Stabbing Westward is an up and coming rock/metal/industrial-type band that came to Philly and kicked some butt! Those who are unfimiliar with Stabbing Westward may be more fimiliar with their breakthrough single "What Do I Have To Do?", their mega-smash single "Shame", and/or their new powerhouse hit "Save Yourself". Their sound is a more rock version of Nine Inch Nails with better vocals. Stabbing has gotten a lot of rock radio station support over the last couple years which has helped them become a headliner that now plays to a couple thousand people a night.

While they don't play in big arenas, they do try to put on a little bit of a stage show by providing some unique lighting and stage attire. I must admit when I saw them about a year and a half ago, their stage setup was a little better.

With three albums under their belt, they performed songs from all of them but seemed to focus mainly on their latest CD, Darkest Days. Christopher Hall, lead singer of Stabbing Westward, was on all night. He has a great, clear voice with a lot of range. He also can scream with the best of them too! He provides the songs with great emotions with his dynamic range. He gives the tunes an eerie, depressed feel when the songs are slower/softer paced and gives them an angry punch when they kick in and rock. He is a vital part of the band since I feel that their lyrics are as or more important than the music itself. They are the only band in which I have this feeling about.

They were playing with a replacement drummer this night, and most of the tour, due to an injury suffered by the drummer while rollerblading. Duh! Anyhow, you wouldn't have been able to tell the difference if you weren't fimiliar with the group. The replacement did a nice job. The other member worth noting was the guitarist who came out in drag. He sported a long, tight, black dress reading "Psycho B*tch". He also had a pink, feathered boa wrapped around his shoulders and a poofy, blonde wig.

The setlist was very good. Highlights were "Falls Apart", "So Wrong", "The Thing I Hate", and "Save Yourself". You could tell that a lot of the people in attendance were unfimiliar with anything off their first record. All and all, the show was solid although I enjoyed it a little better the first time I saw them. Maybe it was due to the change in venue, but none-the-less, a fine show by the band.