It was now or never. I had not seen a show at The Chance, despite seeing shows in all parts of New York State, and somehow never made it a point to get there for a show. With the recent sale of the building and renovations slated to begin, The Chance’s final slate of shows in September and October meant that years of putting off traveling south to Poughkeepsie for a show had finally crept up to me, so a jaunt down I-87 was in order on a Saturday night, October 7, to see what this historic Hudson Valley venue held within its walls.
With a dive bar aura, cracking ceiling paint and a general ambiance best described as faded glory, The Chance feels like a time-forgotten Cohoes Music Hall, where a dedicated effort could put a shine across the venue and bring back patrons by the hundreds. Cohoes Music Hall, on the other hand, has the support of the city of Cohoes, a variety of acts and shows, active renovation efforts (in a building that is more than 30 years older than The Chance) and history on display from lobby to pit and all points in between. But the charm of The Chance, a 110 year old building that was originally designed for vaudeville, was present and the denseness of the room was palpable, with a light crowd spreading out on the lower level throughout the night.
The Chance feels as if the history has been tucked away, with just a few stained glass windows, a painting or two, and a pair of sarcophagi flanking the stage off to the upper left and right. With the show tonight not sold out, the upstairs was not accessible, although I’m not sure what more could be seen from up above. The view from below did not leave a ton to the imagination – seating upstairs and room for folks to pack in downstairs amounts to a capacity of 900, but with only 200 or so patrons this evening, just the downstairs was rocking.
On tap for this evening were a trio of tribute bands – Halen (Van Halen, obv.), Wicked Garden (Stone Temple Pilots, immediately piquing my interest) and Faceless (Godsmack). While I’ll always seek out original music before covers, tribute acts for three hard rocking bands from the last 40 years wasn’t a hard sell.
Growing on up in the 80s with equal parts Van Halen and Van Hagar on the radio, catching Halen – hailin’ from Connecticut – would be a rare chance to hear a non-jamband cover “Running with the Devil” and “Hot for Teacher.” And that was all we would catch from Halen this evening, arriving just past 8pm as they wound down their short opening set. Doors at 7pm and music starting on time at 730pm? Never would have expected that, but I would still seek out Halen again, with hope for some deep cuts next time, as well as the hits.
Having been a Stone Temple Pilots fan since Core, I was ready for a full barrage of STP classics, and Wicked Garden did not disappoint. In a scene where cover bands are plentiful, tribute acts like Wicked Garden stand out for their attention to musical detail and the ability to dive into a catalog with more than just a cursory look at the hits. The fans want those hits no doubt, but the deeper cuts, the tracks that slipped in between the radio play singles on the album, or buried on Side B, those are the money tunes to cash in on as a tribute band.
Matty Ayerz, the frontman (Scott Weiland) of Wicked Garden, had Weiland’s vocals down, his stage presence and microphone/bullhorn volume just perfect, as well as Weiland’s late career look – button down shirt, tie, jacket, with military-style cap – but saved the crowd from going full-Weiland and taking off his shirt. This evening Ayerz was dialed in, as were his bandmates, and while the bassist and guitarist were not brothers, this tribute band was otherwise as close to what you’d hope to get from an STP show, were Weiland still alive and on good terms with the DeLeo brothers.
Highlights of the set included the expected “Wicked Garden,” a refreshing revisit to “Interstate Love Song,” a tune whose excessive radio play in 1994 none could escape from, and “Lady Picture Show” – a tune I hadn’t heard in a decade or more, which settled in a little different this evening, with the vaudeville era theater giving off a glow, as if the song harkened back to the era of silent films of a century ago.
While the setlist below gives you an idea of what the band performs on stage, the actual setlist was a little more varied, slowly working through the band’s numerous hits, and ending with “Creep,” “Sex Type Thing,” “Plush” and “Dead and Bloated.” Looks, sound, energy and presence – Wicked Garden had it all this evening, and no doubt will be in the Hudson Valley again soon.
Faceless: a tribute to Godsmack, would be the final act of the evening, drawing in many fans to the previously vacant pit, prepared to rock out to the sound and live energy that Godsmack is known for.
Veteran musicians Tony, Chad, Rich and Bret crafted a phenomenal set, taking time to pay heed to the venue, recalling the memories made in the venue, bringing up Tommy Terezis (Soundquake, Body Level, Hallow Time, Them) to say kind words for the late Frank Pallet, who booked Terezis, Faceless, and hundreds of other bands in his tenure as owner of The Chance. Kudos were paid to Frank for his years of looking out for bands and booking them, giving them a shot in this intimate room.
With more playback than Wicked Garden, the build up into each Godsmack song took some time, as the band prepped for each tune, the vocals as spot on as you’d expect – close your eyes and you’re hearing Sully Erna – notably on “Voodoo” and “I Stand Alone.”
With only 10 total events (including School of Rock and karaoke, as well as a variety of bands), Hatebreed will be the final artist to perform on The Chance stage, for now. Catch them on Sunday, October 29, with doors opening at 4pm. More info can be found here.
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