Vended at Cosmic Eye Brewing in Lincoln, Nebraska on November 18th, 2023.
Photos by The Pit Magazine photographer, Bob DeHart Photography
To say that I was slightly unprepared for the Vended show would be an understatement. Did I know who they are, and more importantly, whose footsteps they are following, being that two of the members are
offspring of the one and only Slipknot. Lead singer Griffin Taylor is the son of Slipknot vocalist Corey Taylor and drummer Simon Crahan is the son of Slipknot percussionist Shawn Crahan. My unpreparedness was more to do with the lighting of the show (as a photographer, it’s always what I’m looking at for shows) and the lack of what I would call an appropriate lens for the type of lighting, or should I say the lack of lighting for such a show.
The venue itself is pretty amazing. Cosmic Eye Brewery is a cool place. It is a former laser tag arena that is perfect for holding a show of this size. It was my first experience there, and I hope I get to cover more shows there in the future.
I hate to even mention Slipknot in the review. But it is the proverbial elephant in the room. How can you mention Vended without mentioning Slipknot. It’s like mentioning Wolfgang Van Halen without talking
about his dad. Darn near impossible. That being said…I won’t make comparisons about the show itself between the two bands. Vended has a strong following and they showed up in force this night. They were amped and ready to mosh from the word go. When they took the stage the energy in the building went to 10 immediately. The crowd singing word for word each song lets you know they are truly fans of the band.
For me, it was the emotion with which Griffin performed with. He literally gave it all he had song after song. Each song for him was an emotional journey of anger and triumph. I had not been to show of this kind for awhile. But to be honest, it was very refreshing. These guys are young and hungry, the type of hunger that will push them to the next level. This is the time to see a band like this. Years from now, when they are bigger and more successful, I’ll reflect back on this and say “I saw them when…” Formed in 2018 and yet to have a full album release, I think the sky is the limit for these guys. I anxious to hear a full album and see where it takes them.
Photos by The Pit Magazine photographer, Bob DeHart Photography in York, Nebraska. ©2023.
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