Live: Parkway Drive/Set Your Goals/The Ghost Inside/The Warriors

HOUSE OF BLUES — 3/7/11: I couldn’t remember the last time I’d gone to the HOB, and on this night, I remembered why. I hate the fact that there is nowhere to sit unless you are buying a drink at the bar, for one thing; also, the crowd doesn’t get as wild as it does at other venues.

All that didn’t matter, though, because I couldn’t miss this show: The Warriors, The Ghost Inside, Set Your Goals, and Parkway Drive. It was what seemed to be the perfect lineup.

After waiting for what felt like an eternity, the show was finally getting ready to start. The Warriors were up first; I had heard of them before this but never really listened to them. Just like my friend promised, they were pretty good. Most definitely a great way to start the night.

Opening with a sample of “Hard in da Paint” by Waka Flocka Flame, The Ghost Inside (formerly A Dying Dream) made quite an entrance. As the sample played, they suddenly started screaming — it got everyone in the mood for a good ol’ show; nothing like a hardcore version of a hip-hop song. They proceeded with “Unspoken” and “Destined,” and continued with “Chrono,” “Greater Distance,” and “Between the Lines.” They were so good they made me forget who’d played before them. They’re one of those bands that make you go home and download or buy a CD. The closed their set with “Provoke” and “Faith or Forgiveness.”

I was really looking forward to Set Your Goals, but their set was nothing like i was expecting — perhaps I was expecting too much. Regardless, they received a good welcome from the crowd as they opened with “Flight of the Navigator,” from their album Mutiny!. They continued with “Gaia Bleeds (Make Way for Man),” from This Will Be The Death Of Us. They also played “Work in Progress,” “Echos,” “To Be Continued,” and “This Very Moment,” from Mutiny!.

What really upsets me about the HOB is that people are never as riled up as they are at other Venues. If this show had been somewhere else, people would have been going crazy, and it would have made Set Your Goals’ set much more enjoyable. They also played “Summer Jam” and “The Fallen,” and the beloved song “Goonies.”

Headlining band Parkway Drive, who came all the way from Australia, gave us an outstanding show. I had listened to them before and I definitely didn’t hate them, but it never went past that point until their set at this show. I can’t begin to tell say how awesome they were. They practically blew my brains out with their intensity, and I loved every second of it.

They opened up with “Samsara” and “Unrest,” and then played “Sleepwalker” and “Home Is for the Heartless,” from their latest album Deep Blue — which I love, by the way. They just seemed to be getting better and better after every song, so much so that I wanted to run to the merch table and buy everything Parkway Drive.

From they album Killing With A Smile, they played “Mutiny” and “Romance is Dead,” and everyone in the crowd (and I mean everyone) was so into it and so riled up that it no longer felt like the typical House of Blues atmosphere. They also played “Boneyards,” “Dead Man’s Chest,” and “The Sirens’ Song,” from the album Horizons, before closing with “Carrion.”

Needless to say, the show was sure as hell amazing. The Warriors were good, and Set Your Goals wasn’t as great as I expected they would be, but Parkway Drive and The Ghost Inside made this show worthwhile. If you didn’t get a chance to go, don’t miss out on them next time. END

(Photos: Parkway Drive; Set Your Goals. All photos by Ana Pacheco.)