Issues on April Fools Day
The Monster Outbreak Tour made a stop at The Ready Room in St. Louis, MO on April first, but it was obvious upon arriving to the venue that this show was no joke. With three hours before doors, fans were lined up all the way down the sidewalk on either side of the venue. The VIP line was surprising in itself, composed of what seemed to be at least half of the evening’s attendees. When the doors finally opened, the venue was packed in minutes, which proved that this sold-out show, though small, would be one worth talking about.
Night Verses started the show with an energetic set that was nothing short of fun to watch, even with the lack of participation they received from the crowd. After having missed them at Self Help, this writer was looking forward to their set, and with good reason. Most of the band’s set can be found on their 2013 album “Lift Your Existence”, but they did close their set out with a new song that wasn’t named.
ONE OK ROCK followed up, taking the stage member by member with their song “3xxxv5”. The moment the band was together, they burst into “Take Me To The Top”. The excitement was hard to ignore, but it was hard to do anything besides focus on the band, and for anyone on the fence with forming an opinion about the rockers, it’s necessary to catch them live. ONE OK ROCK’s seven-song setlist left fans wanting more, and even though they couldn’t play longer, they raised the bar for the bands that followed.
Crown The Empire pumped the momentum up immediately with “The Fallout”. The song’s theatrical start left fans jumping fans on their feet. The few that had remained standing still were quickly convinced otherwise when vocalists Andy Leo and Dave Escamilla, the evening’s ringleaders, joined the rest of their band. All the pair had to do was raise their arms before the stragglers were convinced to join the rest of the crowd. Like every other performance of theirs, Crown The Empire proved, that they’re still a band to keep a close eye on, especially when they played “Zero”, a song that’s only been heard live thus far.
Transitioning seamlessly, Issues took the stage as the final band on the bill, and in a flurry of strobes, the band opened immediately with a command to jump before “Love, Sex, Riot”, a song off their first EP, Black Diamonds, began. It seemed to be a crowd favorite, and it definitely set the tone for the rest of the show. The band was nothing but grins as they introduced themselves before continuing the show with some older favorites before playing their newest single, “The Realest”. They took a moment to slow things down with “The Worst Of Them” and “Princeton Ave”, but they picked right back up with “Blue Wall”, another new song off of their upcoming album.
The band played a twelve-song set that ended all too soon, and it was very obvious that this writer wasn’t the only one who felt that way, because the chants for an encore started before the band was even completely off stage. Fans chorused in the request for one more song for a good minute before the band was back on stage, closing out the night with “Mad At Myself” and “Hooligans”.
The Monster Energy Outbreak Tour was definitely one for the books. All four bands on the lineup are bands that definitely ones to watch in the next year, especially because nobody knows what tricks these rockers might have up their sleeves.
Check out Elizabeth Porch’s full photo gallery HERE
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