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By GREG MAKI
While many of their peers have faded into obscurity, Nonpoint will celebrate its 10th anniversary in 2007. To mark the occasion, we have a CD and DVD capturing the band at what it does best: performing live. Recorded last April at Revolution on the band’s home turf of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., the set includes most of Nonpoint’s strongest material. More importantly, it catches the passion and energy the band pours into each and every live performance. They may not perfectly recreate the studio version of each song, but that is not what Nonpoint is about. When charismatic frontman Elias Soriano, introducing “Alive and Kicking,” says, “It is fucking amazing right now to be alive,” you believe him. Throughout the performance, the band members show themselves to be as appreciative of the crowd as the fans are of them.
As the show comes from the tour supporting what may be Nonpoint’s heaviest album to date, 2005’s To the Pain, the set list focuses on the band’s heavier material. The cover of Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight,” a surprise hit over the summer due to its inclusion on the Miami Vice soundtrack, is conspicuously absent, a decision I’m happy with. It’s a fine cover but hardly representative of the band’s sound. A more curious move is the complete omission of the band’s second album, Development. Though it is arguably their weakest effort, I would have liked to see one or two tracks included just to make Live and Kicking a true career retrospective. Of those that are here, the songs from To the Pain come off particularly well and the band ups the intensity even more on “Spanish 101,” a medley of two of their Spanish-language songs, “Rabia” and “Orgullo.”
The DVD provides the full Nonpoint live experience. Largely shot with handheld cameras, it places the viewer right in the middle of the action. You can practically feel the sweat pouring off the band members. Documentary footage cut in between songs introduces the band on a more personal level. We also get an acoustic performance of “Bullet with a Name,” as well as promotional videos for “Bullet” and “Alive and Kicking.”
A decade in today’s music climate is an eternity, so a well-earned congratulations goes out to Nonpoint. They have done more than survive. As long as they continue to give performances like the one presented on Live and Kicking, their future is bright.
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