August Burns Red is one of the hardest working bands in heavy metal. They've released music nearly every year since 2006, and have toured the globe extensively and almost non-stop since then.
So why haven't I seen them until now? I really don't have a good excuse. I love this band, and I've written about their live DVD here and their Christmas songs here. If you listened to any of the songs I've included, you'll soon hear that ABR (as their fans are prone to chant) love breakdowns. I was excited to see how that would translate to a live setting.
This tour is a special one, as it's celebrating the 10 year anniversary of their landmark album Messengers. That album was the first to feature their current lineup, and the album that really put them on the map in the metalcore scene. I was happy to return to one of my favorite venues to catch the tour, the Observatory in Orange County.
The Iron Son
I arrived early to find a band already playing a set. The Iron Son is a local SoCal metal band who was added last minute. The show was sold out, but as I was early, the place was still pretty empty so I was able to make my way right to the front of the stage.
The band was good, but fairly derivative. I liked them, and they've definitely got potential. Maybe with a larger crowd I'd be able to feel the energy a bit more. The lead vocalist, Brandan, obviously worked out a lot and a couple of girls in the audience catcalled him. He could have easily made it all about him, but instead he turned the focus back to the music. He even deprecated himself by pointing to his niece and commenting, "I'm old." Bonus points for the front man steering the show back towards the music.
The live stuff I found on YouTube was pretty low quality, so instead I'm sharing their record. Enjoy!
The Iron Sun Setlist: TBD
Setlist: N/A
Sound: ★★★★ out of 5
Energy: ★★★½ out of 5
Live Performance: ★★★ out of 5
Overall: ★★★ out of 5
'68
Despite introducing themselves as "Snoop Doggy Dogg and Dr. Dre," '68 is the newest project from Josh Scogin, whom you might know as the mastermind of The Chariot or as being the original vocalist for Norma Jean (whom I get to see in March). Second to ABR, I was most looking forward to seeing '68. It's a two man group, so I was fascinated to see how they'd be able to perform live.
The way they did it was by using loops, mostly, which irked some attendees but didn't bother me. It gave Josh more freedom to perform, and this really was a performance, more than anything. He was hilarious, while his drummer let him do his thing. I heard another fan mention that he should go into stand-up comedy. Some one-liners include, "I want to thank all of my friends for being in this band," and "This is a new song, you've never heard it. Sing along." He even had a heckler demand to show us his boobs, to which he replied, "My eyes are up here." Well done, Josh.
So they were funny, but how was the music? I'd say if you weren't on board already, you might have a hard time getting into it. As mentioned, '68 uses a lot of guitar loops, and they also use lots of distortion, resulting in a very messy, noisy sound. If you like The Chariot, you'll probably like '68. I do, so I loved it. Josh even sang the bridge of "One Armed Scissor" by At the Drive-In during one of the breakdowns, crafting a loving tribute while allowing fans to sing along.
I've included the music video to the last song they played, which happens to be my favorite song. It seems like a really typical, low budget warehouse video but morphs into something unique as the song progresses. Just watch and see what I mean, and go check out '68 if they come to your town.
'68 Setlist: TRACK 3 g | TRACK 8 o | You'll Miss Us | TRACK 1 R
Setlist: ★★★ out of 5
Sound: ★★★ out of 5
Energy: ★★★½ out of 5
Live Performance: ★★★★½ out of 5
Overall: ★★★½ out of 5
In Hearts Wake
It was at this point that my friend Jeremy finally arrived at the Observatory. It had taken him 4 hours to drive 65 miles; LA traffic is always bad, and can be a nightmare at times. Better late than never, though.
In Hearts Wake is a metalcore band all the way from Australia, which became apparent when the lead vocalist spoke to us between songs. He wasn't too chatty, however. He thanked us for coming and he introduced Barry, an inflatable shark he tossed into the audience for us to play with, ride, and mosh with during the set. At one point, he took to crowdsurfing on top of Barry while performing. That was the highlight of their set, for me.
They were the only other band I was not familiar with prior to the concert. I enjoyed them a lot in a live setting, but their studio stuff hasn't grabbed me just yet. They were the second most energetic band to perform (after ABR), and you could tell they loved what they were doing. Both of these things add to the performance, and I'd probably rate them a bit higher if I was more into their music and their environmentalist message. I've embedded my favorite song from the setlist, see what you think.
