Fri Feb 16th - With our second national tour show in 2 days (Silent Planet on Thursday), we visit The Forge in Joliet, Illinois for a show which we hope is filled with some chaos. This tour started out on January 19th with supporting bands AngelMaker, Left to Suffer, Reflections, and Alluvial. Left to Suffer was on the bill until February 3rd where they would break off and start their tour with Gideon. Until I Wake would be their replacement for the remainder of the tour. On this specific night local hardcore giants, VCTMS was added to the bill a couple hours before show time due to the lead singer of Until I Wake being sick. On this chilly Friday evening, The Forge offered early entry to their upstairs venue the Icon Room, for the first 150 people, which within the first 45 mins was filled to capacity. There was a pure adrenaline buzz in the air, as fans were getting excited for the show. With lines stretching around the corner and down the street, The Forge was going to make their max capacity of close to 1200 people. As the doors opened fans hurriedly rush down stairs to get their positions on the barricade. Regardless of where you are in this venue, it’s always good viewing of the stage, and definitely a lot of action for these types of shows, which I live for as a photographer. Enough rambling, on with the carnage!!!
Courtesy of The Forge
Like I had said earlier, VCTMS was thrown into the mix last minute to fill an open slot, and with being a local band, you damn well better bet they are bringing a lot of the local fans. Opening their set with “Ask Yourself”, the crowd immediately went into a frenzy. It was time to get the pits started! The floor at The Forge looked like a whirlpool of bodies, slamming off of one another. Continuing with the chaos, VCTMS went into their next two songs “Feed the Vice” and “Between Tragedy Deadly Flowers Bloom”, kept the floor moving with a numerous amount of crowd surfers. As an opening band you pretty much set the tone for the night, and VCTMS went well above and beyond for this one. Back in October VCTMS released their new album VOLUME V THE HURT COLLECTION. This is definitely a must listen, and if you see this band on a bill, please check them out. They will be touring with Upon a Burning Body this Spring.
Alluvial hit the stage next, and brought the pain to this crowd. Opening with “Exponent”, and the floor began to kick into action again. Bodies bounced off each other, and fans were on a high of adrenaline. During the next two songs, “Thy Underling” and "Sarcoma”, fans went into crowd surf mode. Bodies were sent at venue security like a massive wave crashing on the rocks. It got to the point were I had to step up and help catch a few of the surfers. Always a good time when working the pit at these shows. Other songs played on this set were, “Bag Dweller”, “Fogbelt”, “Sleepers Become Giants” and “Ulysses”. Two amazing bands down, and this crowd was amped-up and ready for more.
Continuing to bring the energy were Reflections. They opened their set with “From Nothing”, and yet again the crowd went back into pit mode. The band hammered down on the crowd with their next two songs, “Psychosis” and “Isolation”. Another wave of crowd surfers slammed the venue security during “Cicada”, and continued on through the set. Other songs played during this set were, “Noir”, “Sadist”, “Limbo”, and “Shadow Self”. Fans were definitely going to keep this energy going, with AngelMaker up next.
The guys from AngelMaker hit the stage running. The opening number “Radiance in the Light of a Dying Sun” got the crowd moshing. The crowd went hard during “The Bridge Between”, sending bodies over the barricade at security. It was definitely a chaotic scene, as The Forge security was catching one body after another. Other photographers and myself were dodging crowd surfers to get our shots. This set laid carnage on the fans who were on the floor. At times people were seen moshing in the upper balcony of the venue. Songs played on this set included, “Suffer Forever”, “Day/Day”, “Godless”, “Gutless”, “Shia LaBeouf”, “Vengeance”, “A Dark Omen”, “Hollow Heart”, and “Leech”. The crowd definitely looked tired after this one.
As we roll into the final band of the night, remind you, this crowd has been going at 110% since the start of the show. Will they bring it for the final act? You damn well bet they did! Chicago's own Veil of Maya hit the stage and got the crowd in an uproar with their opening song “Tokyo Chainsaw”. “Here we go again” said one of the security guards during the start of Veil’s second song “Artificial Dose”. Bodies upon, bodies were now coming over the barricade, security seemed overwhelmed at times, but held it together to catch everyone. Now I ask, when is the best time to catch a tour? Beginning, middle, end?? I've shot numerous tours at the end, and it always seems like the last date they blow the rest of them out of the water. There were a lot of rangers on this set list like, “Viscera”, “Doublespeak”, and “Unbreakable”. Until next time peeps!
Review & Photography By: Jim Helmecy Jr.
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