A line had formed from the front door of the Varsity Theatre to well past Roul’s Deli about an hour before the doors opened. The crowd was waiting for Trapt, which would not play for another five hours. The show opened with the bands Aphasis and Blindside, who played for about two hours collectively. After Blindside left the stage, the anticipation for Trapt was obvious throughout the packed venue. An hour later, the lights went off, and the crowd began screaming. Suddenly, several strobe lights cut through the darkness, flashing in perfect unison with a drum beat banged out by Trapt’s drummer. He sat on stage alone, ferociously beating the drums. Then the guitarist, Simon Ormandy, and the bassist, Peter Charell, appeared on stage. As they began to play, singer Chris Brown, finally walked out holding a microphone. Trapt played for 1.5 hours, and Brown spent most of his time with one leg on an amp, singing loudly for the fans. Midway through the show, Brown donned a guitar himself to play “Echo,” a hit off of 1998’s self-titled album. When he finished, he put his guitar down, grabbed a stool, and picked up an acoustic guitar to play “Stories,” the slowest point in the show. As soon as the music stopped and the band left the stage, the crowd began to chant “Headstrong,” referring to the bands biggest single off their self-titled album. After a minute of so of waiting, the beginning of “Headstrong” could be heard through the Varsity. The crowd got its wish as the band played an encore that consisted of just that single. After the show the band signed autographs at the merchandise table for any fan who was willing to wait for them. Music reminiscent of Trapt’s nu-metal sound has faded on the airwaves over the past few years, but Brown said that the genre won’t ever die completely. “Rock will always stay,” Brown said. Derick Bercegeany, a Baton Rouge resident said he agreed with Brown. “Music like this will always stay, no hurricane or anything like that will ever change that,” Bercegeany said. Brown said though Internet file sharing has made music more accessible, it can be quite trying for a band. “It doesn’t lessen music,” Brown said, “As long as people hear our music, that’s what it’s all about, but it is a bit frustrating.” Brown said even in the face of the Internet file sharing and radio play, the band is still not famous. “Only a small group knows us,” Brown said, “We aren’t Brad Pitt or anything.” Regardless, the concert was well received. At the end of the show, Courtney Ehrhart, a Baton Rouge resident, mirrored this enthusiasm.
“Blindside rocked,” Ehrhart said, “Trapt was awesome with a capital ‘A.'”
 
Contact Travis Andrews at tandrews@lsureveille.com