Concert Review: P.O.D.

By: Juan Barragan

P.O.D.
House of Blues LA
9 August 2013

Los Angeles has long been known as the birth place for many musical acts. Countless music venues pack the streets of West Hollywood, giving new and upcoming bands a place where they can build a fan base and where they can call home. One of these venues is the House of Blues of Los Angeles, situated on the famous Sunset Boulevard. The band that took the stage that night was the local San Diego band, P.O.D., which stands for, Payable on Death. This Christian-Rock band, with already more than 20 years of experience under their belts, packed the house and demonstrated that San Diego can also be a birthplace of great music.

The band came out with intense energy, opening with their song “Boom,” that immediately sparked the pit’s fury and left many sweating like they just won a race. P.O.D. played a few songs from their newest album, Murdered Love, that were extremely well received by the audience. Halfway through the set, the band’s singer, Sonny Sandoval, requested that everyone sing along to their chorus of their newest single, “Beautiful,” which is a song which highlights the beauty of life and serves as a staple against suicide among youth. Even though this song was the slowest one of the night, this did not stop the crowd from giving all their energy to fulfill Sandoval’s request.

For the veteran P.O.D. fans in attendance, the band played a few songs that not many people would know, such as “Panic & Run” and some older songs like “Set It Off,” and “Without Jah.” These songs all contained the fundamental elements of the band’s roots, which consist of an epic breakdown in the song where the whole pit is supposed to mosh like crazy. That was the exact result that these songs caused, proving that the band’s new material is just as good as their old material.

P.O.D. ended their set by playing their more familiar songs, such as “Southtown” and “Alive.” It was during these songs that Sandoval could not contain his desire to get as close to the crowd as possible. He repeatedly stood on the ledge of the crowd barrier and held himself steady by grabbing on to members of the audience. During these times, the crowd surrounded him and gave the band all the energy they had left. Although sweat dripped constantly from the heavily drenched Sandoval, the crowd did not seem to mind, jumping at the opportunity to sing into the microphone, “I feel so alive!” during the band’s very last song.

This intense concert proved that P.O.D. is a musical force that still has a lot left to give. The band’s energy on stage is extreme, which undoubtedly transfers

to the crowd in the form of mosh pits. If you are interested in this local multi-grammy award winning band, keep your eyes peeled, for they often play local benefit shows in the area for free.