On one of the warmer weekends in recent memory, I found myself rushing along to The Palace Theatre to catch the finale of the first leg of In This Moment’s The Witching Hour Tour to interview DED, one of the opening bands (interview soon to come). After bustling through the conversation with DED, I was once again immersed in the small crowd gathered outside of the venue, anxiously awaiting to get inside. This would be my first time both seeing and photographing In This Moment, and from what I know about the openers and rumblings about the show the headliners put on, I had a feeling the night would be both intense and in a sense theatrical.
The first band up for the night was Arizona’s rising rock band DED, back in Minnesota for the second time in a little under six months. I was lucky enough to see this band the first time they played the Twin Cities when they opened for Korn, and I remember being completely blown away with the energy and the intensity the band brought on stage, making my expectations high from the beginning. The four piece stormed the stage, bringing a relentless force with them that did not let up until the moment the band ended their set. Even though I knew what to expect from this band, DED’s performance was refreshing, cathartic, and exactly what was needed to start the evening. I also had a chance to interview the band – check back in the next couple of days for the interview.
Next up on stage was California based rock band New Years Day, a band I am familiar with through their time on Warped Tour. Back to Minnesota for the first time since their run on Warped last summer, the band sauntered on stage for the start of their set, maintaining the energy DED brought to the night. New Years Day filled The Palace with their brand of gothic rock with their catchy riffs and fast paced musicianship. After seeing this band a handful of times in the past, I was pleasantly surprised with the familiarity of their set, with frontwoman Ash Costello owning the stage and working the crowd, the rest of the band providing plenty of on stage antics to up the intensity.
Just before it was time for the headliners to take the stage, the curtain hanging on the side of the stage fell to conceal the stage set up, getting the crowd amped for the start of the last set of the night. Once the curtain dropped, the lights dimmed and the cheers from the crowd momentarily drowned out the start of In This Moment’s set. For not truly knowing what to expect from this band’s performance, I can confidently walk away with the level of thought and craftsmanship put into their set and stage set up. The Witching Hour show lived up to the name, as both the band and the stage set up evoked an eery energy. Even though the setlist appears to be short for a headliner, the way that In This Moment is able to weave in interludes and medley’s into their set makes their show a must see.
