Chevelle

(Originally Published on South Florida Insider)

Alt Metal Masters Shake up Sunny Miami Beach – Review of the Chevelle Concert at The Fillmore in Miami Beach, FL

Story and Photos by: Gleb Barabanov

Seasoned alternative veterans Chevelle brought their incredible show to Miami Beach on Tuesday night, filling The Fillmore with a throng full of die-hard fans ready to see the band tear up the stage. Supporting their latest album The North Corridor, the group has spent the last year relentlessly touring the United States and playing countless stages throughout the country. The album marks the group’s eight album and over 22 years of touring. Established in 1995 in Illinois, the Chicago locals originally consisted of three self-taught brothers that started playing as a group at age 14, and the lineup remained consistent until 2005 when bassist Joe Loeffler left the group and was replaced by his brother-in-law Dean Bernardini, who has remained the bassist ever since.

Dinosaur Pile Up started the night off, appearing on stage in front of two large white sheets lit up with different colors that covered the main group’s equipment. Consisting of singer/guitarist Matt Bigland, bassist Jim Cratchley and drummer Mike Shellis, the group recreated a classic alternative/grunge sound popularized in the early 90’s. Rocking a beat up Gibson Explorer, Hawaiian shirt and long blond locks, frontman Matt Bigland channeled the spirit of Kurt Cobain as he played songs Red and Purple, Might as Well, and Grim Valentine from their 2015 album, Eleven Eleven. Even though they looked straight out of Seattle, the band actually originated in Leeds, England in 2007, and has been touring the US since the beginning of the year.

After the first band finished their set, San Francisco based metal outfit Black Map took to the stage. Ex-Dredg guitarist Mark Engles and drummer Chris Robyn joined Singer/Bassist Ben Flannigan onstage and they launched into their first song, Ruin. The group released their latest album on March 10th of this year, and most of the songs they played were from their brand new offering. The group had a very sludge-rock-ish sound, reminding me of bands like The Melvins, Mastodon, or a heavier version of Queens of the Stone Age. The group finished their time on stage after playing songs Heavy Waves, Just The Driver, and I’m Just the Driver before departing and letting the techs begin to set up the equipment for the main event.

After an antagonizing wait while everything got ready, the chandelier lights dimmed and Chevelle finally appeared. Singer/Guitarist Pete Loeffler took to the stage and was joined by drummer Sam Loeffler and bassist Dean Bernardini as they launched into their first songs, Another Know it All and The Clincher from their album This Type of Thinking (Could Do Us In). Surrounded by fog machines pumping the stage full of smoke while two giant lighting rigs flanked the stage, throwing spinning rings of light in the smoke and giving the illusion of them spinning in mid-air. Playing a massive 15 song main set, jamming through hits from their massive eight-album repertoire, the group played songs including Vitamin R, I Get It, Joyride, and Hats Off to the Bull before departing the stage to a crowd chanting their name and imploring for more. After a couple of minutes chanting, the crew reappeared to play a immense 4 song encore, including their most famous hits The Red and Send the Pain Below to a throng of screaming fans going wild in the pit. Even though Chevelle doesn’t play Miami very often, the show turned out to be an incredible success, with a huge crowd chanting along every word to the songs. Hopefully this impressive showing will inspire the group to play in sunny Miami Beach a bit more often.