Daredevil Squadron -- New York, NY -- August 16th, 2012

[Maiden33]

Randomly went to NYC last night to check out this band Daredevil Squadron, which includes a number of guys that play in Trans-Siberian Orchestra (Andrew Ross, Angus Clark). The show was at a small club on the lower east side called Arlene's Grocery, which despite being pretty small and unassuming was a fantastic little place. Nice, low-key bar upstairs and a small but solid room downstairs. Actual stage and the sound was fantastic - among the best small club shows I've seen sound-wise. The band was surprisingly good, and astoundingly tight. Great guitar duels, rock-solid bass playing and insanely impressive drumming. Their music has a bit of everything in it, it's largely Rock n' Roll based with a lot of 70s/80s influence - Thin Lizzy, early Iron Maiden, Whitesnake, with touches of some other, more Progressive influences.

Setlist:
01 Power Trip
02 Out of the Sun
03 Faith Hope Love
04 Hero Falls
05 Chronicles of Sorrow Pt. 1: An Eternity of Forgetfulness
06 Back Lounge
07 Streets of Montmartre
08 Lillian
09 Fairies Wear Boots (Black Sabbath Cover)

[ChrisLovesMetal]

I fucking love venues exactly like the one you just described. Small, unassuming, low-key, and unintimidating. I think it's great when big name bands do gigs at places like that. I'm from Staten Island, and I've been to a number of small venues within our area, such as the Hammerstein (Disturbed) and the Starland Ballroom (Five Finger Death Punch). I definitely must check out Arlene's Grocery. Sure, places like these don't sell nearly as many tickets as, say, Madison Square Garden or the PNC Bank Center, but I'd imagine that the personal, up-close experience the band gets from small venues is worth it. It's worth it to me, at least, that's for sure.

I'm assuming you're from NY, or at least somewhere within the area; have you ever been to the Hammerstein or the Starland Ballroom? They are literally the size of an elementary school auditorium, and that might even be an overstatement.