Stone Sour Preview 'Audio Secrecy' at Intimate New York Show

Posted on Sep 2nd 2010 2:00PM by Bram Teitelman Comments

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If your forthcoming album is titled 'Audio Secrecy,' there's probably a clause in your record contract stating you have to play a secret show to promote it. That's exactly what Stone Sour did on Sept. 30, taking a break from playing amphitheaters as part of the Uproar Tour to play to an enthusiastic, sweaty crowd at the 300-capacity Studio at Webster Hall in New York City.

In a best-case scenario, a band in a small club show feeds off the energy of the crowd, who in turn feed off the energy of the band. The crowd, consisting of equal parts Stone Sour fans and music industry types, were amped even before they took the stage. As the opening song 'Mission Statement' ended and frontman Corey Taylor surveyed the room with an incredulous grin, it was clear the band would be holding up their end of the bargain as well.

It's been a challenging year for Taylor and guitarist Jim Root, both of whom also play in Slipknot. But while the untimely death of 'Knot bassist Paul Gray is surely still on their mind, the tracks previewed from 'Audio Secrecy' seem more positive and upbeat then recent events would suggest.

In fact, Taylor dedicated first single, 'Say You'll Haunt Me,' to his new wife. Stone Sour give Taylor and Root a venue to write more straightforward rock songs than Slipknot, and the band -- which also contains guitarist Josh Rand, bassist Shawn Economacki and drummer Roy Mayorga -- is able to switch between heavier songs and more radio-ready hits like 'Through Glass' and 'Bother.' The 75-minute set showed both sides of the band.

With a somewhat incongruous backdrop of several televisions playing their videos on loop, Stone Sour blazed through a set consisting equally of songs from their 2002 self-titled album, 2006's 'Come Whatever May' and the new album, which comes out on Sept. 7. Taylor strapped on an acoustic to play 'Bother,' as well as new song 'Miracles' -- which was thankfully not a cover of the Insane Clown Posse track of the same name. The band did, however, cover Tom Petty's 'You Got Lucky.'

While the fans, who had found out about the show the day of, were the most enthusiastic, the others -- which included radio programmers and Root's girlfriend, Lacuna Coil frontwoman Cristina Scabbia -- were also excited to see a gold-selling band play in front of what was probably the smallest crowd since they began in 1992. And for those fans that weren't able to get into the show, it was streamed online via Ustream and is still available.

Stone Sour set list -- Sept. 30
'Mission Statement'
'Reborn'
'Made of Scars'
'Say You'll Haunt Me'
'Come Whatever May'
'Bother'
'Miracles'
'You Got Lucky'
'Through Glass'
'Your God'
'Digital'
'Get Inside'
'Hell and Consequences'
'30/30/150'

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