The Best Buy Theater in Times Square began to fill up on Tuesday night as up and coming band For Today opened up the show. Old and new fans bobbed along to the first few songs, the lightest of the night. Before they began their last song, frontman Mattie Montgomery told fans to start a circle pit that would ultimately last until the end of the show.
Next came Enter Shikari, a quirky band from Britain. They kept the audience going with their unique blend of metalcore, dubstep, and electronic. Their on stage antics were by far the most entertaining of the night, dancing the whole time, and even the occasional handstand. They closed their set with Ok, Time for Plan B from their debut album.
The lights turned back on to the sight of exhausted fans in the pit trying to catch their breath. I wondered whether or not Tennessee’s Whitechapel would be able to top the energetic show put on by Enter Shikari. The theater went dark as the band came out, continuing in total darkness, fitting with their dark music. Whitechapel brought nonstop, fast paced deathcore. Each song blended into the next, barely stopping to catch their breath in between. Suddenly the lights were back on and the set was over, leaving hyped up fans wanting more.
The Devil Wears Prada finally took the stage just before ten, greeted by the enthusiastic screams of sweaty, bloody teens. Singer Mike Hranica stepped out last, sporting short shorts and gym socks. Fans were soon drowned out by the beginning of hard hitting title track from the bands most recent album, Dead Throne. They continued as strobe lights constantly flashed on and off and the pit constantly moshed. They played through a perfect blend of old fan favorites, including HTML Rulez D00d! as well as a number of songs from their September release. Unlike many Christian bands, they spoke of their religion in a respectable way rather than shoving it down everyone’s throat.
Security had their hands full with the increasingly larger circle pit and a steady sea of crowd surfers making their way to the barrier. The longer the band played, the crazier the audience became. They closed their set with Dogs Can Grow Beards All Over off of their 2006 release of Dear Love: A Beautiful Discord.
The band left the stage, leaving behind an audience eager for more. After a few minutes of chanting, they returned for a three song encore, consisting of Chicago, Constance, and Danger!
The show was over, and tired fans limped out of the pit, smiles plastered on their faces. Overall everyone seemed to have a great time, with the exception of a few parents that believed they were taking their children to see some wholesome Christian rock.
Some more pics from the show:
