This line up is a fan’s dream, Crown the Empire, Born of Osiris, We Came as Romans, August Burns Red and Asking Alexandria, under one roof. I couldn’t be more excited to cover this show. These are all heavy bands that have a massive following, in part because of their touring history on Vans Warped tour. Warped Tour is a great opportunity for bands to get exposure and meet other bands that down the road they can tour with. The outcome is incredible, a sold out crowd on a Wednesday night.
Crown the Empire
These guys are fairly new to scene but quickly gaining momentum. Dallas rockers Crown the Empire signed with Rise records in early 2012 and by the summer of 2013, they earned a coveted slot on Vans Warped Tour. They have since made their way back into the studio to work on their sophomore album which will be released sometime late in 2014. This was a band coming into the show I knew nothing about but the lineup was pretty solid so I had an idea of what to expect. Watching them on stage, I would have had no idea these guys were still such a young band, they had great chemistry moving around on stage and bouncing off the crowd and one another. They definitely have room to grow and improve, but for a first impression, they killed it.
Born of Osiris
This was my first time seeing Born of Osiris as well, once again trusting judgment on the bill for the evening I was all about checking them out. The most exciting thing about the band was their bassist, David Darocha, he was throwing his dreads all over the place, leaning off the side of the stage singing into the crowd’s face. Everyone else just fell short for me. I don’t expect artists to constantly be running and jumping around, but basic stuff, like stopping to have any sort of dialogue with the crowd and making yourself accessible to them is so important, when you go through a routine it shows.
We Came as Romans
Now this is a band I know and love seeing live, they have this constant energy that is just infectious. This is a six piece band featuring a clean vocalist and an unclean vocalist, from the second the music starts, they’re off. “Unclean Vocalist” David Stephens is usually the first to jump in and gets right in the crowds face, closely followed by clean vocalist, Kyle Pavone who spent the first song kind of in the middle of the stage bouncing around. Once they transitioned into their second song, Kyle jumped off the stage and into the crowd and preformed the whole song down there. I love the accessibility of this band, they look like they genuinely love what they do and it comes across in their shows.
August Burns Red
I have always really liked seeing August Burns Red, their in your face thrashing style keeps their shows fun and interesting for fans. Jake Luhrs is a huge force in the band, his roaring vocals and powerful stances demand your attention. Guitarist, JB Brubaker and bassist, Dustin Davidson really bounce off one another’s energy, they both like to run around the stage and from time to time pent up on the monitors at the top of the stage. The band’s dynamic along is enough to draw your attention. Everyone in the crowd was moving around, moshing and shouting every word back to Luhrs. They put on a great show and really got everyone amped up.
Asking Alexandria
Their stage set up was pretty large, they had their drum kit on a raised platform with their signature banner as a backdrop. As the Fillmore went pitch black a couple lights at the top of the riser illuminated James Cassells standing behind his drum kit then one by one, the rest of the band jumped in. I have always loved photographing this band, they’re fun, they run around and shred on their guitars and they are incredibly accessible. Ben Bruce and Cameron Liddell usually pent up at the top of the stage and shred back to back. It makes for a pretty epic stance when you have someone in the band who plays left handed. They sounded great, but really the weakest link in the band is vocalist, Danny Worsnop. He seems so disconnected from the rest of the band and the fans and he wasn’t as vocally sound as he used to be. He sounded a little off, but the show went on and between the light show and the energy from the rest of the band, everyone really seemed to have a killer time.
Crown the Empire
Born of Osiris
We Came As Romans
August Burns Red
Asking Alexandria
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