The Unconditional Tour 2014 Review

Unconditional Tour PosterThe Unconditional Tour offered one of the most solid all-around lineups in the last year. Each band on this bill probably had the potential to fill the famous House of Blues in West Hollywood just on their own. This was one of the last shows on the tour, but by no means did any of the bands show any signs of tiring or wear from this long tour.

Beartooth

The show kicked off guns blazing with the raw energy and thunderous sound of Beartooth. The exuberant energy of frontman Caleb Shomo and the band’s wild stage antics got the crowd going harder than most opening acts. Mr. Shomo is no stranger to performing as he joined Attack Attack! when he was just 15. Now, he seems to have the art of making the crowd go absolutely nuts down to a tee. The band poured their hearts out as they kicked off the night by playing their new EP Sick in its entirety. The heavy fast sound opened up the entire floor in the House of Blues, producing the largest pits the venue would see all night. Nothing was held back with this aggressive opening band. The group finished their set with their hit song “I Have a Problem” at which point there was no safe place from crowd surfers or moshers in the venue.

Hands Like Houses

Melodic post-hardcore band hailing from down under, Hands Like Houses were next on the bill. The group brought a new but equally exciting feel to the room compared to Beartooth. Being the only clean vocal band on the bill, they did a great job of not dropping the show’s energy and delivered an ecstatic performance. Trenton Woodley’s impressive vocal range sounded just as good as they do on studio recordings, giving Hands Like Houses a melodic sound. The band made sure to play classics such as ‘Lion Skin’ and ‘Introduced Species’ which got the venue singing at the top of their lungs. Although Hands Like Houses is a group this writer is sure many people at the show had never heard before this performance, but they also had a large turn up of dedicated fans as this was their first U.S. tour since last year’s Vans Warped Tour.

A Skylit Drive

A Skylit Drive PromoNext it was A Skylit Drive’s turn to shine. They are a band that his risen up the ranks of metal and gained a very loyal following fast since their start in 2008. They opened their set with ‘Crazy’, their number one hit off their new record Rise. This immediately got the crowd moving as it was a song everyone seemed to know. They also made sure to pay homage to their fans that have been with them since the beginning with classic tunes such as ‘Wires and the Concept of Breathing’. The high pitched voice of frontman Michael Jagmin and the tenacious growls of bassist Brian White got the crowd jumping up and down their entire set. White gave some of the best backing vocals I’ve seen in a long time from a bassist. Their energy and exiting songs kept the house moving their whole set. With their contrast of clean and unclean vocals and their constant delivering of positive and inspirational messages to the crowd, making them the perfect band to be touring with Memphis May Fire.

 

The Word Alive

Up next came The Word Alive, a dominant metalcore group from Phoenix, Arizona who, are already headlining shows around the globe with just two full-length albums released. This band is just filled with great people and talented musicians. With the insane stick tricks of Drummer Luke Holland and the sustained screams and vocals of frontman Tony Pizzuti, the atmosphere they bring to the stage is rivaled by very few. In fact, every member of the band just went nuts on stage. They kicked off their set with their hit song ‘Entirety’ off the album Life Cycles then proceeded to play songs from throughout their short career. As the band got deeper into their set, the House of Blues turned into an electric madhouse. The band also gave the audience a treat as they played a new and very heavy song from their upcoming album landing this June. The ending to their set was even more intense than their set up until this point. As their last song “Life Cycles” kicked off, Celeb Shomo of Beartooth came out to do guest vocals for the beginning of the track and jumped head-on in the crowd. He didn’t manage to get one word of his part into the mic as he was swallowed whole by the packed floor. Then, towards the end of the song, frontman Tony Pizzuti displayed his skills by a backflip on the front monitor landing him right in front of the drums. He then proceeds to do a front flip into the crowd where it wasn’t until long after the song was over when he finally managed to leave the pit.

Memphis May Fire

memphis may fire promoLastly came Memphis May Fire. They were the main attraction of the night, but it could be said The Word Alive gave them a good run for that title. As they emerged during a long into track and a dimly lit stage, they kicked off their set with their classic tune ‘The Sinner’. Playing songs spanning their entire career and of course several songs off their latest release Unconditional, which dropped the day before this show. Their set kept the energy of the crowd alive and well despite the moshing and crowd surfing during the first four bands. Memphis May Fire also took it down a notch with ‘Miles Away’. It was a very emotional moment when Michael Jagmin from A Skylit Drive came out to do guest vocals. As frontman Matty Mullins always does, he took a little time to say what he needed to say about the songs meaning, his personal attachment to him. This seemed to get the crowd that much more into the tunes. It is very easy to tell that Memphis May Fire plays every song with a burning passion in their hearts, and played the show like it was their last. The band delivered on the crowd’s chants for more after their set with two encore songs, ‘Prove Me Right’ and ‘Legacy’ in which the emotion and passion behind both the band and the crowd could be felt around all of Hollywood.

Overall, this tour delivered a jaw-dropping bill and non-stop energy that will be hard to beat. By the Barricade would like to commend Memphis May Fire for putting together such an amazing lineup, and keeping ticket prices cheap despite the five band bill.

Keep it on Bythebarricade.com for more rock, punk and metal interviews, reviews, articles, and photos! Also, “Like” By the Barricade on Facebook to never miss a post. If you liked this article check out:

Mosh Lives Tour 2014 Review

Kevin Lyman Spills Secrets to Warped Tour Success

10 Artists That Shook the World

Review of Atreyu‘s first Show In Four Years

Review of For Today‘s Fight The Silence

Similar Posts