Guitarist James Black of Finger Eleven

When I first heard Finger Eleven a few years ago, I would have imagined their shows being more than a little hectic, which was not how things went this past Thursday.

There was no moshing, no crowd surfing, none of the usual concert antics. According to some of the people I had spoken with, I was told that usually Finger Eleven have much more movement among the audience. But that doesn’t mean this show was not as good or less appropriate for this band, their performance was intense as their music.

The stage was divided with guitarist Rick Jackett on the right side making his guitar dance like a ballerina on drugs, and guitarist James Black on the left playing and jumping with fervor.

Their styles were so different it was almost hard to remember that they were both in the same band. Yet at the same time, it was hard to imagine Finger Eleven without either of them. The distance between the two was bridged by singer Scott Anderson, smiling crazily between lines like the Cheshire cat, and bassist Sean Anderson, lurking in the back near drummer Rich Beddoe.

With a set including songs such as "Losing Ground" and "One Thing" this show went nothing like what I expected, and it was definitely a pleasant surprise.

Review by Jessica Zoller - © 2004 Florida Entertainment Scene - All Rights Reserved. Click Here to view our Finger Eleven concert montage.