Underoath Fall Tour
Dec 10, 2009 Concert News
Posted by
wiegmake
This past Saturday (12/05) I was in the Madison area and I had a few options for entertainment. Matthew West was touring his Christmas show at a nearby theater, with a special appearance from the Veggietales stars Bob and Larry. While just a few miles away (several actually), Underoath was headlining at The Rave in Milwaukee. I chose to join a few friends and head to Milwaukee for the metalcore over the mellow and what I got was a whole new experience for me in many ways.
I have seen a handful of “screamo” acts at Lifest, but never in a secular venue like The Rave. The Rave is a cool venue in an old theater full of architectural styles and multiple stages. Prior to the main arena opening there were three smaller stages sporting local and regional bands. We previewed three of these acts and of the three only one was worth listening too. One of the acts still had not learned that there was more to the genre than just screaming lyrics that were in comprehendible. It was torture as the young lead sounded like he was going through puberty all over again mid scream. Fortunately this was not a precursor of how the main acts were going to be.
I was very interested in how the show would go down and how different it would be in a more secular setting. When the main doors finally opened, we were able to find a decent spot in the upper balcony to take it all in. Not too long after settling in I got my first dose of just how different the night would be, as we were asked if we had any “herb” to spare. It’s been a long time since I’ve been questioned like this at a concert. It was quite humorous. Aside from that one incident there was no indication that others were interested in cooking spices and there was only one annoying drunk, who just happened to park herself right behind me during the headliner, singing (I use that term loosely) every lyric along with the band. My only consolation was that I was sure she was going to pay for it in the morning.
All that aside the show was amazing and the crowd reaction was mind blowing. Right from the start when Emery, the opening act at 8:00pm, came on board singing a Christmas tune until the final note from Underoath at 11:15pm, the crowd never stopped jumping, slamming, and shouting. I have never seen such unbridled energy in a mosh pit before. Yet it was all quasi-controlled and more disciplined than a square dance on a Louisiana Saturday night. The etiquette was amazing to watch. As a person fell, there were at least two others that instantly jumped into action and picked them up. Others stood by in the circle and protected those who were just watching the bands. The coordinating hand signals and synchronized moshing was so distracting I had a hard time deciding which to watch, the moshers or the band. It was a cool experience and a much more energized feeling than I had expected.
As I mentioned, Emery opened the night and I was most familiar with their music over all of the other bands. Having not been a big fan of the screamo style of music, I was quickly won over with their dual vocals and their amazing performance. Following up Emery was the band August Burns Red. August Burns Red was straight up screaming compared to the mix of melodies and scream from Emery. I was imagining that many parents would think ABR low guttural screams were demonic, as well as the impulsive slam dancing in the mosh pit, but at the same time, I was picturing the lead singer teaching 5th grade history while not on the road or even Sunday School at his home church. He just had that kind of vibe that although he sang like a mad man, he was far from it. Closing out the night was of course Underoath and I was really blown away by their live show. I have never seen such a spaztastic display of keyboarding as I did from Christopher Dudley.
The musicianship was tight and I particularly liked how Aaron Gillespie sang some leads and backups, equalizing the screamo with a bit of standard hard rock. Towards the end of their set, Spencer started to thank the audience for coming and he started to allude to why they did what they did and why they so much enjoyed playing music. It peaked my attention right away and I immediately wondered to what he would give the credit. I was ignorantly stunned when he broke out and shared the gospel at that point. It was short and concise and not at all inappropriate for the moment. It was a moment when I realized how prudish I was with my preconceived ideas of how the night would go.
Overall the night was entertaining and enlightening. I believe I have a much more openness to the genre, which was evidenced by how well I enjoyed the screamo sampler CD that was being given away outside as we exited the club. I look forward to seeing more bands like Underoath, August Burns Red and Emery in the future. As well as writing more reviews for the genre on AlphaOmegaNews. There are just a few dates left in the United States before Underoath heads overseas for some shows. Check out their MySpace page http://www.myspace.com/underoath or their official website at http://underoath777.com/index.php for more details.
- Ken W.
Tags: August Burns Red, Emery, Underoath
