After a grueling race against the clock, Underøath gave Atlanta an earthshattering performance that had us screaming Hallelujah.
Alternative rock and metalcore band Underoath, was formed in 1997 in Florida. The current line up includes lead vocalist Spencer Chamberlain, clean vocalist and drummer Aaron Gillespie, keyboardist Christopher Dudley, lead guitarist Timothy McTague, bassist Grant Brandell, and rhythm guitarist James Smith. Originally, the band identified as a Christian group but they have since separated themselves from the religion. Their most recent album, the Vouyerist, seeming to distance themselves even further from their past ties, coincidently bringing on a whole new fan base.
“I’m not saying religion is wrong for everyone, but for me it was wrong.”
Spencer Chamberlin
In August of 2021 Underoath announced the tour for their ninth album would kick off in February of 2022 and the support bands would include; Stray From the Path, Spiritbox and Every Time I Die. But shortly after the announcement, Every Time I Die made the heartbreaking announcement that they would no longer be on the tour due to their split. In the height of their release of the Death Of Peace of Mind, Bad Omens announced that they would be added to the winter tour in ETID‘s place.
With all the lingering effects of the pandemic and lineup change, it seemed like we had waited forever for the tour take make its way to us. But, spoiler alert, it was well worth every second of that wait. The day had finally come and I set out on the 4 hour trip to Atlanta for the Friday night show. Of course, in typical Atlanta fashion, I got stuck in traffic several times and was afraid I was going to miss the first support band, but to my shock doors hadn’t even opened by the time I arrived. By now it was 7:15pm and doors were suppose to have opened at 6:30pm. But I didn’t think anything of it and made my way to the end of the massive line. The anxious crowd become increasingly flustered as several more minutes went by with the line still not budging. Many took to twitter and other social platforms to try figure out what was going on, but came up empty handed. Finally just before 8pm the doors open and the amazing security team quickly shuffled everyone inside.
After over an hour delay I made my way into the 110 year old venue to find Stray From the Path, already putting on one hell of a performance. Unfortunately, I only caught their last song, First World Problem Child. Due to the time constraints their set was cut to just over 15 minutes. But their raw energy and stage presence made up for their short set. They rocked every inch of the stage and made sure to even interact with the crowd before swiftly exiting the stage.
Stray From the Path setlist:
The House Always Wins, Goodnight Alt-Right, Guillotine & First World Problem Child
The crew expeditiously shuffled things around for Bad Omens to take the stage next. Noah Sebastian entered the stage solo to perform the first half of their explosive hit, The Death of Peace of Mind. The flustered audience was quickly hypnotized by Sebastian’s striking vocals. Nicholas Ruffilo, Joakim Karlsson, and Nick Folio entered just in time for the breakdown. The band quickly moves through the rest of their set and the growing crowd couldn’t be tamed. Before they end their set, Sebastian takes a moment to thank everyone for coming out because they didn’t know if they were going to be able to perform tonight. Everyone, still not fully comprehending what had happened, vehemently cheered and the crowd surfing commenced. They end their set with their heavy-hitting fan favorite, Dethrone. This is my third time shooting these guys and their performance is mind-blowing every time. Their visuals alone simply leave you at a loss for words. Sebastian’s stage energy is an oddly satisfying combination of calm and chaos. And Ruffilo and Karlsson have insane guitar riffs for days, while Folio‘s drumming is unmatched.
Bad Omens setlist:
The Death of Peace of Mind, Artificial Suicide, Like A Villain, Never Know, Limits & Dethrone
Though I was excited about the whole line up, I was ecstatic to finally see Spiritbox live. Last year was undoubtedly their year and they rightfully earned their spot as direct support on this tour. The stage is darkened as the intro for Rule of Nines begins to play, deafening screams ring throughout the venue. As the anticipation builds, Courtney sends out a few bellowing growls from backstage. She finally enters the stage only to leave us in awe with her beautifully controlled and airy vocals fused with contrasting growls. Listening to her one take play throughs from home is one thing, but hearing her voice in person gave me goosebumps. All eyes may have been on LaPlante, but I couldn’t keep my eyes off the guys who held their own during the whole set. Crook, Stringer and Rose enthusiastically headbanged and sang along to every song while flawlessly backing up the queen of metal. It only took a few notes from Circle With Me before a huge pit opened up in the middle of the floor and for the crowd surfing to ensue. Overall, their performance was unbelievable. There are very few bands you can say sound even better in person and Spiritbox is one of those bands for me. Every second of their set was immaculately executed.
