We Came As Romans Storm Lawrence, KS

A day off mid-tour usually means a lot of recuperating before the next show, but not for the artists on the Bands VS. Food Tour. We Came As Romans, Miss May I, and For Today took over the Granada Theater in Lawrence, Kansas on May 16th during the tour’s trek to Memphis. Those who attended the spontaneous intimate sideshow were definitely grateful.

For Today
For Today

The show’s turnout really relied on the word of mouth, due to minimal advertisement. While it didn’t sell out, it was still pretty surprising to see the floor of the Granada packed by the end of the night, compared to the ten-person group that had started the line before the doors opened.

For Today started the show off on the right foot, and immediately received a warm welcome opening with “Forced Into Fire”. The Iowa natives sure did thrive! They transitioned seamlessly into “Pariah” next, a song that had the crowd matching an energetic Mattie Montgomery with every word. After a commendable explanation of the band and their faith, a few more riffs, and a couple of circle pits later, For Today left Lawrence wound up and ready for the rest of the evening.

Miss May I
Miss May I

Next up was Miss May I, and this writer definitely did not leave disappointed. Most of the crowd had managed to push forward in anticipation when they opened with “I.H.E.” and “Turn Back the Time”. It was interesting to pay attention to the way both the crowd and band interacted with each other. Their set was so much fun to watch.

The band was all energy, easily carrying along what For Today had begun. The song that seemed to get the biggest reaction was “Deathless”, along with their closer, “Relentless Chaos”. After the band had left the stage, there was even a brief moment of chanting for an un-granted encore. Miss May I definitely put on a show worthy of the positive press they receive.

Despite the disappointment of tour headliner Memphis May Fire not being included in this show, We Came As Romans was truly worthy of the headlining spot. The Michigan rockers last hit the Granada stage back in 2013, but by the time the band finished up with “Regenerate”, it didn’t feel like there had been a gap in their Kansas presence

We Came As Romans
We Came As Romans

Eric Choi, We Came As Romans’ main man behind the kit couldn’t make the show, but the band’s drum tech and each drummer from the other bands took turns filling in, switching out about every other song. The cascade of drummers took the opportunity to celebrate the birthday of Jerod Boyd, the drummer from Miss May I, with a couple of shots of vodka and two rounds of an all-over-the-place version of “Happy Birthday”.

The WCAR setlist included a comfortable mix of old songs, like “Mis//Understanding” off of their 2011 album Understanding What We’ve Grown To Be, along with several songs off of Tracing Back Roots and their most recent release of their self-titled album. When We Came As Romans exited the stage, everyone on the floor immediately began shouting for an encore. The band returned to fulfill the encore request with “Hope” and each member had a smile on their face that couldn’t be ignored. The Bands VS. Food Tour was one that shouldn’t have been missed with a lineup that worked together like a well-oiled machine.

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