In Hearts Wake Setlist: Refuge | Healer | Survival (The Chariot) | Badlands | Divine | Breakaway | Earthwalker
Setlist: N/A
Sound: ★★★ out of 5
Energy: ★★★★½ out of 5
Live Performance: ★★★ out of 5
Overall: ★★★½ out of 5
Protest the Hero
I was really looking forward to seeing Canada's Protest the Hero in a live setting. It took me slightly longer than usual to really get into their studio albums and understand what they were doing. Rody, the vocalist, is a bit unorthodox for metalcore music. Rather than growling and screaming, he has a more operatic delivery. He screams, for sure, but it's mostly clean singing. He really is a talented singer with a fantastic voice, so it has since grown on me. The music is like a mix of progressive metal and metalcore. It's very complex and math-oriented, so I was hoping they'd bring the technical proficiency to the live show. For the most part, they did, but Jeremy and I did notice 4-5 unfortunate slip ups. (He's a drummer who has toured, so he probably caught a few more than I did.)
Like '68, Rody made a few jokes between songs. Though he wasn't as funny or clever as Josh, he had a few good bits. He had a bit about "beanies vs. tooks" that was pretty funny but went on a bit too long. He also made a crack about only giving 10% effort when he's tired. It was funny, but probably not the best thing to say to a paying crowd.
Overall, they played a great set, and I'd like to see them again. If it weren't for the timing mistakes, I'd probably rate them higher. Embedded is my favorite Protest the Hero song, which they played towards the end of the set and got the biggest crowd response.
Protest the Hero Setlist: Yellow Teeth | Sex Tapes | Tidal | Sequoia Throne | Harbinger | Limb From Limb | Bloodmeat | Skies
Setlist: ★★★★ out of 5
Sound: ★★★ out of 5
Energy: ★★★ out of 5
Live Performance: ★★★½ out of 5
Overall: ★★★ out of 5
August Burns Red
As soon as August Burns Red took the stage, the crowd went insane. Since Jeremy and I were still in the front section, we got the full physical and audio effects, for which I'm both grateful and sorry and the same time. Since this is the ten year anniversary tour, they played the Messengers album in its entirety, beginning to end. Normally, I prefer more of a "mix tape" approach to a set list, but since the album is so good, I didn't mind. We probably got to hear songs they haven't played in awhile, which is always a treat.
As expected, ABR had the most breakdowns per song, and the largest and second craziest mosh pit I've ever been in. At no point did it let up. The energy was intense and was maintained for the duration of their set, and I don't know how they are able to keep it going for that period of time. Granted, they're veterans at this point and have been doing it for over a decade, but it's tough to imagine the physical toll it must take night after night. I wasn't even playing and I was exhausted by the end.
The highlights for me were my favorite songs from the album: The Truth of a Liar and The Blinding Light, which has one of the most creative riffs I've heard in a long time. After finishing the album, without much chatter, ABR left the stage, and the crowd immediately demanded more. The encore was five songs long (six if you count the drum solo), which was more than expected but very welcome.
The encore set was a bit looser than the album set, and the band interacted with us a bit more. Two funny stories were told: First, Jake (the vocalist) singled out a guy in the front who kept motioning for him to pay attention to a young kid in the front row. He joked that he did notice the kid, but he couldn't directly respond because he was performing. Being good sports about it, they brought the kid and his dad onto the stage for a photo op while the crowd chanted, "Kid, kid, kid, kid..." It was simultaneously a funny and sweet moment. The other funny story came courtesy of Brent, the rhythm guitarist. He mentioned that at dinner that night, a young man approached them and proclaimed, "Hey, you guys are August Burns Red!" Brent replied, "Yeah, how's it going? Are you coming to the show?" The young man replied, "No, I don't listen to you guys anymore, I listen to jazz." This story got a big laugh from the crowd.
I don't really know how to improve on Jeremy's comment after the show, "That will be hard to beat."
August Burns Red Setlist: The Truth of a Liar | Up Against the Ropes | Back Burner | The Blinding Light | Vital Signs | The Eleventh Hour | The Balance | Black Sheep | An American Dream | Redemption
Encore: Drum Solo | Empire | Fault Line | Martyr | Ghosts | White Washed
Setlist: ★★★★ out of 5
Sound: ★★★★ out of 5
Energy: ★★★★½ out of 5
Live Performance: ★★★★★ out of 5
Overall: ★★★★★ out of 5
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