Nonpoint

Rock the Ranch presents Nonpoint

For me, Nonpoint is one of those bands you can’t put your finger on as to why they are not bigger than they should be. With killer albums, and by far, one of the best live shows you will ever see, make me wonder WTF are rock fans thinking? So let’s try to remedy this right now.

95 Will Rock put on perhaps one of the biggest one-day event for rock music this summer; with over 20 bands playing over two stages and of those 20 bands, Five Finger Death Punch and Nonpoint came away impressing everyone. Now, FFDP is big so we know what they bring to the table but Nonpoint not only brings it, they smash it.

After a rough start to Rock the Ranch, with close to a 2 hour storm delay, the fans were ready and waiting for a band to set them off.

Nonpoint is:
Elias Soriano – Vocals
KB – Bass
Robb Rivera – Drums
Zach Broderick – Guitar

The set opened with, Miracle off their recent album of the same name. Soriano came out wearing a hoodie that covered his long dreads and surveyed the crowd, seeing if they were ready. As both Broderick and KB stepped out onto large speakers that overlooked the crowd, they both ripped into their instruments – Broderick, with his smooth, intense playing that has brought Nonpoint up a notch for guitar fans since he joined the band. KB, on the other hand, is a beast and treats his bass like he wants to break it in half. With some of the best facial expressions in rock, he is a treat to shoot, to go along with his great bass playing to fill out the sound created on stage.

Rivera is solid on the drums and by looking at him you would not want to meet him in a dark alley; with his Borinquen New York scowl and the way he carries himself, but in talking with him, he is one of the nicest and smartest guys in this business. Rivera is the backbone of Nonpoint.

Before they launched into the next song, Soriano asked the crowd if they have come to rock out and tear the place apart or to just sit on the lawn and not move. Soriano knows the Midwest fans better than most bands do, with their non-stop touring in the area, so when he told the crowd to move they moved.

With songs, What a Day and The Truth, the mosh pits formed and grew larger to the delight of Soriano whose dreads were flying all over like whips snapping in the air. Before they finished their intense 30 minute assault, Soriano asked the crowd to jump and not some little hopping like they do at a Lady Gaga, show but UP & DOWN and if the person next to them was not jumping in their Justin Bieber shirt, then to rip it off, grab them by the neck and make them JUMP!! This was all the crowd needed to hear, as the place became a sea of bodies moving up and down and forming circle pits to the delight of the band who tore into the last songs harder.

They ended the set with, Bullet with a Name on It and as they ended, Rivera pushed off the drum kit throwing his sticks into the ground and looked into the crowd as if to say that’s how you end a fucking rock show.

Now I ask you, next time Nonpoint is playing in town, would you rather wear a Justin Bieber shirt or would you rather go out Alive & Kicking?

A big thank you goes to Nonpoint’s tour manager Kevin for allowing me to cover and shoot the whole set, as well as to Nonpoint for being so open to idea.

All Photos Provided by Peter Lizano