THAT'S THE SPIRIT at Worcester Palladium with BMTH, ISSUES & PVRIS
On October 7th, headliners Bring Me The Horizon along with special guests Issues and PVRIS traveled to the Palladium in Worcster, Massachusets for a highly anticipated, sold out show. With a stacked lineup, and home town show for PVRIS, ecstatic fans packed out the venue ready for an incredible night of live music.
PVRIS was the first band to take the stage. The group, comprised of dynamic lead singer Lynn Gunnulfsen, guitarist Alex Babinski, and bassist Brian MacDonald, has been making noise in the genre since becoming the first female-fronted band to sign with Rise Records. They kicked off their set and the show with the atmospheric title track off their debut (and as of now only) full-length album “White Noise.” They followed with impassioned album track “Fire,” before launching into the hook driven “Mirrors” and anthemic track that had the crowd screaming along every time the chorus dropped. The band then slowed things down a bit with the introspective “Holy,” a song that gave Gunnulfsen an opportunity to really showcase her substantial vocal ability. Between her vocal performance and the song’s thoughtful, poignant lyrics and lilting melodies, “Holy” was undoubtedly one of the highlights of the show.
PVRIS ramped the energy up again with the aggressive “Smoke” a fan favorite during live shows for it’s fiery intensity and catchy chorus. By this point in the show, crowd surfers were out in full force, and the amped up, sold out crowd was bouncing around wildly. The band finished off their set with two of their most popular songs, the first being their first single from White Noise, St. Patrick, a vibrant, bright track tinged with electronic and pop elements and huge drops following each chorus. When the time came the fans bellowed out the anthemic chorus with fervent enthusiasm. PVRIS closed their set with a rousing and passionate performance of “My House” which brought the frenzied crowd to a fever pitch. Following Gunnulfsen’s lead, the crowd jumped up and down during the entire performance, screaming the chorus when prompted, appreciating the innate intensity of the song which would be the band’s last of of the night. By the end of the set it was apparent why PVRIS has gained an abundance of acclaim and praise in just a few short years since their formation.
Next to take the stage providing direct support for Bring Me The Horizon was another Rise Records signed band, the eclectic and electrifying ISSUES. With six members and a diverse mixture of musical influences, ISSUES has quickly gained a large and passionate fan base through their exciting live shows and self-titled debut album. Charismatic, smooth-voiced front man Tyler Carter provides clean vocals for the band, while Michael Bohn creates a heavier sound for the group with his unclean vocals. The pairs contrasting vocal styles combine seamlessly creating a compelling and powerful dynamic. ISSUES is rounded out by AJ Rebollo on guitar, Josh Manuel on drums and and Skyler Accord on the keys. From the very beginning of their set, ISSUES had the fans in a frenzy, with pits opening up intermittently and crowd surfing plentiful throughout.
The group kicked off their energetic set with “Stingray Affliction” the spirited first single from their self titled debut album before following up with the heavier “Life Of A Nine,” and “Sad Ghost” album tracks from their debut. Their set also included fan favorite singles from their debut “Never Lose Your Flames” and “Mad At Myself.” The former featured flawless transitions between Carter’s pure, clear sound and Bohn’s unclean vocals , while the anthemic, hook driven latter track had fans emphatically shouting out the chorus each time it came around. Also notable was the group’s performance of brand new song “The Realist,” which received a positive reaction, and had the crowd engaged despite the song not having yet been released.
A standout moment in ISSUES’ set came with their emotional performance of the touching “Disappear [Remember When],” which Carter dedicated to anyone who has lost a loved one. Given the chance to take center stage, both Carter and his considerable vocal abilities proved to be both impressive and evocative. The band closed with super-fun and relatable current single “Hooligans,” recorded in 2013, a song that blends a heavier metal style with, pop, hip hop and R&B elements. ISSUES’ thrilling performance displayed why this group and its fan base have grown exponentially since they came together in 2012.
Finally, headliners Bring Me The Horizon, recently signed to Columbia Records took the stage for their much anticipated 13-song set. The excitement throughout the venue was palpable in the moments before the group came out, a testament to the cult like following they have built during their expansive careers. Bring Me The Horizon is made up of front-man and lead singer Oli Sykes, keyboardist Jordan Fish, drummer Matt Nichols, bassist Matt Kean, and guitarist Lee Malia. Throughout the night, Sykes displayed the charisma and showmanship of a seasoned, veteran performer. He connects with the fans on a deep level with emotional lyrics, in addition stoking the fire by vehemently challenging them to create sizable circle pits several times throughout the show. The energy and emotion he injects into the group’s performances set their live shows apart from many other bands.
Bring Me The Horizon started their set with the ethereal “Doomed,” the first track from their new record That’s The Spirit, released in September. The song is a very effective opening track, with a looming, emotional chorus that allows Sykes to demonstrate his clean vocal ability with drawn out deliveries. “Happy Song” a promotional single from the same album followed. The sarcasm laden “Happy Song” has become somewhat of an anthem for fans since it’s release, and it had fans singing along from the satirical twist on cheerleading chant that the song leads off with. BMTH turned back the clock a bit with their inclusion of "Chelsea Smile," a song from their 2010 album Suicide Season.
Also performed were numerous tracks from BMTH’s incredibly successful 2013 record Sempiternal, which won the fan vote Album of the Year award at the first annual APMA’S. Notable tracks performed from this album included all four singles that were released: one of the band’s most popular tracks “Shadow Moses,” which has bellowed lyrics including the albums title, the anthemic, sing along friendly, “Sleepwalking,” the emotional and stirring “Can You Feel My Heart” and another easy to sing along to song, “Go To Hell For Heaven’s Sake” that had the crowd chanting along fervently. Additionally, the band played the impassioned and heavily opinionated “House of Wolves,” and “Antivist,” a rebellious song most reminiscent of their older material which they closed their set with before the encore. The previous two tracks, along with “Shadow Moses,” and “Happy Song,” included bursting CO2 cannons throughout the performance, contributing to the stellar production their set offered throughout the band’s entire time on stage. The tracks from Sempiternal were, as always, received incredibly well by the crowd, who’s passionate support continues to help the record remain one of the bands most popular and successful.
BMTH also featured two other album tracks “Throne” and “True Friends.” The former is an uplifting track about always fighting, and standing back up when you have been knocked down, while the latter is a scathing condemnation of deceitful and dishonest friends who are well versed in betrayal and disloyalty. After "Antvist," the original closer, and the crowd's convincing pleas for "one more song" Bring Me The Horizon returned to the stage for a two song encore. The first was "Blessed With A Curse" from the group's 2010 album There Is A Hell Believe Me I've Seen It, There Is A Heaven Lets Keep it A Secret. With the energy in the building reaching a fever pitch, BMTH brought the house down with a performance of "Drown," the first single from That's The Spirit. The song, which was widely successful, received substantial support and promotion from Sirius XM rock music station Octane. The thrilling performance ended with the biggest burst of the CO2 cannons yet, complete with confetti raining down on the hundreds of fans in attendance.
Bring Me The Horizon, ISSUES, and PVRIS brought an exhilarating night of music to the Worcester, and another great concert to the Palladium. Each band brought a unique and compelling element to the lineup, combining to combining perfectly to provide fans with a diverse and exciting show.
