The Amity Affliction and Silverstein Bring a Perfect Tuesday Night to Minneapolis

It has been about a week since I have been at a show and a little bit longer since I have posted a review. Honestly, I needed a bit of a break. Music is my life but sometimes I need to go to shows just for me and sometimes a night off is just what the doctor ordered. That being said, it felt so good to get back at it on Tuesday night and get lost in a sweaty audience while getting my ears blasted with heavy and amazing music.

Kicking the night off right was a personal favorite of mine, UNITYTX. These guys had me absolutely stunned and in love when I caught them opening for Volumes last November. It was a stunning show of power, aggression, and energy and I was ready to experience it all over again. The band did not disappoint and brought an undeniable sense of power to the stage with their hardcore/ hip-hop blend but the audience felt a bit lackluster compared to the insanity I witnessed last year. I’m not sure if this was the right show for UNITYTX to be on. Their style is distinct and leans more into the hardcore vein of things which I think caught the young crowd off guard but, beyond the comments vocalist Jay Webster made regarding the disappointment he felt towards the crowd, their set was flawless and I was just thankful to have a chance to check out this powerhouse again. I truly hope the next time they come through, they are on a better-fitting line-up or just straight-up headlining because, again, this is one of those bands that I will never miss if given the chance to check them out.

A lot of my friends who couldn’t make it to the show for various reasons were texting me asking how Holding Absence was. Honestly, out of all of the bands on the line-up, this is the only band I knew nothing about but the hype in my inbox had me excited to see what this English band was all about. The four-piece stormed the stage and much like the first time I saw UNITYTX, I was floored. Holding Absence seemed to have everything to prove and absolutely nothing to lose which translated into a super powerful set. Although their sung choruses lost me a bit because I was in the mood for heavier than heavy, I found their overall attitude and energy absolutely infectious and their breakdowns, when they did happen, were absolutely flawless. The entire band was impressive but it was vocalist Lucas Woodland who really stole my heart. His range was impressive and the emotion that came with every word had me a bit weak at the knees. I may have walked into their set blind but I have absolutely seen the light and I will be digging into their music and history a bit more today for sure.

Have you been looking for the fountain of youth? I’m pretty sure Silverstein has found it so just go ask them. Silverstein has been a constant in the daily playlists of my life since the early 2000s. One of the original emo bands but with an edge, I feel like this band never quite got the attention they deserved but that hasn’t stopped them at all. With nearly a dozen albums out dating back to the monumental ‘When Broken is easily Fixed’ album that came out back in 2003, I may have fallen off the Silverstein train but they continue to stay true to themselves and their sound through all of these years which is absolutely impressive. More impressive than that is the power they brought to the stage on Tuesday night. Their sound was flawless. Although it was the nostalgic old songs that had my buddy and me screaming at the top of our lungs while our friends looked on in amusement, it was the new tracks that had him and me looking at each other with our jaws on the ground. Back in the day, Silverstein seemed to balance a sense of heaviness and an emo heart easily but it seems as if their new music has taken a turn. I don’t remember what song it was but it was heavier than I have ever heard this band go before and it was absolutely perfect. A highlight in an already stunning set, it seriously sparked my love for Silverstein again and I can not wait to listen to their new ‘Misery Made Me’ album today to find that song that had my buddy and I completely lost for words.

Just like how the music and attitude of this band hasn’t changed, neither has their way with their fans. From the banter between tracks to referring back to the Triple Rock days (RIP!), I loved the way that Silverstein gave nods to the crowd and acknowledged that they wouldn’t be where they are today without the fans. It would have been a mess for the band to take audience requests so, instead, they brought out a wheel like from a carnival with different songs listed on it. Those songs spanned their entire career and, for three tracks, it was completely up to the magic wheel what the band would play. We got three good spins in there and got to hear an extremely old track, a complete banger, and another classic Silverstein track. I loved this method of picking the setlist because it made every moment throughout those tracks feel so organic. But I digress, clearly I was there and excited for Silverstein but we still had one more band to perform before being the night was over.

I missed the boat on The Amity Affliction and I honestly don’t know why. This Australian band has been around since 2003 but they didn’t really hit their stride until I was experimenting in other scenes and felt my music taste changing. Regardless, much like the previous three bands of the night, they took the stage with a sense of fury and power that instantly had me sold on them whether I had an attachment to their songs or not. The sound of this band was flawless to the point where it was almost hard to believe that they were playing live. Regardless of if there were smoke and mirrors happening to create the perfect sound or if the band is just that well-polished, the energy mixed with their recording-quality sound was quite the sight to see and hear. Their fifteen-song set was highlighted by many moments where the audience took over the vocals for the band just showing the amount of power and the strong connection that many have with The Amity Affliction. Although I was not one of those singing my heart out like my life depended on it, just standing there and watching it all happen was all I needed to cap off an already amazing night.