First, I'd like to extend many thanks to Nick Glover and Jeff Johnson for going to Mesa Amphitheater and taking notes for me. This is the first time they've done anything like this and they did a great job. Make that an EXCELLENT job! Especially since they never heard the AAF album and didn't have a clue what to look for. Yes, I sent them on their way with a list of things that I look for when I see a live show and come home to write about it, but it's a hard job when you don't have any experience.

Opening for "311" for a few dates, the biggest comment from my note takers and several other people at the concert, was that ALIEN ANT FARM should have been the Headliner. I sort of expected that would be the case after listening to their album about 100 times, but I was glad to find out I was right. These guys were so stoked about AAF they were running out to buy the album Monday morning. It's a good thing that after AAF finishes a few more opening dates for other bands, they will be headlining their own tour. Choosing just a black background, without even their logo on the backdrop or a bunch of equipment cluttering up the stage, AAF was out there to provide ALL the entertainment. No video screens, no distracting effects, but with what I'm told was great lighting that changed with the mood of the music, AAF were out there in all their glory. Even the photo we have on the cover, and all the photos I've seen in my extensive research on the band on the Net, is what I would call "staged." Like in the "Smooth Criminal" Video, where Dryden Mitchell wears a zipped up windbreaker and yellow lensed sunglasses, I thought that would be how the band looked on stage. 

Not so. They could have been concert-goers themselves in just T-shirts and jeans/shorts. Another bit of drama wiped out so the band showcased their performance qualities, not what they were wearing.

After the first song, the band introduced themselves to the audience (another new thing since most bands do that at the end of a show) and continued throughout their entire set to talk to, and interact with, the audience. They love their fans and they let the fans know through the whole concert. They were also promoting their current hit album, "ANThology," all night, but pretty much everybody does that now.

"Sticks And Stones" was the next song, including a lot of interaction with the audience. I love this song on the album because the imagery in the lyrics is so outstanding and it's a really good song musically as well This is a very energetic song anyway and was no exception at the concert. It's also one of the few songs that has major harmonies, so Terry Corso does his thing in front of a microphone, while Dryden Mitchell is all over the place.

Still in metal mode, a rather long intro (for AAF) led into "Stranded." The instrumentals on this song are a lot more obvious than on others. It includes short bass line solos, along with some good harmonies, so Corso gets a workout on this one. Up to this point the crowd was into the music, but pretty mellow. Things started to pick up in the crowd, AND on the stage, with the next song, "Attitude," which is Dryden Mitchell's favorite song from the album. The song features some good melodies and instrumentals, even though it's way more mellow than the previous two songs. I guess the lyrics and the energy coming from the stage was finally igniting the audience to do some dancing and moving. It has a rather Latin sound to it, so that would get people moving too.

The next song was unknown to my note takers, but they described it as having strong bass and lead guitar presence, along with moshing and a lot of energy, so based on what's already been written, I believe the song may have been "Courage," the first track on the album. That song definitely has the strong bass and lead, as well as lending itself to some intense moshing. If it's the song I think it is, I'm sure a good time was had by the band and the audience here. 

The first song ever written by the band, "Wish," was up next and again there was some serious energy, moshing and jumping going on in the crowd. This particular song is another metal laced number depending a lot on the beat and bass line which explains the moshing and jumping. It's also hard to understand the lyrics on the album, so it explains why I didn't get much of a lyric to hunt this one down with. However, I'm sure it's the right song.

Taking a short breather, Mitchell took time to "share" with the audience that he couldn't have alcohol because he was on antibiotics, so he told the alcoholics in the crowd to ". . . drink another one for me." He'd been talking to the crowd between songs almost non-stop, so by now they were all his friends and he felt he could talk about drinking and antibiotics.

And so they came to the last song of their set, the one everyone had been waiting for, "Smooth Criminal." Immediately the mosh pit got bigger and the crowd surfing started again and the audience was totally into it and singing along. According to my "eyes at the scene of the crime" (I know, really bad pun!), this version was faster, louder and had more energy than the same song on the album. It was also a greatly extended version. This is where I got my information about the fact that the little "screams" and noises you hear in the Michael Jackson version were performed by Mitchell and Corso and were NOT dubbed in from a loop somewhere off stage. The big harmonies in the song were also mega-emphasized. Since I saw AAF perform on the Tonight Show the next night, I can attest to the fact that AAF performs every little scream and noise you hear on the album and in the video. They also have energy to burn!

Mitchell closed AAF's set with a big thanks to the audience and a promo of "311," while Mike threw his drum sticks to the crowd. Nick and Jeff told me that overall it was a great show and they really enjoyed it. They also commented on the amazing bass playing performed by Corso on "Smooth Criminal," saying that he was doing some very difficult chord strumming while making it look easy. They also felt there was a good mix of songs performed. Since I DO have the album, I know that the songs on it are a great mix to start with. There's no repetition of styles, so every song sounds fresh. Now we're all just waiting for ALIEN ANT FARM to come back to the Phoenix area on their Headlining tour, and that time, I WILL be there!

Alien Ant Farm
Live at Mesa Amphitheater

By Mary Ellen Gustafson
In Collaboration With
Nick Glover & Jeff Johnson

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