Chris Hall
Bear with me guys, I’m still recovering from having my face melted. TUESDAY NIGHT WAS INSANE!
August Burns Red is currently on tour with Silverstein and Silent Planet, celebrating the ten year anniversary of their album Constellations. On Tuesday night they stopped at Skyway Theatre and put on one amazing show.
Silent Planet
Silent Planet is one of those bands I’ve heard murmurs of here and there, and I know they’ve done some shows at The Garage in Burnsville, but I never took the time to check them out. It’s always cool to see smaller bands “graduate” to bigger stages.
They’re good for an opening band. Was I blown away by their performance? No. Did they play with as much energy as I expected? Not really.
I also wasn’t disappointed. Silent Planet definitely fits in with the lineup, and they have some pretty good breakdowns. My biggest complaint would be that the clean vocals aren’t exactly my favorite. I’ll also admit to being a snob about vocals, I’m SUPER picky.
I checked them out on Spotify after the show and their studio recordings are pretty good. I’d encourage everyone to at least give them a try. Form your own opinions and then let me know what you think.
Silverstein
IF YOU DON’T LIKE SILVERSTEIN THEN YOU CAN’T BE MY FRIEND!
That’s not true. I’m pretty sure my girlfriend has never heard of Silverstein and we live together, but I’ve been a fan of them since I was about 16. I would listen to their albums on repeat in my room at 3 AM and rock out by myself like the awkward emo teenager I was.
Last night Silverstein was absolutely perfect. They set up faster than any other band I’ve ever seen and were firing on all cylinders from the first note they played, truly showing they are masters of their craft.
The energy with which they played was contagious, everyone on and off the stage was moving. I stood in complete awe like a dumb idiot. Shane’s vocals were perfect. Paul (guitar) played catch with himself and his guitar pick in the middle of a few songs. Josh (guitar) was tearing it up in what looked like a flight suit. Billy (bass) was an absolute beast. Paul was dialed in on the drums.
Silverstein played some of the classics (“My Heroine,” “Smile In Your Sleep,” “Smashed Into Pieces”), which admittedly made me a little emotional. They also played their newest single “Burn It Down,” which is a total jam. Silverstein closed out their set with “Afterglow,” and their set was 1000/10.
August Burns Red
August Burns Red was next, and I had high expectations for their set.
Those expectations were blown to dust.
August Burns Red plays like five hundred tanks barrelling for the front line. They are powerful and dominating, but also perfectly in sync. They played with an energy that puts them in the elite category. I’ve never seen anything like it. They turned the entire venue into a mosh pit.
Constellations was played in its entirety and it was absolutely perfect. This was the first album I listened to from the band, so most of my favorite ABR songs are on it. The members put their musical talents on full display during the mostly instrumental song “Meridian,” where Jake (vocals) played bass and Dustin (bass) switched to guitar.
After their impressive set, Matt (drums) and Dustin came onstage and put on an impressive drum performance to open up the band’s encore. The band played “Ghosts,” “Invisible Enemy,” and “Composure” to close out the night.
I really cannot say enough about August Burns Red’s performance. They are, hands down, one of the best live bands I’ve seen, and the show in its entirety makes my top five list of best shows I’ve been to. Definitely check out all three bands if you’re not familiar, and catch them on tour whenever you can.
Special thanks to August Burns Red, Mike and Amy at Atom Splitter PR, and the entire staff at Skyway Theatre.
