Atreyu, Memphis May Fire & More Take Over House of Blues!

Walking into the House of Blues Las Vegas, I felt like I was 16 again. For a Monday night, the crowd wasn’t bad at all. Was it overpacked? No. However, it was a nice reprieve from previous shows that appeared to be oversold due to being so hot you couldn’t breathe because you are hip to hip with the person next to you.

Another Day Dawns.

The lights went out as Another Day Dawns set up. There appeared to be some slight sound issues at the beginning, as some of their pre-programmed music kept starting and stopping. Looking around at the crowd though, no one seemed to mind. Most of us were in our early teens when we started going to these kinds of shows, and we all know shit happens.

After a few attempts, the music finally filled the venue and the light show began. Vocalist Dakota Sean greeted the crowd and asked them to make some noise for themselves for showing up on a Monday night. The band opened up their set with “Beautiful Suicide”. Unfortunately, their mix was so vocal heavy you couldn’t hear much as far as the instruments go. I will say, what lacked in sound was made up for in energy. Not a single member stopped moving during their set.

They closed out their set with “Forget Me Not” after thanking the crowd again for coming out on a school night to support all of the bands. I checked out their music a bit after seeing them live, and I am really bummed that I couldn’t get the full effect live. They remind me a lot of some of the heavier versions of Stone Temple Pilots, a little Seether, and Days of the New.

Catch Your Breath.

Next up was Catch Your Breath, who, as soon as they hit the stage, brought the energy setting the stage for the rest of the evening. Luckily for them, they seemed to have a better sound mix.

Vocalist Josh worked the crowd with ease. The venue filled up a bit more and each audience member complied with the commands from the band to get their hands up in the air. It was apparent that the crowd was well aware of Catch Your Breath, because the response was incredible.

From the outside looking in, you would think these guys were headlining. Their second track, “No Evil”, hit and the floor of the House of Blues slowly opened up into a circle pit of boys and girls varying in age. It was great to see everyone being respectful to each other as they moshed and danced together.

The band ended their set with some new songs, and the crowd was ready for them. These guys may be from Austin, TX, but it would appear that Vegas is their home away from home.

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Atreyu

Local KOMP BS In the Morning’s Graig came on to the stage to introduce Atreyu, and the crowd lost their shit.

The band’s logo slowly faded into view as the stage lights danced to the beat of the intro music. The band walked out, just a little older like the rest of us. By this time, it was shoulder to shoulder in the venue.

Regardless of us all being in our 30’s and 40’s, Atreyu’s stage presence and energy rivaled the two bands before them. Vocalist Brandon Saller commanded the crowd to throw their fists in the fucking air along with the kick drum. He held his microphone out to the crowd, and they complied with ease, singing along as the House of Blues became a sea of pumping fists.

Standing at the back of the venue, I found myself wishing I’d gotten the chance to see them in my teens when they came out, because even though the pits were mild (at first), with kids on their dad’s shoulders and light moshing, my back definitely wouldn’t be able to handle it the way it used to.

That feeling of wanting to be in the pit came back even harder as Atreyu took it back to 2004 with “Right Side of the Bed”. Luckily, the crowd was as ready for it as I was and the floor turned into a giant mosh pit that never once stopped moving.

Despite saying he didn’t feel great and was having vocal issues and trying his best to perform before “Save Us”, Brandon sounded incredible. You couldn’t even tell he was struggling to sing, and had he not pointed it out, no one would have given a damn. They didn’t anyway and were happy to help him sing along. There are good singers and there are good frontmen, and with Atreyu, you get both.

Guitarist Marc McKnight hopped off his axe and joined Brandon for dual vocals on “Battle Drums”, which turned out yet another floor length mosh pit. Those not moshing on the outskirts still danced, threw their hands up in the air, and gave the energy the band fed them right back.

The pit continued as the band moved into 2006’s “Ex’s and Oh’s”. A fan threw their jacket onto the stage, which was then worn by guitarist Dan Jacobs as the crowd chanted “Vampire Dan!” Just as the band was about to break into the next song, Brandon caught sight of an eight year old girl on her dad’s shoulders. He took a few minutes to acknowledge her and talk about the kids being why he does what he does, making a joke about it being job security to get them hooked now so Atreyu can continue on for another 20 years. It made me smile that the crowd parted for long enough to let the dad and that little one through to the front of the stage to enjoy the next track.

That’s one thing about bands that came out during the times of black eyeliner and raccoon tail extensions; they are as dedicated to their fans as their fans are to them, and from what I witnessed, Atreyu and their fans take that entire fucking cake.

They closed out their set with 2007’s “Blow” as the crowd kept their middle fingers in the air for the entirety of the song (at the band’s request of course). The only thing missing from the setlist for me was “Lip Gloss & Black”, but that’s just my inner teen coming out. It was an incredible set that I am incredibly grateful I was there to witness.

Memphis May Fire.

Memphis May Fire. These guys took the stage with such incredible energy. They played a blistering 13 song set plus two encore songs. Mostly songs played from their latest album, Remade in Misery which came out last year (also appropriately what this tour is named after), but also some songs sprinkled in from 2011’s The Hollow, 2012’s Challenger, and 2018’s Broken. (All pretty good albums, so definitely check those released out if you haven’t already.)

I have to say, after listening to all of these records, I’m glad that they chose to play so much from Remade in Misery. This is probably the best album I’ve heard from them.

The crowd kept up the energy for the entirety of the performance and vocalist Matty Mullins can be seen smiling from literally anywhere in the venue. It’s always nice to see a band on stage that clearly enjoys being up there and playing. Overall a fantastic night for us and for the fans of these incredible musicians!

Setlist:

1. Vices
2. Left for Dead
3. Bleed Me Dry
4. Somebody
5. Legacy
6. Death Inside
7. Make Believe
8. Misery
9. Without Walls
10. The Sinner
11. Miles Away
12. The Abandoned
13. The Old Me
14. The Fight Within
15. Blood & Water

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PHOTO CREDIT: All Photos by Courtney Ware for ZRockR Magazine – All Rights Reserved.