3 keyboards / 3 microphones / 2 samplers / bass / guitar / drumkit / 1 light board and a smoke machine… The Faint is the first band I’ve ever seen to have a choreographed light show during their set. It was very, very cool. The programmed light board was set up between the drum kit and the samplers (all 3 of which were controlled by the drummer) and it went along without difficulty. The dark and dancy Faint set the tone with “The Conductor” – a dark, creepy track from their latest album Danse Macabre. The current bread and butter for Saddle Creek Records, Danse Macabre has impressed critics as well as the public and won The Faint an opening slot with No Doubt on their current Rocksteady tour.
Former H-street sponsored skateboarder Todd Beachle roamed from one voice enhanced microphone to the next (depending on the desired effect for the song), while he merrily poured his hi-tech/gothic heart out to the chanting audience. He had the entire audience in his pocket from beginning to end. Banging out tunes from all three albums, the live show illustrated both the growth of the band and what they are capable of bringing to us in the future. From techno keyboard industrial pop to dark, gothic, macabre sounds: The Faint are adding fuel to the fire that is the booming Omaha music scene.
*One warning: If you’re asthmatic or have a heart condition, you may not want to see The Faint due to the use of a smoke machine and strobe effects.
Source: Bob Ladewig
