I hope you all got out and voted yesterday. I don’t care who you voted for, as long as you got out there and did the damn thing. In celebration of me sucking up my extreme social anxiety and actually going to vote, I decided I deserved a show and a good one at that so I weaved through traffic and made my way to The Amsterdam Bar & Hall in Saint Paul for While She Sleeps. The crowd wasn’t huge when I walked in but I could tell it would be one of those “small but mighty crowds” and I knew that was the perfect way to end a busy day.
St. Paul based Aurora View kicked things off with a quick opening set. Although their set wasn’t polished enough to have me fooled that they were part of the touring package, I definitely got what these guys were putting out there and I liked it. Their music stood out from the rest of the bill as not being as heavy musically as the rest of the bands but still being as heavy emotionally. The vocals were heavy on the reverb which gave the set a sound that I wasn’t quite expecting but also didn’t hate. Again, it made them stand out from an over saturated scene and, with a couple more practices and maybe laying off the tracking a bit (they are really talented kids– not sure why they had so much tracking behind them), I feel like these guys will quickly become one of the hottest groups in town.
Following the quick set from Aurora View was Savage Hands from Maryland. I had never heard of these guys prior to the show on Tuesday night but as soon as they took the stage, I was in love. Their music was the perfect follow-up to the interesting and almost unclassifyable sound of Aurora View. It was a bit heavier yet still full of emotion and passion. I don’t do my research on bands until the morning after I see them as to not sway my opinion in any way so I was a bit shocked when I read this morning that these guys have only been a band since 2017. They came off as true seasoned professionals with a flawless show and sound. There were definitely some people in the audience that had been waiting some time to see these guys but majority of the room seemed to be in the same boat as I was– absolutely and utterly captivated by the band. The best part of Savage Hands’ set was the way it started out with them trying to hype up the crowd and only getting a couple claps and cheers but then ended their set with everyone in the audience cheering. That’s how you gain fans. You bring a solid live show, a sense of passion, conviction, and honesty to a crowd that knows nothing about you and you make them fall in love. That’s exactly what Savage Hands did with their quick set. Being such a new band, I expect a lot from these guys and I honestly don’t struggle saying that I see them being a household name in the scene within no time.
I’m not going to bore you with gushing over He Is Legend (the band that took the stage next) since I seem to do it every time I see them (which is a lot) but let me just say that these guys are one of those bands that I never get sick of seeing live. Like a fine wine, this North Carolina based group seems to just be getting better with time. I ran into a couple of friends that I hadn’t seen in a couple of months right before He Is Legend’s set. They seemed to be a bit uninterested as one of them was only there for the headliner and the other one was only there to get out of the house. I warned them that they were going to fall head over heels for He Is Legend and after the first song, I got the thumbs up and a grin from them both. Chaos reigned supreme and the crowd that had seemed a bit dormant throughout the two opening acts clearly woke up. Within the first song the modest (although it definitely filled out a little bit) but mighty crowd had opened up a space and started pushing and shoving their way through the center of the floor. Playing a great mix of old and new, my only complaint about their set was how short it was. Vocalist Schuylar Croom’s personality shined when he picked up his leather jacket at the end of the set, walked up to the microphone, and non-chalantly said “Byyeee” with a peace sign up. A hilarious ending to a flawless set from a terrific band. If you don’t know who He Is Legend is, I highly suggest checking them out and you absolutely must see this powerhouse live.
I had gotten what I needed from He Is Legend as far as a bump in energy and my fix of an amazing live show but there was still one band to go. You could feel the anticipation in the audience and the excitement as English metalcore rockers While She Sleeps took the stage. They wasted no time jumping into a twelve song set that had the audience in a tizzy and left my ears ringing in the best possible way. Although these guys are heavy, there’s a clear sensitivty in their music that I wasn’t quite expecting. Sure, I had seen their name before and even saw them live once but I had never taken the time to listen to While She Sleeps’ music for some reason. After seeing them last night, I absolutely plan on spending some more time with their pretty extensive discography that dates back to 2006 when their first EP came out. I couldn’t tell you if there was a good mix of new and old songs throughout their set but I can tell you that the audience was eating up every word like it was their favorite song. I chilled towards the back of the room and just took it all in with a smile on my face. I may have never really given this band the time of day but they had me becoming a fan more and more with every single note.
I’ve been to quite a few shows lately but last night was the best one in quite some time. It was a good old fashioned rock show full of passion, love and guitars– what more could a girl need?