Thursday evening was a dream for post-hardcore rock fans when A Day To Remember headlined the Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Auditorium in Chattanooga.
Enclosed in darkness for most of their 40-minute set, Bad Omens opened the evening. Despite being drenched in shadows and barely visible at times, the group set the tone for the evening with an impressive and fun showcase.
While the audience enjoyed the heavy and pulsing instrumentals from the band, it was lead singer Noah Sebastian who stole the show. Throughout the entire performance, Sebastian’s vocals were solid, including during Bad Omen’s finale, “Dethrone,” as he impressively let out growls, snarling his way through the entire three-minute track. Fans were in awe, and the group was met with a huge ovation as they left the stage.
The energy picked right back up where it left off when Beartooth took to the stage. In the group’s first-ever performance in Chattanooga, there was hardly a moment where lead singer Caleb Shomo remained still, and the crowd fed off that energy, singing along and voicing their approval.Even Shomo could tell just how much the audience was having fun and promised that the group would have to play more shows in Chattanooga soon. “When you play a city for the first time, you don’t know what to expect, but you guys have been so much f***ing fun to play for,” the Beartooth singer exclaimed late into the band’s set.
As the final notes of “The Last Riff” were being played, Shomo left the stage, while the remaining band members opted for a longer close. Shortly after, Shomo returned with a guitar in hand before he made his way back to the soundboard, playing for fans, which made for a pretty cool moment. After shaking hands with security guards, and some fans, Shomo returned to the stage as Beartooth played their final notes before exiting the stage.
As the setup for A Day To Remember was taking place, whoever was in charge of the tour playlist, had some fun. Not long after Beartooth’s set ended, the Backstreet Boys’ “I Want It That Way” played loudly over the speakers. For a hardcore rock show, there were plenty of pop fans on hand, as it seemed like everybody in attendance sang and danced along to the track. That foreshadowed what occurred over the next hour and a half. A Day To Remember is nearing its 20th year as a band, and with that longevity, the band has had a slew of hits that they incorporated into the performance.On top of delivering the fan favorites and some newer tracks, the group also brought unique experiences and added an element to the showcase. During the band’s performance of “Degenerates,” a tour crew member, who dressed as Luigi from Super Mario Bros., wielded a t-shirt cannon and fired off a few t-shirts into the crowd. The track’s final moments saw the band use confetti and a ribbon cannon. Part of those ribbons got caught on the auditorium’s catwalks, and they stayed there for the remainder of the performance. That was a subtle reminder that A Day To Remember was not performing in its typical venue, but the band still created a joyful experience.
The crowd involvement didn’t stop there, and as A Day To Remember delved into “Rescue Me,” several crew members tossed large blow-up beach balls into the crowd. It made for a fun moment as the beach balls made their way to the back of the auditorium, and the fans were having fun batting them around.
A Day To Remember had one final surprise for fans which came during “All Signs Point to Lauderdale.” As the opening notes of the track played, crew members again fired objects into the crowd, this time being rolls of toilet paper, to help simulate that high-school locker room feeling. Those elements created moments of fun but also helped engage the audience further into the tunes, and it’s something that more bands should incorporate into their performances.
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BEARTOOTH
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BAD OMENS
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SOLDIERS & SAILORS MEMORIAL AUDITORIUM
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