After A 5 Year Hiatus, Finger Eleven Still Rocks

Finger Eleven
August 5, 2015
Jewel Night Club – Manchester, NH

A small crowd was in attendance last Wednesday night, August 5, for the Finger Eleven concert at Jewel Night Club in Manchester, NH. After being on hiatus for the past five years, they are back to support an album that some thought would never be finished. The album Five Crooked Lines is titled after the past five years they have been away. With this new album, they are hoping to regain the success they once had.

Canadian rockers Finger Eleven were formed in 1990 by lead singer Scott Anderson and guitarist James Black under the name Rainbow Butt Monkeys, later to be changed in 1996. The band got the first taste of success in 1996 for the single One Thing, reaching the top of the charts in both America and Canada. The song also did really well in both the UK and Australia. But, the band shined the most in 2007 with the release of their album Then vs. You vs. Me, and hit single Paralyzer, which reached #1 in both Canada and the US charts. The album was later certified Gold in the United States and Platinum in the UK.

As the curtain opened at Jewel Night Club, the guys looked in great form. Lead singer Anderson shared the stage with co-founding member lead guitarist Black, rhythm guitarist Rick Jackett, bassist Sean Anderson and Steve Molella, who joined the guys on tour.

The band appropriately started with Five Crooked Lines off their new album, followed by fan favorite The First Time from their 2000 release The Greyest of Blue Skies. It got the crowd going and helped set the tone for tonight’s performance.

As they continued their set and Black danced through their songs, it was easy to see how passionate the band was about the music. Anderson’s vocals were spot on and even though it appeared he was struggling with his throat, he didn’t miss a note and made it look effortless. Jackett was energetic from beginning to end, as some wondered if he was going to toss his bass onto the crowd at times, swinging it without the neck strap being around his head. His energy was contagious, as he jumped and spun around the small stage.

Black was nothing but electrifying. Sweat poured from his body; you would think he was making his guitar sweat and not the other way around. He started a solo where he made his guitar and voice echo through the venue, making the floor rumble. With his heart on his sleeve, he tossed his guitar pick into the crowd but quickly replaced it to start their hit single One Thing. The crowd started to sing and at the end of the song the venue erupted with yells and cheers; making the guys light up with smiles.

Their newest drummer, Steve Molella, made a great impression and seemed to be a good fit for the Canadian group. Although Anderson sounded great on the bass, he seemed a little robotic as they went through their set. Perhaps his energy was getting lost behind the very energetic Jackett and Black, who controlled the stage.

The band played a few more songs before going into the edgy and hard hitting Drag You Down, which closed their set and prepared the crowd for an encore.

Yells and screams filled the venue as the guys returned after a short break. The guys came out and played Criminal from their new album. The guys put together a memorable encore as Anderson started to sing the beginning to Genesis’ That’s All before going into their smash hit Paralyzer, which got this crowd moving. Towards the end of the song, the rockers began singing Pink Floyd’s, Another Brick On The Wall, before going back to their song and wrapping up their encore.

Finger Eleven is back and sounded better than ever! Their new material sounded great live, and from looks of the crowd, they really enjoyed it as well.

The band put on a special, intimate performance for this New Hampshire crowd. They played some of their new stuff, but also their favorites that left the crowd satisfied. Make sure you catch Scott, James and the rest of the guys from Finger Eleven. You will not be disappointed!

The band also shared the stage with openers, Blindspot from Boston, New Hampshire’s Among The Living and Gone For Days.

Memorable moments from the rest of the bill included; Blindspot’s cover of Led Zeppelin’s Rock & Roll. Singer Alexa Economou and the rest of the guys gave a great performance and was a nice way to start the night. And the new single performed by Gone For Days sounded badass!

Review by: Carlos Londono

Finger Eleven