Greg Bowen

Staff Writer

The 2007 Taste of Chaos tour kicked off Feb. 15 in Seattle and has left a trail of destruction in its wake ever since.
The Taste of Chaos tour is a nationwide tour that is organized by the same people who bring the widely successful Warped Tour to the masses during the summer months.
The Taste of Chaos tour was designed to bring in bands outside the punk and emo genres that Warped Tour generally provides.
This year’s lineup boasts several rock and post-hardcore heavyweights.
The Used, 30 Seconds to Mars and Saosin, along with several impressive supporting bands have drawn thousands of energetic music lovers to the arenas across America.
I was lucky enough to catch up with the tour in Pensacola.
The show I witnessed did not disappoint.
Aiden opened up the show with incredible energy.
I never gave the group much attention because of the gothic appearance and what I thought to be the whiney nature of the music.
However, the group put on a show that was fast, hard and impressive.
Vocalist Will Francis swung the microphone through the air like it was a sport and kept the crowd involved in the show throughout the set.
At one point, Francis ordered the crowd to part 20 feet down the middle of the floor section.
He followed this order with another to literally attack each other at the continuation of the music.
The chaos that ensued was reminiscent of a medieval battle scene.
These types of events seemed to be stereotypical of the Taste of Chaos tour shows.
The momentum never ended.
As one band left the stage, another entered.
A revolving stage gave no need for the typical down time that came with breakdown and setup of bands’ equipment.
Chiodos came on next.
I was not familiar with this group, but the crowd seemed very excited at its arrival.
A slender young man wearing an Abercrombie Polo shirt came out on stage and proceeded to destroy the audience with a high-pitched voice and violent, screaming vocals.
The act was impressive, but the show was short.
Next came Saosin, a group known for its live performances.
Vocalist Cove Reber came out to the sound of a rolling drumbeat, and the crowd immediately began to form sporadic mosh pits.
For almost an hour, Saosin pumped out intense post-hardcore anthems.
Each song was better than the last as the momentum peaked and the crowd grew more and more hostile.
A petite girl was pulled into a mosh pit close to me, and I could tell she did not want to be there.
She fell to the ground as a large man ran into her full force.
Broken noses and ripped clothing began to emerge from the pits as the band ended its set.
Senses Fail performed with a similar scene occurring on the floor level.
The singer for the group was suffering from some sort of throat infection, so Reber filled in for the set.
A lull in the aggression gave everyone a rest as people awaited one of the biggest acts of the tour, 30 Seconds to Mars.
Actor Jared Leto, known for his roles in Fight Club and Lord of War, had formed the group in 1998 but had failed to reach stardom until the group’s second album was released in 2005.
The stage changed dramatically as red banners and Chinese symbols emerged in place of the Taste of Chaos backdrop that had been prevalent earlier.
After an extended break, the band came running on stage draped in black and carrying large red flags.
Strobe lights and pounding guitar work opened the show with Leto wearing a black cloth over his face.
Rumors had been trickling through the crowd that he had broken his nose, but the veil came down to reveal nothing wrong.
Leto kept the crowd involved and carried on a conversational style of performance.
Unfortunately, for fans of The Used, lead singer Bert McCracken had suffered a death in the family and his band did not perform.
The Taste of Chaos tour certainly deserves its name.
The raw emotion and energy the performances evoke in those who attend is unmatched in any show to which I had ever been.
If you enjoy the sit-down show that allows the audience to relax, this tour is not for you.
This is after all, the Taste of Chaos tour.