Bring Me The Horizon and a Large, Light-up Square at the Armory

Last updated on February 10th, 2019 at 12:31 pm

The late Chester Bennington once wrote, “Time is a valuable thing, watch it fly by as the pendulum swings.” The pendulum, in my opinion, is a metaphor for age. Age is normally measured in years (unless you’re the unruly parents who have to measure in months).

As times goes by you go through fazes and do things that seem like a good idea. Crowd surfing, moshing, and flashing the band are some examples. Normally those are signs of youth and good times but, unfortunately for me, they have passed. That I’m getting older became clear at the Bring Me The Horizon, Thrice, and Fever 333 show at the Armory this week.

A good example of youth energy is Fever 333, a rapcore band from Inglewood, CA With an Adam Levine Superbowl wardrobe selection, the band brought energy to the stage and crowd which is normally not seen from an opener. The abstract energy and microphone with floor tom acrobatics were quite refreshing for a Wednesday in February in Minnesota. The band ran through their set and kept the crowd dancing before their lead singer finished with a rumbly, ear thumping rasp. It was made possible due to the fact the singer was wearing a floor tom on his head before exiting the stage before the next band.

Next up was a personal favorite, Thrice. This band got me through high school with their albums Artist In The Ambulance, The Illusion of Safety, and Vheissu. The hardcore rock, distorted guitars, and crisp vocals made them easy to sing along to, which is why they became my saving grace during those pseudo-excellent years. The band went on hiatus in 2012, so the likelihood of seeing them again was slim. Luckily enough they reconciled and have released two albums since then, To Be Everywhere Is To Be Nowhere in 2016 and Palms in 2018.

Thrice, Dustin Kensrue, bring me the horizon, the armory, minneapolis — Photo by Sara Fish, Thrice

Their performance brought me back to the times of the CD Walkman and cheap, plastic headphones. Opener “Only Us” sounded as clean as an audiobook, reminding why I’ve always loved them. Singing along with lead singer/guitarist Dustin Kensrue after all these years was pretty cool. Sharing a humbler stage presence comes with the years of playing. Giving an album quality performance is sometimes all the crowd wants.

Thrice, Teppi Teranishi, bring me the horizon, the armory, minneapolis — Photo by Sara Fish, Thrice

Everyone rushed the stage to get as close as possible when BMTH started their set. I even saw what looked like to be a seven-year-old sitting on her dad’s shoulders run by. I put in my earplugs and stood in the back. Not knowing much about BMTH besides their one popular radio song “Thrones,” I didn’t know what to expect.

Bring Me the Horizon are a metalcore, pop-screamo band with EDM (electronic dance music) interludes hailing from South Yorkshire, England. Their five members are vocalist Oliver Sykes, guitarist Lee Malia, bassist Matt Kean, drummer Matt Nicholls and keyboardist Jordan Fish (plus one large dancing square). The “square” probably isn’t a part of all their performances but it played a major part in this one.

bring me the horizon, the armory, minneapolis, oli sykes, — Photo by Sara Fish, Bring Me The Horizon

The “square” kept the crowd entertained as they performed songs from their new album Amo and the rest of their discography. A new light show was introduced for each song, adding a new dynamic which is quite different from an average rock show. The “square” carried itself over the X/Y axis, controlling the momentum of the show and turning the concert floor into a dance floor during interlude breaks. Eventually the band and “square” made the crowd kneel before it when, of course, “Thrones” came on and everyone went bananas for the grand finish.

The blinding white light and confetti was eventually traded for the “ugly lights” and reminded me of how old I felt as I left. Seeing an age-diverse, happy crowd was refreshing in this time of disagreement. We were all there for one thing, regardless of age, political views, or who you are outside the venue.

For those three hours, everyone shared one thing: the love of music.

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