August Burns Red brought a scorching performance to Knoxville last week, that set the town ablaze.
August Burns Red announced they’d be headlining a summer tour with We Came as Romans, Hollow Front and Void of vision in March of this year. And even though the Mill and Mine is no stranger to hosting heavy shows, the announcement that the Through the Thorns Tour would be coming through our town shocked local metal fans alike. After what seemed like forever, the tour finally made its way to Knoxville and fans showed up in style on a Monday night, ready for some face melting breakdowns.
The night kicked off with Australian metalcore band Void Of Vision. Though the band was only formed in 2013 they dominated the stage and effortlessly warmed up the incoming crowd. I hadn’t heard of these guys before the tour announcement but I was thoroughly impressed with their spirited performance. They truly seemed to be enjoying performing for the Tennessee crowd.
Following Void of Vision’s energetic performance was the heavy hitting four-piece from Grand Rapids, Hollow Front. The band opened with their hit Comatose. A pit immediately opened in the middle of the venue and the crowd surfing commenced. This was my second time seeing and photographing these guys and I have to say they just get better with each show. The amount of energy they bring to the stage is impressive and the crowd in return undoubtedly matched their energy.
Now that a proper mosh pit had been formed and the crowd was thoroughly warmed up it was time for We Came as Romans to set the stage on fire. Even though the band was down a member they didn’t miss a beat all night. Their stage presence was intoxicating, you couldn’t and didn’t want to take your eyes off the stage for fear of missing a second of their performance. At one point vocalist, Dave Stephens jumped down from the stage to sing directly to the crowd atop the barricade. Fans didn’t get a live performance of Darkbloom like they were anticipating, but they still got an incredible performance of lots of new and old hits from the band.
Just as the rowdy Tennessee crowd finished grabbing water and taking a second to cool down, the intro to Chop Suey! began to ring throughout the venue and August Burns Red burst on to stage in a sea of red lights. While standing in the photo pit I was left in awe by the bands stage presence, as it filled the entirety of stage and venue. As they made their way through the set list their energy ignited a flame in the crowd that couldn’t be extinguished. To be expected, the mosh pit now consumed a large portion of the venue and the crowd surfing was never ending. Frontman Jake Luhrs even took a moment to thank security for keeping up with the mass amount of crowd surfers.
After giving their all for nearly 30 minutes the band took a brief pause to talk to the audience and express their appreciation for their fans continued support over the last 20 years. Luhrs went on to remind fans to live in the moment and that they should never be afraid to be their authentic selves. Once their heartfelt metal-sermon was over the band jumped right back in to their set list without pause. They gave fans 30 more minutes of face melting melodies before ending with their massive hit Composure. But fans vehemently protested and began riotously chanting “one more song, one more song”. ABR surprised everyone when they quickly resurfaced to perform not one, but three encores. It should come as no shock that a band that’s been in the industry for nearly two decades knows how to put on a spectacular well calculated show. But their performance far exceeded my expectations. August Burns Red will be a band that I will see time and time again without hesitation.
Catch August Burns Red on tour now!
