A Day To Remember started off their Parks and Devastation Tour on September 4th, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at Stage AE. The Florida-based band is still riding the high of their last release, Common Courtesy and did not disappoint fans by playing almost every song off of that album.
The show started out with post-hardcore band Chiodos. Despite being around since 2001, the band has experienced many band member changes, including both losing and gaining two new members just days before this tour. However, their set went great and the new members really seemed to blend well with the existing musicians. I had never seen them live before, but was very impressed with their sound and stage presence. Frontman Craig Owens was also spotted hanging at their merch tent amongst many fans for most of the night, which is always great to see.
Next up was the last minute addition, Motionless in White. What came as a surprise to many of those who planned on attending, ended up having a surprisingly good reaction. More and more tours these days seem to be mixing different bands of slightly different genres with pretty positive results. They had the crowd clapping along amongst a few mosh pits and I think many people rethought their snap judgements about them. The band will be releasing a new album, Reincarnate, on September 16th.
The third, and probably most-anticipated act, was British metalcore band Bring Me The Horizon. They are still following the success of their most recent full-length album,Sempiternal, which came out last year. Opening with ‘Shadow Moses’, the band instantly drew viewers in with their impressive lighting and sound. What you witnessed was not only studio-reminiscent, but you could feel the emotion in which frontman Oli Sykes was delivering the lyrics. Recently opening up about his recovery from addiction, he spoke of how singing on this album, not just screaming, was very important to him. You could see and hear the rawness in his vocals. The entire experience was amazing to witness.
Finally, headliners A Day To Remember are no strangers to Stage AE. With multiple sell-outs over the years it’s no surprise that they chose to start their fall tour in Pittsburgh. Known for their impressive stage production, they did not disappoint. Basing the stage around a fake campfire, there were trees and their very own take on Mt. Rushmore but with the band members faces. The eyes of the faces would light up and shoot lazers and was all-in-all a very cool addition to the usual normal backdrop concert attendees are used to seeing. Their live performance was nothing short of phenomenal, varying from hardcore to acoustic songs, every single one had the crowd headbanding or swaying along. Props like confetti, toilet paper, and the famous hamster ball really get their audience involved with the show. No matter how many bands I see live, there are none that quite compare to the atmosphere that A Day To Remember provides. Definitely check out this band and tour if they come through your town, it is even worth traveling for.
– Hannah
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