The parking lot at the First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre has turned into a performance space with a crowd growing too big for even the Metro to hold. Q101’s Jamboree is an aide memoire of the magical second stage; the kind of stage that broadcasts newer music to the masses and is able to rock the crowd harder than any main stage act. The crowd is eager. People are hungry for music that will give them the bragging rights to say they saw a band before they became HUGE, and trust me when I say that the Crash Kings will be huge!


Crash Kings have an amazing product that you will hold on to. Brothers Tony (piano and vocals) and Mike Beliveau (bass) have orchestrated a new breed of rock. A classic piano, bass and drum-style trio that consists of one major thing that bands like Keane lack: balls. Mike, along with drummer Jason Morris, provides a rhythmic driving force reminiscent of a 1970s Pontiac GTO — full of force that keeps your pedal to the metal.


Tony approaches his keys with a fire like Jerry Lee Lewis or Jimi Hendrix. He embraces it and plays harder and faster. He uses a regular instrument that is played with effects that no synthesizer could even touch. You can easily tell that Tony has taken the time to adjust every knob and button to his liking. He is able to create sounds from a piano that will never be matched by Pro-Tools or any computerized-processed instrument. Tony brings a voice that matches his intensity of piano playing perfectly. His intuition and musicality matches the tour de force that follows the name of the band perfectly.


Crash Kings’ music explodes like a crash of sound that will astonish your senses. As producer Dave Sardy said, “Crash Kings are the missing link between Queen and Rage Against the Machine.” So hop in and enjoy the pure ecstasy of a rockin’ life-changing experience.