Category: Concert Review

This was my first metalcore show of 2018, and it didn’t disappoint me at all! The last time I saw August Burns Red was at the Carolina Rebellion two years ago! When I saw that they were coming back to North Carolina, I didn’t hesitate to get my ticket! This tour supported the release of their new record, Phantom Anthem, that came out in October of 2017.

I got to Arizona Pete’s around 4 o’clock for the meet and greet that occurred around 5. The meet and greet and VIP experience with August Burns Red (ABR) was pretty cool. This was my sixth time getting VIP tickets. Individually, we got to meet the band and they all signed a poster for each of us. I small talked with the band during this time and I told them that I saw them at the Carolina Rebellion and that I am a metal college radio DJ for NC State’s radio station WKNC (if you aren’t listening to The Saw’s Butcher Shop on Friday nights from 10pm-midnight… you’re missing out). Every band that I have told that I am a DJ gets really excited and ABR was no different. They were really grateful and humbled that I play them on the radio and their singer said, “that’s so awesome, you’re literally the only person that will play us on the radio.” After the signing session, I got back in line and then we got a picture with the band (see pic above). When I showed up they all said, “look, it’s our favorite DJ!”

After the VIP experience, we were free to look at band merch and hang out before the show (you get to go in 30 minutes before doors open). I decided to stand right in front of the stage and wait for the bands to come on. My friend Savannah met up with me there and we jammed out in the front during the bands.

The first band to come on was Ocean Grove from Australia. Of course, when they said they were from Australia, we started a “USA” chant. Personally, I wanted to know if they knew the bands Parkway Drive, In Hearts Wake, and Thy Art is Murder (they too, are from Australia). The crowd didn’t really get into this band. The majority of the people just stood there. Savannah and I were dancing and moving to the beat every once in a while. They played Beers, Intimate Alien, and Thunderdome. They also got one of their friends to dress up like a Hooters girl and prance around on stage… that is an image I will never forget. He had the outfit, fake boobs, and a wig.

The second band was Erra. The crowd got into them a little bit more, but nothing major. There were some mosh pits here and there and of course, I was in the front jamming out, like always. They played some of their hits such as Drift, Seven, and Skyline.

Up next were my boys in Born of Osiris (BOO). I have seen them a handful of times and they never disappoint me. When they came out, the entire venue exploded! There were multiple mosh pits, tons of crowd surfers and stage divers, and everyone was yelling the lyrics back to the band. BOO is very interactive with the crowd when they perform. The singer is always in your face and literally a part of the crowd. He was grabbing people’s hands (aka mine), letting people yell into the mic, and getting the crowd as involved as he can. The guitarists and bass were very interactive too. They were always in the front and putting on a good stage show. Their keyboardist was running around, yelling into the mic, singing, and in the crowd’s face the entire time. They are really entertaining to watch and they put on an incredible show. I met the singer (again), the guitarist, and the drummer after the show. They are all really nice guys and they all thanked me for playing their songs on the radio. Ronnie (the singer) remembered me from the Charlotte date that they played and it was good to catch up. They played some of their bangers such as Bow Down (MY FAVORITE SONG), Empires Erased, and Machine.

And now it was time for the headlining band, August Burns Red. Right when they came on stage the entire crowd went rowdy. I was all up against the stage, getting elbowed in the back, my hair was pulled, and I have bruises everywhere (it’s not a good show if you don’t come back with bruises). Everyone was singing along and the entire band was interactive. They were always coming up to the edge of the stage and smiling at people and acknowledging everyone singing and jamming out with them. There was a huge pit and wall of death during the set. The guitarist smiled and waved at me on stage and mouthed the words, “my favorite DJ” to me. The singer was always in front of me jamming out and a lot of his sweat landed on me (this is what happens when you’re in the front). He would grab my hand and sing and just have a good time on stage! I was headbanging the entire time even though it was kinda difficult with everyone around me; and I hit my head against the stage, but it’s fine. I’m fine. Before their last song the singer said that he wanted to see more crowd surfers and stage divers. But he told them to watch out and not hit the “pretty girl up in the front.” I looked around and all I saw were guys around me… so I’m assuming he was talking about me. Everyone was getting on stage and they were careful, no one hit me. Then during the breakdown the singer puts down the mic, looks at me, opens his arms and says, “get on stage.” I was SHOOK, and he literally pulled me up on stage. He handed me their setlist and said something to me but I didn’t hear what he said because I was too busy looking at all the people at the show (it was PACKED) and I was thinking about if anyone was gonna catch me when I have to jump off the stage. Welp, I jumped off the stage and I was carried all around the crowd and was put down safely by the mosh pit. Anyway, ABR played some of their most well-known songs such as King of Sorrow, Hero of the Half Truth, and White Washed.

