Concert Review: Norma Jean

by Kenneth Smith of 2K7 Photography

House of Blues was certainly the place to be on Friday night here in Dallas as it played host to an awesome tour comprised of Alexisonfire, Norma Jean, and Saosin. The scene-esque kids were out in full force and all but packed the venue for what promised to be a phenomenal show. Norma Jean took the stage around 9:00 following a great Alexisonfire set and immediately the House Of Blues erupted in screams and cheers. There wasn't much in the realm of lighting and it seemed as if the band preferred the silhouette look which, admittedly works well with their music. Performing in front of four giant bulbs that were about five feet tall, the black shapes that were the band members could be seen running around on stage with energy that seemed to have been waiting to be let loose all day.

During the performance of "Creating Something Out of Nothing, Only to" from the 2002 "Bless the Martyr and Kiss the Child" album, Vocalist Cory Brandan Putman jumped onto the barricade and held the microphone out as the crowd chanted loudly "Like Bringing a Knife to a Gun Fight!".

After thanking the crowd for their participation, the band performed "A Small Spark Vs. A Great Forest" from their 2006 album "Redeemer" It was during this song that I got a true sense of what was going on in the pit area of the audience. The house lights came on and I saw what looked to be a giant Mosh Pit that had been hidden by the darkness. Bassist Jake Schultz could also be seen rapidly throwing his bass guitar around his neck and catching it after it had made a complete spin.

Finally, the band announced that the last song of the evening would be "Memphis Will be Laid to Waste", another selection from the 2002 'Bless the Martyr" album. The crowd went wild upon this announcement and the band immediately began a fully energetic live rendition of this great song. The crowd loudly sang along as the house lights came on and Putman shined one of the floor lights onto the crowd as they all chanted " Mediocrity is the killer" over and over.

The instruments blared loudly and the crowd went crazy as Schultz climbed atop a set of speakers for the ending of the song as Putman belted out the final lyric that seemed to resonate throughout the room. "All I know now is regret, it follows like a silhouette along the cobblestone behind me, but has nothing to say except to innocently ask, a voice as delicate as glass, Do you see me when we pass? but I continue on" .

After the drawn-out ending the band exited the stage at around 9:45 as the audience screamed loudly. Norma Jean was definitely the highlight of the evening. It was apparent from the crowd reaction and participation that they have a huge fan base here in Dallas and will hopefully pay us another visit soon.

This review was submitted by a member of the Pegasus News community.