Silverstein Comes to Worcester
By Andrew Jones

Well, folks, it’s time to show off those tats and throw out your Bics, because the “Never Shave Again” tour is on its way to the Palladium just in time for you to sweat off that turkey on November 24th. Headlining the show that includes Aiden, It Dies Today, He Is Legend, and I Killed the Prom Queen is one of the hottest rock bands coming down from north of the border: Silverstein. I was lucky enough to catch up with Silverstein drummer Paul Koehler to discuss what touring is like for them and how they’re feeling about this one so far.

Pulse: So this upcoming tour is your first headlining tour, is that correct?

Paul Koehler: Um, well it’s our first big scale headlining tour. We did a full U.S. headlining tour in 2004, but we were a lot smaller band back then, so this is the first time we’re putting on a “whole show.” We’re really excited about it. We’re bringing in our first light show, you know, lights and staging, full crew, I mean we’re doing the whole thing. The whole stage transforms into like a big set, and you know we’ll be playing our longest set we’ve ever played. It’s definitely a big step from anything we’ve ever done previously.

P: Now, do you feel that since this is your first major headlining tour, there’s any more pressure on you guys?

PK: I think getting into it there definitely was, but I think what we had done to kinda prepare for it to make it really impressive and really exciting for all the fans had really taken the pressure off, and now we’re more excited than nervous about doing it.

P: What is usually the toughest thing you guys deal with while you’re touring?

PK: It’s just being away from home all the time, and not seeing your friends and family. Yeah, I mean it can be difficult, but it’s so rewarding to be able to go on tour around the world and see so much. We really appreciate the opportunities we have, but of course anybody that leaves home misses something.

P: Is there a particular area where you feel the crowds are a lot crazier than most? You know, maybe not necessarily hometown?

PK: I mean, we’ve done shows all over the world, and they’re never defined by which crowds are crazy and which ones aren’t. I mean, for the most part the crowds are similar no matter where we go, and that kind of consistency is the best thing we could ever ask for. For some reason it’s kinda the same everywhere. There’s no real difference separating people besides their location.

P: Yeah, consistency is definitely a good thing to have with the crowds. Now, do you guys have anything that you require backstage that’s weird, like, you know, all green M&M’s or strictly Fiji water or anything like that?

PK: Um, well the one thing is we’re all vegan and vegetarian, so you won’t find any meat back there.

P: Finally, where did the name of the tour come from?

PK: Well, last fall we were on the “Never Sleep Again” tour, and we wanted to do a tour based around some crazy idea of facial hair and all that. Most of the guys grew crazy beards and did all sorts of stuff. So, we thought we’d take kind of a stab at that name, the “Never Sleep Again” tour, and call it the “Never Shave Again” tour. It’s something kinda fun, and shows people that we’re not super serious, and like to have some fun, and why not? I’m pretty excited about the whole thing.