PAM WHISENHUNT | Go Venue Magazine
On November 23, 2024, The Astro hosted Theory of a Deadman, Escape the Fate and Cory Marks for an evening of unplugged music.
Country-rock singer-songwriter, Cory Marks, started things off solo, just him and his guitar showing off his impressive vocals. Marks mentioned he’s worked with some heavy hitters in the hard rock business, Mick Mars, Ivan Moody and DL of Bad Wolves. He collaborated with Sully Erna of Godsmack on his most recent song “Make My Country Rock”. Marks’ gritty southern rock sound fit well with this Theory of a Deadman tour.
Escape the Fate took the stage next. It was a different experience seeing the band chilling on stage, hair pulled back or under ball caps and sitting in chairs. Craig Mabbitt (lead vocals) joked, it was their opportunity to sit through a whole set like Robert (Ortiz-drums) normally does. Escape the Fate’s normal “plugged in” shows always brings high energy, it made me smile to so see them relaxed, grinning and joking around. Escape the Fate had a full 10 song set and did a great job stripping each one down. Some were hard to recognize at first, I had to really listen to the words and feel the music to place them.
Theory of a Deadman entered the stage, walking down a flight of stairs to Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” playing in the background. The stage set up looked like grandma’s basement back in the early 1980s. It looked so authentic, I think I could smell it. Tyler Connolly (lead vocals) said all the props came from their own houses. The TV was bassist, Dean Back’s childhood TV that his dad built. There were some old chairs, knit blankets, old lamps and shag carpet.
Typically, “unplugged” consists of a band’s sitting in chairs our on couches, playing acoustic guitars and jamming, but Theory of a Deadman’s idea of unplugged is a little different. Theory had the full show, just stripped down a bit.
Besides Theory of a Deadman bandmembers, Tyler Connolly (lead vocals), Dave Brenner (guitar), Dean Back (bass) and Joey Dandeneau (drums), Theory brought their multitalented friend, Walter Ino on tour. Ino is truly a master of all things, from keyboard and piano to guitar and mandolin to saxophone. It was fascinating watching him play all the instruments in the background.
Early in the set, Cory Marks joined them on stage to help sing “Livin’ My Life Like a Country Song”. A few songs later, Connolly talked about their Plus One program, where they take one dollar from each ticket sale and donate proceeds to a nonprofit organization. Previous partnerships have included Habitat for Humanity, no kill shelters, domestic violence organizations and Shatterproof focusing on opioid addiction. This year’s partnership is with the Gary Sinise Foundation, supporting veterans. Connolly invited a couple veterans on stage to have a drink and hang out for a couple songs.
Theory’s set was a compilation of hits, a deep cut, and a few covers. More importantly, it was a celebration of where they started (in their basements) and the past 25 years. The unplugged, intimate evening was the perfect way to connect with fans and say thank you for their support.
Theory of a Deadman
Escape the Fate
Corey Marks
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