The touring machine known as Corrosion of Conformity are back in Michigan for a summer slugfest with Crowbar, Quaker City Night Hawks, and Lo-Pan in Grand Rapids.

Corrosion of Conformity have been logging a ton of miles in the last eighteen months supporting their No Crown No Cross album. Their tireless tour has crisscrossed the states, jump across the pond to Europe, and hopped back to the states for another round of fun. Faithful fans arrive at the Elevation in Grand Rapids for a pant-load of punchy grooves from the iconic C.O.C.

Dishing a savory helping of deliciously melodic and meaty music is Columbus Ohio’s Lo-Pan. This band quite simply kicks ass. You may ask “How so my good man?” The answer, gloriously infectious riffs backed with melody and neck snapping power. With minimal lighting, Lo-Pan took to the stage and put the focus on their music. This sparse illumination coming from light bars on each end of the stage creates a dramatic backdrop for a set of pulsing hard rock. Tight and punishing drums and bass induced a shake and shudder into your inner-most being. The guitars and vocals give each song depth and dimension. Be sure to check out Lo-Pan’s new masterpiece called Subtle.

Sauntering up to the bar for another whiskey with a Shiner bock chaser are the Quaker City Night Hawks. Escaping the broiling heat of Fort Worth Texas, they share their blues rooted rock with a wink and a grin. Looking over at the merch table you can see Woody and Pepper from C.O.C enjoying the Night Hawks swaggering guitars and working man’s rhythm. It could be knowing they are from Texas inspiring thoughts of a funky fried ZZ top. However, that thread doesn’t hold too strong. The blues bite in their music is dripping with strange and wonderful flavors.

Plowing into the stage like a bulldozer are the masters of sludge, Crowbar from New Orleans. The riff lord Kirk Windstein growls into the mic as Tommy Buckley (drums), Matt Brunson (guitar), and Shane Wesley (bass) compound the mighty force of the music. You can’t use the term heavy enough when talking about Crowbar. This is especially true when you hear them live. The physical force of their music is extremely evident. Let us take a moment to congratulate the sound crew at Elevation as each instrument is well defined and delivered with force. Kirk encourages the crowd with pointing finger and gleaming eyes to raise a chant of “Crowbar!” This is easily achieved as this crowd is in love with this band. Word on the street is that Crowbar is heading to the studio this winter.

The familiar gravely huff of Billy Gibbon’s singing on “La Grange” signals the approach of Corrosion of Conformity. Celebrating 25 years since the release of Deliverance, C.O.C. goes for the throat with “Seven Days”. The slow burn of this tune has us all grooving and feeling fine.
The bulk of Corrosion of Conformity’s set focuses in on the Wiseblood and Deliverance albums with balls out performances of “King of Rotten”, “Albatross”, “The Door”, and “My Grain”. Pepper and Woody put their guitars through their paces pinching harmonics, bending notes with the neck, and getting the room humming hard. Dancing along the bass fretboard is Mike Dean as he builds a rock solid foundation with powerhouse drummer John Green. Together Corrosion of Conformity delivers nearly an hour and a half of full throttle rock music.
The perfume of sweat, beer, and ozone from hot amplifiers is our fuel.  Pepper asks if we want a slow song or a fast one. The band figures we are ready to get rowdy and lights it up with “Paranoid Opioid”. The energy in the room is pegged as C.O.C. takes a quick break before coming back with an encore of “Clean My Wounds”. Once again, Corrosion of Conformity has given us one hell of a night.

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Corrosion of Conformity
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Crowbar
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Quaker City Night Hawks
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Lo-Pan
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The Intersection
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Event Date: 01-AUG-2019

About The Author

Chuck is a native Michigander. He grew up in Detroit, and later Pinckney. He now calls Ann Arbor home. Running is in Chuck’s blood. He has run several marathons and numerous other races. His favorite race is Dances with Dirt in Hell, Michigan. Chuck was first exposed to photography in 7th grade. He has been a photographer ever since, honing his skills shooting landscapes and most recently concerts. In addition to experiencing music from behind the camera, Chuck is a musician in his own right. He has been playing guitar since his teen years. He played in Detroit area metal band, Battalion, recorded two independent releases, and toured. Today when not covering concerts, you can find him online at his blog, Life In Michigan.