Coheed and Cambria & Thank you Scientist – Live at the Filmore, Detroit

The tour of Coheed and Cambria & Thank you Scientist can be described as the veterans mixing with the newbies. Audiences will be experiencing quite a mixture of sound between the two bands, especially when you look at Coheed and Cambria’s progressive rock approach compared to the fusion and jazz Thank you Scientist throws into their opinion of progressive rock. Tuesday, 30 September, Detroit fans can get a first-hand experience of what is going to emerge between these two in the Filmore.

The Coheed and Cambria project started in 1995, but it wasn’t till a few years later that the band changed their name to what it is today. Before the name change in 1998 the band was called Shabutie, originally formed by Claudio Sanchez and Travis Stever. Unfortunately there was some internal conflict and Stever decided to break away, leaving Sanchez as the only original member. Thanks to Sanchez’s side project, which is writing a series of comic books known as “The Amory Wars”, the band decided to focus all their albums on this story. It was also where they got the new name for the band.

What is really surprising is that their first studio album was released in 2002 called “The Second Stage Turbine Blade”. This means they spent quite a lot of time experimenting with different songs and styles before making anything permanent. They dabbled with Punk, Acoustic, Funk, Indie and Heavy Metal, and this can be heard in pretty much all their albums. Coheed and Cambria reminds me of Smashing Pumpkins when it comes to troubles within in the band, but it seems they’ve managed to gather a group that really works well together. If there is one word fans will use to describe them it’s diverse. One moment they’ll be serenading you with acoustics and harmony, and the next song will hit as hard as a Slayer song.

Thank you Scientist on the other hand is still relatively unknown. This seven piece band hails from New Jersey and their live shows have become quite a discussion point. In 2011 they released their debut album called “The Perils of Time Travel”, although it’s an EP with only five songs. It’s nice to see young bands paying their dues before hitting the big market, and what better way to help them get a foot in the door then playing with the loved and respected Coheed and Cambria.  

The only plans you should be making for 30 September is buying a ticket to go and see these two groups perform. Ticket prices start from $45 and there is no doubt in my mind that the show is going to be as intelligent as it’s going to be entertaining. Given that both bands love to experiment and focus on the more undiscovered side of lyrics, it’s not really possible to predict what is going to happen. All I do know is that it’s going to be worth every second.