Last night was yet another good time at the House of Blues in Boston. August Burns Red was in town and as usual, they delivered. I decided to go to this show on a whim on Monday after a friend of mine approached me and asked me if I wanted to go. I'm glad I did ended up going, this was definitely the best show I've seen from August Burns Red to date.
The evening opened up with I, The Breather, a Christian metalcore band from Baltimore. I listened to their debut record These Are My Sins last year and wasn't too impressed. I can now say the same about their live performance. Their music is just damn average and stagnant. The new material they played off their just released record, Truth and Purpose, didn't really sound any better either. Their not painful to listen to, but there are so many bands that do the same thing a lot better. They are essentially a second-rate version of August Burns Red and nothing more. On the plus side, their set was pretty short (25 minutes) and do have some decent guitar playing and energy. Not a completely horrible opener, but nothing special either.
Texas in July, the only one of the three openers that I actually like, hit the stage next. Their set while pretty good, was a little bit disappointing. Live their vocals don't sound as good as their studio material and the music sounds a lot more watered down by breakdowns than it actually is. Still, that didn't completely impede on my enjoyment of their set. They do know how to get the crowd going and their musicianship is at a pretty high level. The setlist was pretty solid also (happy to see "Dying World" in there, one of their best songs for sure.) though I would have liked to see "Cyclops" in there somewhere. Pretty good set overall, but I expected a bit more from them.
Silverstein was up next. Let's just say, I did not enjoy them in the least bit. I didn't even like Silverstein when I was in the 8th grade and when I was really into emo/post-hardcore bands. It's not that the music itself is so bad, it's just that the vocals are god damn awful. The clean vocals at times were so screechy and feminine that it alarmed me. I am not completely against high-pitched clean vocals (Protest the Hero is one of my favorite bands), but I just really don't like this particular style. They played for a long time (approximately 45 minutes) and the set just kept getting worse and worse. The low point though for me at least it was the string of cover songs they did by the Gorilla Biscuits, NOFX, and Propaghandi. I am not even really into those bands and it was still insulting to hear them butcher these songs by iconic punk bands. I'm sure if you're into that type music, Silverstein is great, they are just really not my thing at all.
Finally it was the time for August Burns Red to hit the stage. It took them a while to set up, which was kind of upsetting considering they didn't really have a complex stage setup. After a brief, but lame as fuck dubstep intro, August Burns Red proceeded to tear shit up for their entire 75-minute set. The set was heavy on material from the new record Leveler which made me ecstatic. The stuff from Leveler sounds great live. Much like the studio versions, hearing these songs live shows how much August Burns Red has improved as a band. "Internal Cannon" and "Cutting the Ties" were especially awesome, but I must say that "Carpe Diem" was the not only the standout of the new material, but of the entire set. Jake Luhrs vocals were nothing short of staggering during the slow section and bassist Dustin Davidson showcased some damn impressive screams himself on backup vocals. Of course, amongst the new material was a prime selection of older tracks from Constellations and Messengers, as well the surprising inclusion of "Your Little Suburbia in Ruins" from their debut album Thrill Seeker. When it comes to the older material, I think none is better live than "Marianas Trench". It's just such an immense live song and I hope it never leaves the set. Fan-favorite "Composure" closing the set was a damn near perfect choice and I hope they stick with it as a closer in the future. August Burns Red was in top form last night. They have never played tighter, had more energy, or sounded better in the three times I've seen them. Their performance last night makes me even more eager to see them again (hopefully soon).
Scores
I The Breather 5.5/10
Texas in July 7/10
Silverstein 3/10
August Burns Red 8.5/10
Setlists:
I The Breather:
Forgiven
Longevity
Bruised and Broken
The Common Good
Mentalist
Highrise
Texas In July:
?
Magnolia
Hook, Line, and Sinner
Our Freedom
Dreamer
One Reality
Dying World
?
August Burns Red:
Empire
Meddler
Internal Cannon
Cutting the Ties
Marianas Trench
Your Little Suburbia is in Ruins
The Truth of a Liar
Meridian
White Washed
Salt and Light
Poor Millionaire
Back Burner
Leveler
Drum Solo
Encore:
Carpe Diem
Composure
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