This was an amazing show, and a great way to kick off 2018!

THE SAW  

So, I didn’t think I was going to go to this show because I had a Psychology exam the next day. But, I have no self-control and I caved in and went to the show anyway. I do not regret going to the show at all, and I also made an A on my Psychology exam. It’s safe to say that I am living my best life. This show was at the Blind Tiger in Greensboro, and I really like this venue. I saw Suicide Silence here (and if you scroll down, you can see that show review as well). Yeah, we broke the barricade at the Suicide Silence show so there was no barricade at all during Wage War’s show. RIP my knees, I had so many bruises because I was in the front and I kept getting slammed into the speakers. But it was a great time 10/10 would do it again. I reunited with some homies that I hung out with at previous shows and we had a grand time.

The first band to go on was Loathe. I have heard of them but never really listened to them before. They were good, they kinda give me a Knocked Loose vibe. The singer has some killer dance moves. He was breaking it down on stage. Some of the songs they played were The Cold Sun, It’s Yours, and Dance on My Skin.

Next up was Varials. I really like this band; they play some bangers. This was my second time seeing Varials and they never disappoint me. The crowd was getting into the music at this point and there were tons of people singing along with the songs and really engaging with the band. I talked to the singer after the show and bought a hoodie from their merch booth. It’s now one of my favorite hoodies because it’s black and says, “Pain Again” (the name of their new record) on the front in a small font. They also played some bangers such as The New Damnation, Anything To Numb, and Empire of Dirt.

My boys in Gideon were the third band to play and WOW, THE CROWD FREAKING WENT INSANE!!!!! Everyone was jumping up and down, crowd surfing, and moshing. No one was standing still during their entire set. This was my fifth time seeing Gideon and they always put on a good show. The singer always interacts with the crowd and he really got everyone fired up. The band seemed like they were having a great time hanging with us North Carolinians. Some of the hitters that they played were Pulling Teeth, Survive, and Calloused.  

The second to last band to perform was Oceans Ate Alaska. I have never really listened to this band before, but they put on a great show. The singer is very energetic and he was jumping up and down the entire time on stage. They are a very metalcore band, but there were some parts where I could sense that they could easily become deathcore. The crowd was going crazy for them as well, jumping up and down, moshing, and they were singing their little metal buts off to these guys. They played their version of Drunk in Love by the queen herself, Beyoncé. It was a really cool version and everyone was singing and dancing. I hung out and talked to the guitarist outside of the venue while me and my friends were waiting to get inside. He was a really nice guy, he let me have some of his coffee because I was freezing while waiting outside. Some of the songs that they played were Covert, Blood Brothers, and Escapist.

The moment I have been waiting for – finally, Wage War was up next. And when I say that this crowd was rowdy, I’m telling the truth. This crowd went insane for Wage War. The whole entire crowd was a mosh pit. The only part that wasn’t a pit were the people in the front (aka me and I almost died from the beatings I was getting from the pit), but hey, if you don’t come back with a couple of bruises you didn’t have a good time. This was a sold out show so you know everyone was going hard. I was looking at videos of the crowd and wow, they were crazy. The pits were crazy, crowd surfers everywhere and everyone is head banging. It was one of the best crowds I have seen. This was also my fifth time seeing Wage War and I could never get tired of seeing them play. While they were playing Youngblood, the light show went out and everyone in the crowd took out their phones and used the flashlight to make our own light show. It was honestly one of the coolest things I have ever seen and been a part of. The song is a very personal song, and having the whole venue be in complete darkness except for our flashlights really set the mood. Who needs a light show when you got us, am I right?

Wage War was jamming-out the entire time. They put on a great live show. I love everything about this band. They also played some of my favorite songs like The River, Alive, Gravity, Johnny Cash, and Stitch.

I am so happy that I decided to go. It was one of the best shows that I have been to. I also got to meet Seth Blake and Cody Quistad (again) – the two guitarists – after the show. Cody actually remembered me from the last time that I met him and the band at Warped Tour.

The SAW

We were lucky enough to catch PILE, a band out of Boston Massachusetts, at Motorco Music Hall in Durham NC.

Here are some pictures from the show, including the superb set list. 

A week ago I had the pleasure of attending The Front Bottoms//Basement//Bad Bad Hats show in Charlotte at The Fillmore. Not only are The Front Bottoms my FAV band, but I love Bad Bad Hats as well and really enjoyed Basement’s set. 

