt.
With lyrics like “Now we’re bleeding for nothing... We’re damned at the end and we’re damned at the start,” Layus showcased his attitude as a songwrtier and his crew blossomed with a steady guitar rhythm carrying them forward. Constant smiles on their faces indicated that although the same sweet melodies drive their music, they are not the same band that wrote those words so long ago.
Tool
Bojangles Coliseum
Feb. 4, 2012

Quietly taking the stage to the steady opening rumble of "Hooker with a Penis," Keenan sang through a megaphone, offered sporadic dance moves in his black t-shirt and jeans and ended the song with a quick courtsy.

Puscifer w/ Carina Round
Ovens Auditorium
Nov. 27, 2011

Those talks set the tone for a night of music that was high on creativity —Â from a 30-minute mockumentary interlude to short skits between songs — and the band's own musical paintings that drew from its two albums for an 18-song journey.
The night started with "Green Valley" and "Tiny Monsters" before kicking into high gear with "Vagina Mine." Various videos ran in the background while a hanging LED screen showed occasional mock advertisements such as one for the Arizona Border Patrol with the slogan, "We put the 'Panic' in Hispanic."
Brandi Carlile w/ The Secret Sisters
Knight Theatre
Nov. 11, 2011

Carlile hit the stage dressed in black, a silk scarf around her neck, as she rolled through song after song during her solo performance. Her vocals held the spotlight for the duration of the night — from the opening notes of "Follow" through an a capella version of "What Can I Say" to the final encore. While she mentioned her missing bandmates — Tim and Phil Hanseroth — a few times, Carlile also noted that this solo tour has been a good idea and one she was initially hesitant to do.
Foo Fighters w/ Social Distortion and The Joy Formidable
Time Warner Cable Arena
Nov. 8, 2011
Kurt Cobain may have hated being a rock star and the fame that goes along with it, but his bandmate, Dave Grohl, absorbs every ounce of it he can. Grohl, the former Nirvana drummer, brought Foo Fighters to Charlotte on Nov. 8, and played the role of rock frontman to his best abilities for more than two-and-a-half hours.

Jayhawks
McGlohon Theater @ Spirit Square
Oct. 29, 2011
Such was the case Saturday night at a nearly sold-out McGlohon Theater at Spirit Square, where a very appreciative crowd drank in a stellar performance by the recently reunited alt-country pioneers from Minnesota. Long overdue, warmly received and definitely reaffirming in its “return to form-ness,” the quintet’s Charlotte visit was, simply, top flight.
The band blew into town in full-on reunion mode: Olson’s back after bailing in the mid-1990s due to the familiar “burned-out on the grind” factors; there’s a new CD, the excellent Mockingbird Time (a rich, complex effort that although lacking in the immediate hook/pop gratification department, yet gets better with each listen); and a long string of well-received shows in the U.S. and Europe this past year, with more to come.
And, yes, all the “not missing a step,” “it’s like they never left,” and “they sound as good as always” platitudes surely do ring true for this appearance.
Joshua James w/ HoneyHoney
The Evening Muse
Oct. 7, 2011

There's a restrained intensity when James performs while his music is hypnotic enough to draw the listener in. There wasn't much banter between songs as he was more transfixed on the task at hand — 12 heartfelt songs from his two albums — 2007's The Sun Is Always Brighter and 2009's Build Me This — as well as a couple of new tunes and covers.
Incubus
Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
Sept. 16, 2011


Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
The Fillmore Charlotte
Aug. 26, 2011

My Morning Jacket w/ Neko Case
Time Warner Cable Uptown Amphitheatre
Aug. 21, 2011
