As the temperatures continued to rise outside MMF kicked it up a few degrees at the Concourse in Knoxville with special guests Saul, Secrets, and Norma Jean.
At the beginning of July Memphis May Fire hit the road with Saul, Secrets, and Norma Jean for their Remade in Misery II tour, a sequel to their summer ’22 tour. The 5th-stop on this tour was Knoxville, TN, a city that the Tennessee native band is no stranger to. Which meant this show not only brought out fans but an abundance of family and friends to show their support as well.
The temperatures may have been rising outdoors, but it didn’t stop the crowd from showing up early to the Concourse to support the opener, Saul. Hailing from Sutherland, Iowa, this group of hard rockers was formed in 2007 by brothers Blake and Zach Bedsaul. In 2019 they gained notoriety after their Single “Brother” hit number 20 on the Billboard charts. Their six-song set began with “A Million Miles Away“. As they sang to their “equals” the crowd looked on in admiration while the band left their hearts on the stage. Many fans could be seen holding up hearts as they hung on to every lyric. The love they have for their fans is undeniably mutual and they were delighted by the entirety of their performance.
Up next was Secrets, and to be honest I hadn’t listened to many of their songs before the show but had heard nothing but good things from those who had gotten the chance to see them live. The San Deigo fourpiece immediately filled the room with their presence. Their energy was infectious and it took no time for a mosh pit to break out. Vocalist Richard Rogers even took a moment to admire the circle pit, which grew with each of his bellowing growls into the microphone. Needless to say, those that weren’t a fan before the show were assuredly one after the performance they bestowed on the Tennessee crowd.
There are a few bands that helped form my love of heavy music as a preteen and direct support for this tour, Norma Jean, was one of those bands. The Georgia band got their start in 1997 and has kept a loyal and thriving fan base since, which brought out a unique and diverse crowd. They opened their set with “I. The Planet” from their 2016 album Polar Similar and fans could not be contained. The crowd surfers began flying overhead and the circle pit was one of the largest I’ve seen at this venue. Though their setlist was manufactured to melt your face off, frontman Cory Brandan made sure to take a pause to thank long-time fans for their unwavering support for nearly three decades. As they powered through 12 new and older hits the audience was left in astonishment and protested for an encore.
After a modest break, the crowd eagerly awaited for Memphis May Fire to take the stage. As a red haze engulfed the stage each band member emerged starting with drummer Jake Garland and ended with vocalist Matty Mullins. As the first few notes of “Blood & Water” began to play, fans’ screams became deafening and reverberated throughout the venue. The Tennessee band showed up loud and proud to their home state and poured their blood, sweat and tears into their performance. Their energy was unmatched as they surveyed every inch of the stage constantly giving your eyes something to behold.
This wasn’t my first time seeing these guys live but they unquestionably step up their game with each tour. Fans made sure to go just as hard and showed their enthusiasm by moshing, crowd surfing, and screaming along to every song as if their lives depended on it. Though many MMF songs are crafted for headbanging, Mullins took a moment to slow things down with their song “Miles Away“, which he wrote for his wife, just before Garland’s drum solo that was percussion perfection. As they started to close their set with “The Sinner” Matty made sure to let everyone know how much they appreciated their fans for spending their hard-earned money and time to come out and see them.
Though the Remade in Misery II tour has since concluded, I implore you to see these guys live at any given chance. But only if you want to headbang like it’s your day job and be a part of a fan base that’s immensely appreciated.