Pop-punk, folk-punk, and indie rock are the genres I would say encapsulate TFB, and while normally at a show like this I’m nervous the crowd might be too rowdy or filled with some unsavory characters, however I’m pleased to say everyone there was more than polite, had a great energy, and were respectful to everyone attending! From the distance I watched as people glided over the crowd, surfing up to the front where security kindly grasped them like a mother would hold a newborn baby and safely took them to the side of the stage where many surfers made their way to the back to do it all again. 

The nearly sold-out show was one of the best I’ve been to recently, and each set had me dancing away in the photo pit between snapping some of these excellent photos below:

This was definitely a show you should be sad you missed, as the chorus of voices singing along to Brian’s vocals mimicked angels, stage banter from the bands produced more than your average chuckles, and the tears of joy ran down my cheeks. 

If you like these photos and want to hear more coverage of shows, let us know! We’d also love to hear from you about your favorite shows. 

–Double Duchess

It’s perfectly normal for a band to change over time. They work through different projects, experiment with different sounds, express different ideas, etc. In fact, it’s hard to find a band that has stayed true to a single “vibe” for a long time. It’s even harder to find one that has done it well.

mewithoutYou is one of those few. I remember hearing Brother, Sister in middle school and instantly becoming a fan. When It’s All Crazy! It’s All False! It’s All A Dream! It’s Alright! came out in 2009, I guess you could say I “got back into the band”. I developed a love for that unapologetically loud, pull-no-punches style with which they poured emotion and story into their songs. I grew up listening to my dad’s bluegrass and classic rock, genres with big name influences such as Earl Scruggs, Boston, and The Who, but otherwise plenty of rather formulaic music. mewithoutYou was one of my first big steps away from these styles, and thus it had an air of novelty to it for me before I knew hardly anything about music. Now in 2017, after years or curating and recording music across many genres, I still remember that feeling.

mewithoutYou recently came to The Blind Tiger in Greensboro on tour playing through A To B Life to celebrate its release 15 years ago. If you follow mewithoutYou, you will recognize this as their 1^st full album and not one of their softer. Naturally I had to go. My roommate and I, both long time fans who had not followed mewithoutYou as closely since coming to college, drove to Greensboro to crack some PBRs and reminisce in the angst of our middle school days. I’ll be honest with you. I was surprised. I was surprised by how much I still loved this band. mewithoutYou has released 5 more albums and plenty of singles and collaborations since A To B Life, but still held true to form. They played songs from most all of their albums, a few acoustic pieces, and some improv edits. Aaron Weiss, sporting 2 mics covered in flowers (one distorted, one clean, as per usual), told stories about the album, the inspirations for the songs, and his own life throughout the show. The band has, in my opinion, had a very successful 15 years of growing immensely, yet changing little at all.

The moral of the story is go listen to those bands you used to love. Go find their new stuff. Go rediscover their old stuff. Maybe go see their show? Who knows, maybe a brush with nostalgia and a few beers is just what you need to get through finals next week…

image source: https://mewithoutyou.bandcamp.com/

I was looking forward to this show because Whitechapel is my all-time favorite band! This was my third time seeing them and every time it’s like it’s my first. I got to the venue four hours before the show started and I sat there in the front of the line until the doors opened. I have “Show Buddies” – friends that I meet-up with at various venues and festivals – who were also there! It was like a small reunion for all of us. This was my first time going to the Underground in Charlotte, NC and I really liked the venue. It was very spacious and there was plenty of room for everyone.

The first band to play was So This Is Suffering. It was my first time seeing them, and I was impressed. The singer is a good front man and really knows how to work a crowd. Speaking of the crowd, there was a little movement, a few pits, and some diehard fans that yelled every word to every song. Some of the songs that they played were: Sleeper Hold, Surveil, Dreameater, and Palace.

Next up was a band called, Entheos. I have never heard of them, but they put on a good show! I was getting Arch Enemy vibes from them (and not just because the lead singer is a girl) – there were great melodies and the singer was entertaining to watch. The crowd responded as with the first band, there were some pits but they weren’t as rowdy as other pits that happened that night. Among other songs in their set, they played: The World Without Us, Inverted Earth, Sunshift, and Pulse of a New Era.

Rings of Saturn played next and I was really looking forward to seeing them! I have been listening to them for quite some time and this was my first time seeing them live. Their sound was really good, but there wasn’t a stage show. Because of this, the crowd wasn’t getting into their set. Some of the songs that they played were: Margidda, The Relic, Harvest, and Inadequate.

