RED Bring the Streets to the Stage While Rocking Los Angeles

The city streets are definitely rocking, especially when RED brings their live set indoors. The veteran rockers took over the Roxy in Los Angeles Wednesday night (June 19), bringing a full stage production to the intimate venue, complete with graffiti'd walls, flickering street lights, street signs and strategically placed risers to give each member a chance to be seen above the masses of the packed club. But that's not all they brought. The band fully backed up the production with an engaging and energetic live set.

It didn't take long for the band to establish the energy as frontman Michael Barnes and guitarist and bassist siblings Anthony and Randy Armstrong played to the crowd and by the time they hit their second song, 'Damage,' the fists were pumping. Tracks like 'Faceless' and 'Mystery of You' built the momentum before the crowd absolutely erupted with 'Let Go.' The group, clearly vibing off the energy, were just as motivated with drummer Joe Rickard hitting so hard he was coming out of his seat. Rickard later got a chance to show his skills with a drum solo that not only showed the pure power he could generate, but also his dexterity and rhythm.

It should be noted that RED are touring in support of the 'Release the Panic' album, and it's a great sign for the band that songs like the single 'Perfect Life' and 'Hold Me Now' held up with the rest of the set, while the hard-charging 'Die for You' had the crowd shouting the "oh's" on command. Songs like the acoustic 'Not Alone' and hard rocking 'Already Over' brought the latter portion of the show to new heights before calling it a night.

For those turning up early, RED has a solid support lineup of up-and-coming acts. Vattica are one of those bands who really get that rock is supposed to be fun, and they whipped the crowd into a frenzy prior to RED with tracks like 'Love Crazy' and 'Run, Baby.' The heavy, sludgy and aggressive Killset preceded Vattica and State Line Empire rocked the Roxy for those turning up early. To see the remaining dates on RED's tour, click here.