Tantric and Fosterchild recently played in the off-the-beat town of Lancaster, PA. For those unfamiliar with Lancaster it is home to outlet shopping, the Amish, and white supremacists. However, it has a fairly cool, intimate, club called the Chameleon Club.
 
I must admit I was a fan of Tantric and listened non-stop to the self-titled album. It currently gets a few rotations on my iPod. But I lost track of the band after their initial release. It wasn't until I heard the new track "Down and Out" I started to care about the band again.
 
Hugo Ferreira dealt with a lot of shit with the record company and the original band leaving, and I was excited to see what live show he had for us. I remember Tantric putting on a great live show. I was sad to see the show on Friday.
 
Whether it was due to sound issues or tour fatigue, the band didn't really look into it. Granted Erik Leonhardt and Kevin Miller both play in Fosterchild, but they didn't seem to be the problem. The show was surprisingly blasé.
 
Tantric came out and started the set by pounding through some songs off The End Begins. But it wasn't until they played Breakdown when they received the loudest ovation. The Lancaster crowd was still hoping to recapture some of the magic the band had in 2001.
 
For a band that has three albums of material, their short set was highlighted by two cover songs, Let It Be by the Beatles and Hunger Strike by Temple of the Dog (vocal assist from Danny Beissel from Fosterchild. One cover song would have been sufficient with a few songs from the albums Tantric and After We Go, but this wasn't what Hugo wanted to do.
 
It is no doubt Hugo appears to enjoy being back on the road and performing in front of his fans, but his set lacked balls and failed to kick me in the face. This is contrary to the real headliners that evening, Fosterchild.
 
Fosterchild is a kick ass rock n' roll band, that I will not let near my sister/mother/fiancé, The energy was 16 times the amount Tantric could muster on stage. Erik and Kevin played better, harder, and with more gusto with Fosterchild. It was almost as if they were a better fit for Fosterchild rather than Tantric. A sentiment I share with them.
 
Sadly, the album Independence Day fails to capture the raw intensity this band has on stage. This band needs to be seen live to be truly appreciated.
 
When Danny announced that he was going to cover Led Zeppelin I cringed. It isn't something a band should do (cover a band that iconic). However, I loved the cover. It was so bad ass, the song forced me to punch a 40 year old woman in the face at the concert. [I apologize to Joann Fabrice. It wasn't my fault. I got carried away]
 
Even the duet with Hugo and Danny on Hunger Strike showed that Danny is a better and more dynamic singer. When Hugo sang alongside Danny, his voice seemed weak and thin. Danny could belt out the Cornell parts. Bob Wettner even made a pun about Danny "Outshining" Hugo on vocals. He was right.

I am dripping with anticipation awaiting when Fosterchild will play the Philadelphia area again. It is rare that an opening band is actually better than a headliner, but that was the case here. I would have enjoyed seeing a longer set from Fosterchild and a much shorter set from Tantric.
 
Please go and see Fosterchild if you can. Not only are they great guys, but also kick ass rock n' roll musicians.

Click here for more on Fosterchild, see our interview with Danny.

Click here for more on Tantric, see our interview with Hugo.