The second-to-last band to play was Carnifex. This is my second time seeing them and they are amazing, live! Their stage show was insane!! They had pentagrams on stage, and they were all dressed up. The entire band were wearing spiked pants, and dark eye makeup. It gave them a creepy vibe that completed their overall stage presence. They had a good mixture of older songs and newer songs. The crowd was ROWDY! Everyone was moving, there wasn’t a single person in that venue that was standing still. Everyone was moshing, and singing with the band. Some of the songs that they played were: Slit Wrist Savior, Slow Death, Lie to My Face, and Hell Chose Me.

And finally, the band that I have been waiting to see all night was up: Whitechapel. While waiting for the band to come on, the crowd was singing “Sweet Caroline.” I was in Charlotte, and the Panthers just won a game, so you could say we put the “lit” in Charlotte. I was on the barricade; in the front for Whitechapel, and I was jamming! The light show was impressive and their live sound was the same as if I was listening to their albums. The crowd was absolutely insane and was hyped the entire time. The band was feeding off our energy too and kept egging us on to get even more rowdy. They played some of my all-time favorite songs such as: Mark of the Blade, Elitist Ones, The Saw Is the Law, and This is Exile. Shout out to Ben for giving me a guitar pick, and Gabe for giving me the set-list for the show. In my opinion, I would say that the show was a success.

To make things even better, while I was waiting in line to get inside the venue, my mom went to get some food and literally ate dinner with some of the members of Whitechapel. She got me some autographs, and also a video. What is that video you ask? It’s a video that has Whitechapel saying, “We are Whitechapel and we love Erika, The Saw, and WKNC 88.1.” So yeah, that literally made my life.

The Saw 

I was very excited for this show because Arch Enemy is one of my favorite bands. The last time Arch Enemy was in North America was 10 years ago, so I was looking forward to seeing them perform for the first time! I traveled to Atlanta, Georgia to see Arch Enemy, Trivium, While She Sleeps, and Fit For An Autopsy. Now, the tour was coming to Charlotte, North Carolina at the Fillmore, but I wanted to see them perform at the famous Masquerade. This venue is very well known not only to metalheads, but to all. There are actually three venues within the Masquerade: Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory.  Heaven (where this show was hosted) is the biggest venue. It was very impressive, too! It was very spacious with a lot of room for a lot of people. My only complaint concerns the wood floor in front of the stage. Spilled (and dropped) drinks means a wet and slippery mosh pit. I fell a couple of times. But it was still a great time, regardless! If you ever get the chance, I would defiantly try to see a show at the Masquerade.

The first band that played was Fit For An Autopsy. I really, really like this band. I saw them on After The Burial’s ‘Carry The Flame Tour’ and I was impressed by them. They are groovy and have some jamming songs! They played some of their famous hits such as “Heads Will Hang,” “Still We Destroy,” and “Black Mammoth.” The crowd was (just) okay. There was one crowd surfer and a couple of mosh pits. I was in the front for them and I was jamming! But the people around me weren’t jamming at all. Metal Lesson #666: If you are in the front for the show, and you’re just standing there with your arms crossed, not jamming at all, go to the back. Anyway, I got to meet the lead singer of Fit For An Autopsy, after their set, and he is a super nice guy! The next band to play was While She Sleeps. I have never seen (or listened to) this band, but they were really good live! They interacted with the crowd the entire time and they also joined the crowd on some occasions. The crowd got into this band more and there was more interaction and energy. They also played some of their well-known songs such as “You Are We,” “Brainwashed,” and “Silence Speaks.” Trivium was the third band to play and I’ve seen them once before at the Carolina Rebellion of 2016. Like at the Rebellion, I was really impressed with them during the show at the Masquerade. The light show was really good and the band was all up in the crowd and interacting with them. And the crowd, during Trivium, was LOUD! You could barely hear the singer because everyone was singing along. The mosh pits were very impressive (I broke my finger in one of the pits), and I crowd surfed during their set. They were so much fun to watch and I was jamming the whole time. They played “The Sin and the Sentence,” “Until the World Goes Cold,” and “In Waves” along with many more. Arch Enemy headlined the show in Atlanta. They and Trivium are co-headlining the show and they alternate in each city who is the last band to perform. I was very excited when they came out; they put on a phenomenal live show. The singer was interacting with the crowd and she was very energetic. The whole crowd was into their set and were jumping around the entire time. There were a lot of pits, crowd surfers, and a lot of people just having a good time singing along with the band. The light show was also amazing and was very nice to watch. I got to meet Arch Enemy before the show, and they are really cool. They were super nice and it was great to meet one of my favorite bands. Among the many songs they played were “War Eternal,” “As the Pages Burn,” and “Nemesis.” This was one of the best shows that I have ever been to. If you ever get the chance to see Arch Enemy, Trivium, While She Sleeps, or Fit For An Autopsy, do it! I promise you won’t regret it!

The Saw