On This Day in History

Written By Braddon S. Williams aka “The Concert Critic”

On this date in history, 11/17/2021, Cold played an emotionally charged show for a small audience at Hi-Fi in downtown Indianapolis. Waiting For Eternity provided able backup and delivered an enjoyable set of solid rock music that contained elements from a number of different genres.

My wife and I tried to decide what type of label would fit them and finally decided that the generic “rock” was the best we could do. I don’t mean to say that the band was generic; I quite enjoyed them. I actually think it was pretty refreshing that they weren’t trying to be some kind of trendy act.

Waiting For Eternity is flexible enough to open for a pretty wide variety of artists, and this will definitely benefit them as they build their own sound and reputation. This was my first time attending a show at Hi-Fi and I was impressed with all elements of the production: sound, lights, staging…everything was exceptional. I wish more clubs provided such a superior environment for musical artists to do their work.

Cold has been around in various configurations since their formation in 1986, having achieved their biggest success in the alternative rock boom of the 1990’s. Lead singer Scooter Ward and drummer Sam McCandless are original members, with Lindsay Manfredi on bass, Jonny Nova on guitars, and Nick Coyle on guitar and keyboards. The vibe of Hi-Fi was a perfect complement to Cold’s dark and goth influenced sound.

An early equipment issue nearly derailed the evening’s performance when Coyle’s gear decided to malfunction in the middle of the opening song. Thankfully, the issue was resolved after a quick tech break and Cold was back in business. Scooter informed us that it was Nick’s birthday, and the guitarist was visibly relieved to be audible once more. Following the unscheduled break, Cold had no further difficulties, sailing through a tight set that included Happens All The Time, No One, When Angels Fly Away, Ocean, End Of The World, A Different Kind Of Pain, and Just Got Wicked. They finished with Suffocate and then returned to encore with Remedy, Don’t Belong, Bleed, and ended the evening with an emotional take on Rain Song, which began with Ward on piano and then built to a powerful climax with the entire band. Kudos to the sound man for providing a flawless instrumental mix. Everyone sounded great, and the lights were on point, also. I thought at times that the lead vocals could have been a bit louder, but Ward’s voice is perfect for the songs he writes, and perhaps I just wanted more of that voice, because it carries so much intensity. Cold surprised me with how much feeling was ever-present in their songs. I hadn’t listened to them very much since the early days of their career and this prevalence of emotions was something I had not anticipated. Overall, both bands were musically solid, and both were enhanced tremendously by the ambience and superior technical setup of Hi-Fi, a most impressive rock club. I look forward to attending many more shows at this latest addition to my roster of cool places to check out concerts.