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Alberta Cross - Petter
I’ve stayed opening to closing note at only two shows at this year’s Fuji Rock festival–the absolutely phenomenal Them Crooked Vultures on Friday night, and the golden great John Fogerty on Saturday night. This afternoon I added Alberta Cross to to what will probably be my final full set viewing of the fest.
All lot of things helped contribute to its all-kinds-of-awesome-ness. The fact that it was warm and sunny meant the big red tent was filled only with people who wanted to be there to see the band (and not packed with people just getting out of the rain). This meant room to move and get closer to the stage, an appreciative audience, and full on beer drinking confidence.
The sound was great. I guess all those long-ass sound checks they do paid off, because during the show the volume and mix was just right. With some heavy duty guitar tones coming from the stage mixed in with some keyboards and drums, nothing was out place, overpowering or weak. A nice rootsy, ballsy Marshall stack blast of amplification. Just what I needed around 2pm on Sunday afternoon.
I can’t name all of the songs they played (they didn’t play “Broken Side of Time” from their major label debut album of the same title) but they full on rocked it. The crowd grooved along to the big Neil Young-esque riffs and Petter Ericson Stakee’s soaring vocals while the band just rocked out on stage, much to the groovers’ delight. A few minor technical glitches beset them later in the set with some amps not doing what they were supposed to do, but they persevered and wrestled them back in to control.
The highlight was probably their cover of John Lennon’s “Stealing Glass” which ended up as a loud and lingering extended opus with a barrage of heavy riffs coming furiously at the end. That pretty much encapsulates their whole show, right there. Will definitely check out Alberta Cross the next time they come through Tokyo. I hope I don’t have to wait too long.
More photos here.