Spiritbox setlist:
Rule of Nines, Circle With Me, Blessed Be, Hurt You, Holy Roller & Eternal Blue
Now that everyone was hype and had forgotten about the the frustrating start to the night, it was time for seasoned rockers Underoath to dominate the stage. The house lights shut off as a shadowy figure with an illuminated face entered the stage. A robotic voice projects from the figure detailing the concept of the new album and ends with asking everyone to stay aware, in the moment, and to enjoy the show with the people that surrounded them. As the figure exits, each member of the band enters the still darkened stage. As Chamberlin utters the first few lyrics from Damn Excuses, the crowd goes mad, the floor begins to shake beneath me, and the crowd surfing picks back up where it left off.
This was my first Underoath show, so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. But I can barely put into words how incredible this show was. Usually the frontman is the star of the show, and while Spencer surely delivered the most intense performance I’ve seen to date, the rest of the guys brought an impressive amount of energy to the stage. While their classic tracks were a hit, fans went wild for their newer songs as well. When they played Hallelujah, there was not a single person in the crowd that wasn’t screaming along. As they energetically powered through their set the whole band made sure they still took the time to interact with the hyped crowd. Chamberlin even took a moment to remind everyone, “if someone falls in the pit you pick them back up”. A short time later he dove off stage to sing from the crowd.
As I made my way around the balcony, I couldn’t help but stop every few minutes to soak in the experience. I’ve been to more shows than I can count and the energy from the crowd and the band was overpowering, in the best way possible. One of the last songs of the night was Too Bright to See, Too Loud to Hear. The house lights went out and Chamberlin asked everyone to take out their phones. I looked around at the massive crowd, as they illuminated the venue with just their flashlights, and I’m overcome with emotion. These guys can do an intense performance like no other, but that singular quite and raw moment, was such a beautiful thing to witness.
After leaving everyone a bit teary eyed Spencer took a moment to completely stop the music and chat with crowd. He asked if everyone understood why there was a 2-hour delay. But I think at this point the crowd was so lost in the show that they had forgotten about the late start. He goes on to say that there was an anonymous complaint made to the city about the structural integrity of the venue. And after ensuring the venue was safe enough to host a show of this magnitude, they had to get the mayors permission to be able to continue with the show. Every single employee at the venue and member of the tour worked diligently to make this night happen. Needless to say fans were eternally grateful that they made it happen. Even though their time was up the band decided to power through a few more songs, because as Chamberlin said “fuck it, it’s a Friday night, right?! How about four more songs?” They end with Writing on the Walls and the Atlanta crowd was untamable as they competed to win the “crowd surfing contest”.
Underoath had legitimate reasons to cancel or reschedule this show, yet they stood their ground and handled it with tact and due care. They are professionals in every sense of the word. I know I say this with almost every show I shoot and review, but even given the added stressors this show brought, it was still one of the best shows I have attended. Every passing second of the show superseded the next. Not only do they gift you with an unforgettable show, they also bring you an immersive experience, that you will be telling people about for years to come. Sadly the Voyeurist tour has since concluded, but if you ever get the opportunity to see Underoath live, you unreservedly need to.
Underoath setlist:
Damn Excuses, Breathing in a New Mentality, On My Teeth, It’s Dangerous Business Walking Out Your Front Door, In Regards to Myself, Hallelujah, No Frame, Reinventing Your Exit, A Fault Line, a Fault of Mine, There, Could Be Nothing After This, Too Bright to See, Too Loud to Hear, A Boy Brushed Red Living in Black and White, Pneumonia
Encores:
Thorn & Writing on the Walls
