A Farewell (for now) | The Cold Start Live Review | Backbooth Orlando | December 10 2014

by Mitch Foster • February 4, 2015

What do you do when you lose someone? Do you stop everything dead in its tracks and fall into a depression? Do you long for them perpetually? No. You fucking become grateful. Grateful that the night even happen (which it almost didn’t). Grateful that you were safe and alive and ALIVE and well at the time. You zoom-out and appreciate the end. You appreciate the people who are onstage pouring every last ounce of sweat out. You appreciate your surroundings. Backbooth was blood-red with passion. The room wasn’t simply filled with people, it was filled with admiration, love, closure, and uncertainty.

Shortly before the show, The Cold Start announced they were taking an indefinite hiatus of sorts due to the uncertain residencies of their members who were traveling back to England, potentially perpetually (maybe they’d reform there, even).

Emotions ran higher than ever that night when I found myself overcome with jealousy. These English rockers had been looking for a new drummer for some time and had spoken to me about such. However, I never pursued the option with much assertiveness. This was their first and last show with their new drummer and as a band in the United States, respectively.

Once I overcame my ill fitted feelings of jealousy, I began to realize that the new guy on the drums was doing a really fucking good job (and I was critical because I knew the songs). I found myself enjoying and absorbing the energy of the overall performance and moved onto my next emotion: How to say goodbye.

Yes, Orlando lost a great band that night but we gained cherishable memories. Ones that evoked a feeling that will never be forgotten.

The band performed a couple handfuls of songs both old and new. The new being from their upcoming album, III, which they’ve released two singles from so far. The first featured a video accompaniment capturing some of the more nostalgic feels of the bands temporary hometown, Orlando. (We wrote a review about the “Chrysalis” video here.) The second video is just as personal but seems to serve as an exhale. “Sleepwalker,” directed by their new drummer, Nick Floyd, features lead singer, Lloyd Williams, at his warmest. An elegant projection atop him sets the mood by bringing the focus to his displays of stoicism through words and song. It, in itself, is almost a farewell of sorts. Especially how throughout the video the band is filmed in a way where they all seems to be reflecting on some sort of past, or even a present coming to a meaningful close.

The Band Of Horses cover they performed seemed too ironic for me not to delve into the possibility of a hidden meaning. The lyrics “I could sleep” are repeated at least 16 times throughout the song “Is There A Ghost.” I imagine their sleepless nights, stressful ones at that, uncertainties, love, hate, sunsets, endless roads, cities, states, discovery, all of it. All of it was coming crashing down into a grande finale with a room-full of friends and lovers. It’s potentially all over now. The nights will be a bit different from here on out. You can lay your head down and not worry about this chapter anymore. You can sleep now.

They finished their set with some heartfelt words and vows not to shed tears (although some of us did). After the show I noticed my ears weren’t ringing. I’ve never been to a show at Backbooth (other than Brian Posehn) that didn’t leave my ears ringing. I’ve never been to Backbooth when the speakers weren’t at least partially peaking out. What changed? Then I realized who was behind the soundboard: My friend Peter (this isn’t an Alkaline Trio reference). Peter is, hands-down, the absolute most skilled sound engineer I’ve ever met. His meticulousness and ear for tuning a room is unmatched. Turns out The Cold Start personally asked him to come do sound for them that night. A wise fucking choice, I must add.

I waited in line to speak with the band after their performance (yes, there was a line). They were taking pictures with their fans, their friends, and their new-found Florida family. It wasn’t the smiles and it wasn’t about the still images being continuously captured, it was everything leading up to that moment. The travels, the trials, the testaments, and the overwhelming gratitude. Their efforts are nothing short of respectable and their resilience is, without a doubt, fucking admirable. We have all been touched by these men (yes, some of us physically). But now what?

Now, we’re stuck trying to find the adjectives to describe what we’ll miss, how much we appreciate them, how to repay them for the memories, and how to move on. After-all, that’s the hardest part. Isn’t it?

The Cold Start Live Review & [shitty] Photos by Mitch Foster.

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