The Christmas spirit was in full swing at The Rave last Friday for the 10th Big Snow Show. Lights and garlands were spread throughout for the joyous occasion. As people poured into the Ballroom for the first act, the Tennessee native Meg Myers started the set from her debut album “Sorry.” Her powerful voice made it seem like the speakers had a higher capacity than 10. The delivery of her lyrics created an atmosphere of lust and raw emotion. This was most apparent during her song “Desire,” which seemed to flip a switch in the artist making her more animated. The performance reached its crescendo with her finale song “Heart Heart Head” as she delivered the final lyrics with a scream that would put any heavy-metal band to shame. After her final song she left the audience stunned by the emotion behind her voice.
Cold War Kids came on stage next outlined only by red backlight obscuring their faces for the entirety of the set. Throughout their time on stage the band never seemed to settle down, moving about and between songs they dragged cables and instruments every which way. This only added to the crowd’s energy as they played hit after hit, from opening with “Hang Me Up to Dry” to “First,” and “Miracle Mile” to “We Used to Vacation.” Cold War Kids did not hesitate to experiment and change how their songs sounded on record, making for different renditions of their songs. This lead to the crowd messing up a line or two when singing along. Cold War Kids tempo switch hyped the crowd up for the last band of the night.
Of Monsters and Men (OMAM) came out to a darkened stage as they opened up with their heavily instrumental song “Thousand Eyes” from their second album “Beneath the Skin.” OMAM came out with a nine person band, the drummer resembling Thor himself, all wielding various percussion, brass and string instruments and dressed in black. There was little talking from the Icelanders during their set, as they delivered a performance with a presence reminiscent to the Big Band era. OMAM’s set consisted mainly of their second album, with sprinklings of songs from their debut album, “My Head is an Animal.” As they switched between albums, the lighting changed to reflect the mood of each album. A warmer lighting to depict the debut album contrasted with darker colors for the second album. This darkness along with the band’s attire established a more appropriate mood for these songs, whose lyrics centered on fear of rejection. The crowd poured into the Eagles ballroom for this sold out show and inner turmoil. OMAM’s last song was “Six Weeks,” which they delivered in blockbuster fashion, leaving the crowd in such an awe there wasn’t even a call for an encore. OMAM delivered a show that got the crowd singing at the top of their lungs while causing a swell of emotion in the crowd for an overall experience of wonder and excitement.
