In This Moment's setlist at the Utica show was as follows:
- Salvation / Blood
- River of Fire
- Adrenalize
- Roots
- Burn
- Lay Your Gun Down
- Monster Jam (Interlude)
- Black Wedding
- In the Air Tonight
- The Infection / Sick Like Me
- Oh Lord
- Whore
As previously mentioned, the setlist did not undergo much change between the Rochester show in July and the Utica show in October, but one noticeable difference that I do want to note is that "Roots" was not played in Rochester, and I remember that being both surprising and disappointing to me because it, at the time, was a brand new single just having been released. I love(d) the song and imagined that they would be wanting to promote it at the show. The fact that it was added to the setlist in time for the Utica show (which I believe was the only change made) is one major reason why I am glad that I had the opportunity to see them twice during this tour. "Roots" is, to be frank, a kickass song in the same vein as that of "Blood" and deserves to be played live. "Blood" was definitely a highlight of the show, as well, especially since it was one of the few songs that they played that the friend with whom I went knew. "Black Wedding" was another definite highlight of the show that I hope sticks around on setlists for a while, since (a) it is a melodically driven song full of energy and (b) it samples Billy Idol's hit song "White Wedding," which my friend almost immediately recognized. This was one rare instance, however, of the performance probably being better in Rochester than it was in Utica; in Rochester, the song was performed as a duet between Maria and Chris Motionless of Motionless in White, whereas Maria sang it solo in Utica. (The studio version on the album is a duet with Rob Halford of Judas Priest.) "Whore" was also a highlight at both shows because it was the song for which the audience seemed to be the most excited, which makes sense because it's probably their most popular song. ("Whore" is perhaps to In This Moment as "Holiday" is to Madonna, since both songs seem to frequently be played as encores.)
I don't have much to say as far as negative criticism goes regarding the Utica show. The sound quality was much better, and the venue was perfect. The venue in Rochester, the Marina Jeep Arena, was beautiful on the outside (as it sort of looked like a medieval castle, as exemplified in the photo) but run down and industrial on the inside. The Utica show was played at the Stanley Theatre, a classy theatre where plays and musicals are usually performed. The inside of the theatre is pictured below, and as you can see, it's quite beautiful and well taken care of. (This photo, unlike the one of the Marina Jeep Arena, is not mine, and credit must go to the Stanley Theatre's Facebook page.)
I definitely would have made changes to the setlist, though. The tour, for example, was titled the Half God Half Devil tour, but its namesake, a new song from Ritual, was not played. I was also deeply disappointed that "Joan of Arc" (a badass motherfucker of a song, if you will pardon my French, with a killer guitar riff), my favorite song from Ritual, was not played. In fact, while this probably is not all that unusual for In This Moment, since their setlists are usually relatively short, only half of the setlist was made up of new songs from the new album. (More artists should, in my opinion, take a pointer or two from Madonna's Confessions tour, which showcased its corresponding album, Confessions on a Dance Floor, almost in its entirety. Even most of the older songs that were played were played with a new flavor that fit the album's overall sound and direction.) At both shows, Maria, seemingly much different than she appeared at last year's show in Syracuse, seemed very earthy and in tune with the world around her. Seen near the end of the show sporting a witchy white robe (as pictured below), she preached to the audience about the importance of loving one another in trying times, and she dedicated her performance of the new piano ballad "Lay Your Gun Down" to the victims of the massacre that had occurred in Las Vegas two nights prior.
While, as previously mentioned, In This Moment did not do much in the way of changing their setlist between the Rochester show and the Utica show (save adding "Roots"), the lineup of the tour did completely change. Little Miss Nasty was thankfully nowhere to be seen in Utica, and VIMIC and Motionless in White were replaced with Avatar and Of Mice & Men. Avatar, dressed in matching black and red circusy costumes, were a lot of fun and put on a really great show. I immediately loved their songs "Paint Me Red" and "Bloody Angel." Of Mice & Men, on the other hand, was unfortunately not very exciting at all. They didn't do much in the way of interacting with the audience and, in fact, barely acknowledged our presence. They didn't have much energy and just seemed worn out and tired. I guess that in some ways, though, that only made In This Moment, who, as usual, was full of energy, that much more exciting. In This Moment's shows are always theatrical, always at the brink (pun intended) of feeling like more of a cabaret show than a rock show. This is especially the case thanks to Maria's Blood Girls, supportive dancers who surround her and move emotively and sensually to the music. It is always obvious to me that hours went into rehearsal, and that hard work and passion is always evident. I certainly would not mind, if the opportunity were arise, to see In This Moment yet again, but that probably won't happen in the immediate future. The band is soon to embark upon a second tour in promotion of Ritual, titled the Witching Hour tour. (I wonder if the title track will be played this time?) Unfortunately, however, the closest that they are playing to me is Niagra Falls, NY, which is 200 miles away from me. As previously mentioned, however, Maria seems to enjoy playing in the central/upstate New York State area, so I am sure that I will have yet another opportunity to see them again someday.
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