Friday Oct 14th - Bring Me The Horizon, who are currently on a 20-date US tour, would bring this year's popular "Post Human Tour" to Chicago. Support for this tour would include Knocked Loose, Grandson, and Siiickbrain, making it one of the more diverse lineups for a tour this year. The Wintrust Arena in the heart of downtown Chicago would be the setting for the evening. The arena, located just a few blocks from two iconic Chicago stadiums, The United Center and Solider Field, was built about 5 years ago and is currently home to the DePaul Blue Demons sports program as well as the 2020 World Champion Chicago Sky women's basketball team. Boasting an impressive capacity of close to 10.5K fans, the arena would be what looked to be close to capacity in the 1st & 2nd decks, with a large amount of fans in the pit, but still allowing for a lot of free space towards the back for anyone not looking to be packed in too tightly. This would be my first time at the arena, and I have to say it was extremely clean and well setup, with the entry experience through security and the seating areas to be very quick and smooth, and the staff being friendly.
Starting the show off would be Siiickbrain hailing from North Carolina. An artist I was admittedly unfamiliar with prior to the show, I wasn't exactly sure what to expect. Labeled a "screamo-electro artist", Siiickbrain per her bio has "developed a unique sound that combines alternative, rock & metal complete with raw yet palatable screaming. Her music touches on familiar topics with her generation: drug abuse and mental health, as well as the societal pressures and experiences young women face today." The set would begin with the track "Overdrive" and include others such as "Destructible," "Power," "Jealousy," and "Fear The Sun," before rounding things out with "I'm Sick". It was overall an energetic performance with herself and the band showing they came to get the crowd started off on the right foot. After checking out more of her discography after the event, a few tracks I would recommend to check out if you're unfamiliar and interested would be "Silence" & "Destructible".
Grandson, a Canadian/American musician, would take the stage next. Another artist I had not heard prior to this evening, per his bio "He combines a mix of bluesy hard rock guitars, trap-influenced beats and EDM production mixed with lyrics pertaining to addiction, mental health issues, and the struggles of everyday life." Starting off with his track "6:00", there was no shortage of energy for this performance either as he would spend what seemed like the entirety of the set bouncing around on stage, getting the crowd engaged. He and the band would fill out the set with his tracks "Despicable," "We Did It!!!," & "Oh No!!!," "Riptide," before closing the set with "Blood // Water". Fans of bands like Twenty One Pilots, I believe, would enjoy at least a few songs from his discography, such as "Overdose" and "Dirty."
The Oldham County boys in Knocked Loose would be up next. I saw the band back in April on their ATITFOL headline tour, and I can assure you that they are still playing at as high of a level as ever. One of my favorite bands to see live, they would start their set with an intensity that never let up, coming out to the opening track "Where Light Divides The Holler" from their last album "A Tear In The Fabric Of Life," which was celebrating its one year anniversary on the same day. Delivering some of the most intense live performances in the genre, the band sounded as good as ever with vocalist Bryan Garris belting out his ridiculously impressive signature screams, which seem to just get better with time, and Isaac continually provoking the crowd, calling them out to get more and more rowdy, while two stepping around the stage and aiding Bryan on the vocal duties. The set would continue with a bunch of favorite tracks of any KL fan such as "Trapped In The Grasp Of A Memory," "God Knows," "Denied By Fate," "Billy No Mates," "Forget Your Name," "Bellville," "Deadringer," "Oblivions Peak," "Mistakes Like Fractures," before causing one last chaotic all out pit with "Permanent".
Closing out the night would be none other than modern metalcore / hard rock legends Bring Me The Horizon. In 2004, the band formed in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, and debuted in 2006 with their debut album "Count Your Blessings." A band I've been following since the beginning of their career, it's been a pleasure to witness the band's evolution from deathcore to now more rock oriented style music with some classic BMTH flair still in there. They'd start the set with a clear crowd favorite, "Can You Feel My Heart," which sent the audience into screams after the first few notes rang out, followed by an overwhelming amount of singing along from the audience. Throughout the night, there would be no shortage of their hits, which would be interspersed with fan favorites such as "Happy Song," "Teardrops," "Mantra," and "Dear Diary." This would be my second time seeing the band perform in the last month, the first being at the Louder Than Life Festival in Louisville, KY when they kicked off their US tour, and the band continues to deliver a high energy performance each time. Oli has one of the best stage presences among front men because he enjoys engaging with the audience and getting them pumped up to the best of their abilities. They'd continue the set with "Parasite Eve" and "Strangers" before launching into another Sempiternal classic and personal favorite, "Shadow Moses," which had the audience bouncing throughout. After a brief intermission during which "Itch For The Cure" was played over the sound system, the band returned with "Kingslayer" and "DiE4u," before bringing out Bryan Garris for a special performance of "Diamonds Aren't Forever," which incited a few pits. They'd slow things down while pretending to end the night with another of their sing-along hits, "Drown." After a brief applause, the band returned for a double encore that included "Obey" and arguably their most popular song, "Throne."
While the tour is just about wrapping up, there are still a handful of dates available for you to attend if you're lucky enough to live in one of the remaining cities left on this run. Once things wrap up Knocked Loose will be heading on a 3 date California run with support from Sunami, and then will head to Las Vegas for this years sold out 3 date When We Were Young Festival, before heading overseas for a full European tour. The boys in Bring Me the Horizon will join Knocked Loose at the When We Were Young Festival and then have nothing on the horizon for the time being, but rumor has it will begin working on new music once this tour wraps up, so expect to hear some new material sometime soon hopefully!
*Gallery Updated Periodically
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