Words by: Caroline Taylor
When I first heard about this tour, I knew I would be going for sure- I had previously seen The Color Morale on the “Get REAL” tour with The Word Alive. This tour is their first headlining tour to date, and they brought along a stacked lineup consisting of Slaves, Vanna, and Alive Like Me! I went to see this tour on the Kansas City date (April 10th, 2015), at a small venue named Aftershock, a venue that seemed to be an unusual pick for a band catering to such a young audience, but it turned out to be a fitting venue after all.
After the two local openers, the show kicked off with newcomers to the scene, Alive Like Me. I’ve heard a lot about this band recently, and was certainly curious to see them live for the first time. They opened up their set with their lead single “Start Again”, which showcased their undeniable radio rock sound and soaring hooks. Another stand out track of theirs was “Wreckage”, a song about the struggles as a child of divorced parents. Overall, I thought they put on a decent performance- they sounded good, but you can tell that they are definitely still a young band trying to discover their sound, style, etc. This being one of their first tours, it’ll be interesting to see what changes as they embark on Warped Tour and others in the near future.
Next up was Vanna, the hardcore-punk rockers from Boston. I had also never seen this band, much less ever listened to them- this would be my first impression, and I was curious to see what they had to offer. The second they took the stage, I knew this was going to be an excellent set. Vanna’s energy as a band is undeniable, and have a way of getting the crowd pumped up in ways you don’t often see with other bands. A lot of the bands forceful energy arguably stemmed from dynamic frontman, Davey Muise, formerly a member of Seeker Destroyer. Muise did it all, passed off the mic, hung from the ceiling, and even jumped down into the crowd to sing their closing song, “Digging”. Overall, I thought they had one of the most enjoyable sets of the night. You didn’t have to be a fan of Vanna to enjoy their set- their energy and enthusiasm was infectious, and those are the kind of bands that anyone can enjoy.
Given the explosive set that was Vanna, the next act, Slaves, had big shoes to fill, and I don’t think they were able to do it. Going into this show, I considered myself a fan of Slaves, and I knew all their songs, but this was my first time seeing them in the flesh. They played a lot of my favorite tracks from their debut album, such as “The King and the Army That Stands Behind Him”, and “My Soul Is Empty and Full of White Girls”, both of which sounded good. Another track they included that I was little surprised about was the ballad, “Those Who Stand For Nothing Fall For Everything”. As odd as it sounds, even though I thought Slaves sounded good live, I didn’t enjoy their set nearly as much as the others. Why? As a unit, they had a complete lack of energy. Yes, Jonny Craig absolutely kills it live- he is an undeniably great vocalist with a highly impressive range, but that really doesn’t mean much if you can’t amp up the crowd. They just looked bored up on stage, and the crowd looked equally bored as a result- there was very little interaction with the crowd on the part of the band. Overall, I was little disappointed with what they had to offer- maybe it was just a bad show for them that night, but I sincerely hope that their other shows are a little more exciting than that.
And finally, it was time for The Color Morale to take the stage! The last time I had seen them was with The Word Alive, and they had an admirable stage presence then, nearly equivalent to the one to the headliner that night, and I was eager to see them perform again! They played a solid setlist which included notable favorites from their previous album “Know Hope” such as “Learned Behavior”, “Burn Victims”, and “Strange Comfort”. The boys also highlighted tracks from their newest release “Hold On Pain Ends”, including “Damnaged”, and “Suicide;Stigma”. And finally, some throwback tunes were added to the mix, such as “Humannequin”, and “Demon Teeth”. Overall, their setlist was certainly a crowd-pleaser. I think my favorite moment of the night was when Garret played the acoustic track “Hold On Pain Ends” from their album of the same name. For this song, he asked that the venue turn off all of the lights, and that the crowd pull out their cell phones to light up the room. It was an incredible moment, and one that stands out in my mind when I reminisce on all the concerts I’ve attended. As live performers, The Color Morale sounds pretty solid live- my only complaint would be that Garret tends to pass the mic off more often than I’d personally like to see, but given how lively and fun of performance they put on, I feel that it’s excusable.
Overall, this tour was definitely worth seeing, and I’m glad I attended. I’ll definitely be trying to see The Color Morale again if they swing by on another tour in my area!
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