It was the night before the start of Warped Tour and Dance Gavin Dance, I See Stars, and Erra played at The Observatory. Erra kicked off the night with their shredding guitars, brutal screams, and tasty melodies. They made up the heavier portion of the lineup, primarily playing songs off of their 2016 album Drift. The whole crowd had their hands waving in the air during the song “Skyline” and several others. This was the second time I got to see Erra perform live and it was just as magical as the first. One of the reasons Erra is one of my favorite bands is they have such great contrast in their music. Their sound ranges from head banging riffs to ambient melodies, from brutal screams to refined singing, and all of it is amazing. On June 12th, Erra released the first single titled “Disarray” off of their upcoming album Neon. If Neon proves to be anything like Drift, their career is going to skyrocket overnight. Neon will be available in stores August 10, 2018.
Following Erra’s killer performance was the band I See Stars. Compared to Erra’s ambient-melodic metal music, I See Stars’ music was closer to electronic metalcore. The set started out with darkness and pounding subwoofers as the band walked out on stage to flashing strobes. The heavy electronic music got the crowd jumping and moshing as Devin Oliver (vocals) jumped around the stage. In the middle of their set, I See Stars went through an instrumental electronic drum section that was mind-blowing. The floor was shaking from the subwoofers and from a whole crowd of people jumping up and down. Hands were shaking and waving in front of the flashing lights as they screamed they lyrics back up to Devin and the band.
Once Dance Gavin Dance got on stage, it seemed like a whole different crowd had formed. High pitched screams from teenage girls were there when they weren’t before. As Dance Gavin Dance opened the show with their song “Frozen One”, the mosh pits seemed to die down while the jumping and waving hands continued on. The rest of the show was awesome as Dance Gavin Dance crushed their performance, getting everyone in the room to sing along with them. To my surprise, they only played “Midnight Crusade” and “Care” off of their most recent album Artificial Selection while playing six songs off of their 2016 album Mothership. After the nights festivities came to a close, the crowd dispersed as everyone walked back to their cars, ears still ringing, vocal cords hurting, and faces still smiling.
Dance Gavin Dance
I See Stars
Erra
