The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus 'Live' In Singapore
By Lyn
March 10, 2009
D'Marquee @Downtown East
Singapore
Hordes of youths packed themselves against the barricades in front of the stage at D'Marquee, Downtown East, ready to rock n' roll with Jacksonville-based quintet The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. Judging by the reaction that greeted the opening, Guns-N-Roses-esque chords of new single "You Better Pray" and frontman Ronnie Winters (who does indeed look like a young Axl Rose), these kids were ready for some serious rock n' roll.
Most bands would leave their frontman to deal with the crowd, hyping them up for the next song. However, the Red Jumpsuit boys took turns interacting with their adoring fans, each member engaging their audience with "thank you"s and the oft-repeated "You guys are crazy!"
Despite playing for little more than an hour, the band managed to pack it full of material, with Winters announcing, "We're gonna play more songs off our old record tonight since we're here for the very first time!," much to the delight of their long-time fans.
And what fun would a rock gig be without a good old-fashioned moshpit? Just before "In Fate's Hands," Winters encouraged the crowd to "open up the circle," and was promptly and gleefully obliged. The band obviously fed off the frenetic energy of their fans, pushing their showmanship to new heights as, true to their word, they churned out head-banging tracks off their debut album Don't You Fake It like "False Pretense", "Waiting" and "Damn Regret." But only when drummer Jon Wilkes' familiar opening to "Face Down" sounded through the speakers did the crowd erupt into a roar of approval, and the energy level on the floor rise to fever-pitch.
The night wasn't all about rock n' roll, though. There were slower moments, like "Cat and Mouse," during which the band gave their fans a temporary respite, and saw many of the couples in the audience break off for some slow dancing. Winters' acoustic intro to the emotional "Your Guardian Angel" was also met with an enthusiastic round of screams as everyone belted out the lyrics along with him.
In the closing moments of the evening, there was one last attempt at mayhem as Winters said teasingly, "Where'd the circle go?" The crowd obediently opened up once more and proceeded to cause chaos as the Red Jumpsuit boys threw themselves into their last song, "The Grim Goodbye."
True to their roots, the band tore through their final, distorted notes, complete with perfunctory guitar-smashing and drumstick-throwing, refusing to let the crowd's manic energy fade with the echoes of their song - a true rockstar finale if we ever saw one.
Setlist
You Better Pray
False Pretense
In Fate's Hands
Pull Me Back
Pen And Paper
Damn Regret
Waiting
Cat And Mouse
Face Down
Justify
Your Guardian Angel
The Grim Goodbye
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