Two days before the Independence Celebration in good ol’ ‘Murica and these three bands offered up an amazing night of a new kind of liberation in their music, the kind where one’s soul is free from the shackles and chains that have been weighing them down, that freedom where you can check your burdens at the door and just enjoy some incredible music. August Burns Red celebrated their 10th Anniversary of their landmark “Constellations” album at the Skyway Theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota with extremely special guests Silverstein and Silent Planet. Los Angeles’ Silent Planet was the first to take the stage.
Talk about an incredibly emotional performance. I must confess that when I first saw them at the Vans Warped Tour in either 2017 or 2018, I wasn’t sure how to take them. Silent Planet offers up some atmospheric ambiance to go along with their gutteral screams and absolutely heavy arrangements. However, I decided to approach this with an open mind thinking that maybe they just had an off night that night I saw them at the Vans Warped Tour. What myself and the packed Skyway Theater immediately noticed was a band that has matured and became supremely confident on stage. They felt comfortable expressing themselves and the issues that they stand for. From a mental health perspective, they won me over with their passion and leaving it all on the stage. I would say a good 75% of the audience was really into them but the other 25% wasn’t sure how to take them and even heard a comment “why is he yelling when there’s no heavy parts”. Silent Planet certainly has something to say. This country needs to be awakened on the issues of sex trafficking and mental health disorders. When will the media talk about these poignant issues? Silent Planet is a band that the metal world needs. With their chest pounding riffs and passionate vocals, Silent Planet got the crowd warmed up for Silverstein, who came on next.
Silverstein made the fans hearts absolutely happy. They certainly brought the energy for the night. I was questioning how they would fit into this bill as direct support for August Burns Red but after their performance, they left me with no doubt. Their energy was impactful and life changing while bringing waves of nostalgia back into their performance. Fans sang with their hearts out to Silverstein classics such as “Smile In Your Sleep” and “My Heroine”. Fans jammed the hell out to their newer material and after their set, I had no doubt in my mind that they were an amazing fit providing direct support for August Burns Red. It felt like there was a new energy, plus I appreciated the crowd banter trying to get cheap pops from the crowd over naming off of sports heroes out of Minneapolis like Andrew Wiggins(which got boos from the crowd) and Kirby Puckett(which got loud cheers from the crowd).
Then, “Chop Suey” by System Of A Down blasted through the PA system. The diehard August Burns Red fans know that’s the song that provides the anticipatory setting before the lights go out. I knew that people were ready for August Burns Red to rock this place when they all sang “Chop Suey” at the top of their lungs. After the song was over, the lights went out and chants of ABR were deafening in the Skyway Theater. This is how I know this band is making it. Just a few short months ago, ABR packed a small venue in Minneapolis called The Cabooze and now they have packed the Skyway Theater two nights before Independence Day and the venue is easily five times its size! I am predicting that in two years they will be performing at The Armory and in several more years be selling out the Target Center. August Burns Red opened up the time capsule to their landmark 2009 release entitled “Constellations” and didn’t miss a beat at all going through the album in its entirety. This album really showcased how supremely talented August Burns Red is with their intense breakdowns, their ridiculous guitar parts, their insane rhythm section and frontman Jake Luhrs intense vocals. It makes me wonder if they are going through this album to get back to their roots in their writing process. The crowd went insane when they poured through the album including the monster metalcore hits “White Washed” and “Meddler”. They went for an encore as people chanted “one more song”, and drummer Matt Greiner and the bass player had a really awesome duel drum solo. Then, people sang their hearts out over their monster hits such as “Ghosts”, which the bass player did a great job doing the chorus that Jeremy of A Day To Remember sings, “Invisible Enemy”, “Empire” and “Composure” rounded out the encore.
You know a band is the real damn deal live when they don’t even have to prompt a crowd to mosh, crowdsurf, circle pit, or even do the wall of death. Even Jake and the band looked surprised at the response. August Burns Red may be out of Lancaster, Pennsylvania but they will become Minneapolis’s sons if they keep this up. This is how you perform live no matter what genre you are. You get people to talking and next time they come around, those people are going to tell their friends and even more people will come out to the show. I normally don’t say this or use this phrase lightly, but August Burns Red has the total “It” factor when it comes to a live metal performance. It is so intense, it’s so liberating, and their performance is life changing live. 10/10 stars for this night, all three bands! I’ve been so stressed as I don’t feel as useful in the summer, and for a night, they made me forget about those feelings. For that, thank you August Burns Red. Thank you Silverstein. Thank you Silent Planet.
There are plenty of dates left on the “Constellations” 10 Year Anniversary Tour. Check out the dates below:
Tue. 7/9- Union Hall in Edmonton, Canada
Wed. 7/10- The Palace Theatre in Calgary, Canada
Thu. 7/11- The Vogue Theatre in Vancouver, Canada
Fri. 7/12- Knitting Factory in Spokane, Washington
Sat. 7/13- Showbox SoDo in Seattle, Washington
Sun. 7/14- Roseland Theater in Portland, Oregon
Tue. 7/16- Ace of Spades in Sacramento, California
Wed. 7/17- House of Blues in San Diego, California
Fri. 7/19- House of Blues in Anaheim, California
Sat. 7/20- Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California (Vans Warped Tour)
Sun. 7/21- The Wiltern in Los Angeles, California
Tue. 7/23- House of Blues in Las Vegas, Nevada
Wed. 7/24- Marquee Theatre in Tempe, Arizona
Fri. 7/26- House of Blues in Dallas, Texas
Sat. 7/27- Emo’s in Austin, Texas
Sun. 7/28- House of Blues in Houston, Texas
Tue. 7/30- The Ritz Ybor in Tampa, Florida
Wed. 7/31- Revolution Live in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Thu. 8/1- House of Blues Orlando in Lake Buena Vista, Florida
Fri. 8/2- Tabernacle in Atlanta, Georgia
Sat. 8/3- Marathon Music Works in Nashville, Tennessee
Sun. 8/4- Ritz in Raleigh, North Carolina
Tue. 8/6- The Fillmore in Charlotte, North Carolina
Wed. 8/7- The NorVa in Norfolk, Virginia
Thu. 8/8- The Fillmore in Silver Spring, Maryland
Fri. 8/9- The Fillmore in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Sat. 8/10- Roxian Theatre in McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania
Sun. 8/11- Playstation Theater in New York, New York
For tickets and further information, click here.
Fans can find AUGUST BURNS RED at the following locations:
www.facebook.com/augustburnsred
www.instagram.com/augustburnsred
