Armored Saint is one of my favorite bands, and for good reason; not that I needed to be reminded, but the VIP experience and their performance in the Cambridge Room at HOB Cleveland last Wednesday only served to reinforce my love for this band. First of all, nowadays just about every tour offers a "VIP experience" where you can meet the band, take photos, etc. Armored Saint's package also allowed about a dozen of us the opportunity to watch them do their soundcheck, where vocalist extraordinaire, John Bush chatted with us from the stage, then actually took a few requests for warm-up songs! When the guys were satisfied with their stage sound and settings, they engaged us with conversation, signatures and photos. All of them are down-to-earth, nice dudes, and treat their fans with great appreciation. And for that we appreciate them even more! The show itself was absolutely spectacular, great sound, and unparalleled energy abounds with these guys. The set unfolded chronologically, with Saint playing one song from each of their first 3 albums leading into the main event--they were playing the 1991 classic "Symbol of Salvation" in its entirety on this short tour. Around half of the songs from it had never been done live before, and interestingly, many of those turned out to be highlights of the evening: "The Truth Always Hurts", "Half-drawn Bridge", "Another Day", "Hanging Judge" all sounded amazing live! The show was also enhanced by John Bush giving insight about the band's career, the circumstances of the recording of SOS, and the meaning behind some songs, in an almost "storytellers" format. They finished out the set with a few more songs, including "Win Hands Down", title track from the last studio release in 2015, and of course the long time Saint classic closer, "Madhouse". For a Wednesday night, 'small room' show (it was not in the main hall of HOB), Armored Saint delivered a world-class performance to a very receptive crowd. While many bands playing together more than 30 years appear tired and mechanical in a live setting, Armored Saint manages to ratchet it up several levels, giving a totally killer live show every time they hit the stage. If you have the opportunity to see them, do yourself and favor and go! They never disappoint!