knife fight, lack of interest, paint it black, ceremony @ chain reaction 6.12.10

the last time i was at chain reaction was april 2007 to see dusty rhodes and steel train. i hate that venue, and have been boycotting it for over three years now. i gave in last night and went back. we caught the last song of knife fight which features the lead singer of nails on guitar. i probably would have liked them, but i just didn't see enough to be able to tell. lack of interest played second. they had two lead singers, and were pretty awful. if you're going to have two lead singers you better be able to work the crowd. they were boring. i watched half of their set and then went outside. paint it black played third. they were much pop-ier then i remember them being. they are awesome though - one of my favorite hardcore bands. before i saw ceremony last night, i thought dan yemin was my favorite frontman. however, i was quickly in for a wake up call. ceremony opened with their new single 'sick.' kids were stage-diving before they even started singing. i don't really know how to describe what happened last night, other then saying ceremony is the best hardcore band i've ever seen play live. ross farrar, the lead singer, is literally insane on stage. no one has a better stage presence. everyone should see this band-it should be required.