Bring Me The Horizon ignites a wild, near-capacity crowd on a cold fall evening with support from Knocked Loose, grandson, and Siiickbrain.
Siiickbrain (musician, model, and writer Caroline Miner Smith) gets the evening started for the fans that have arrived early with an energetic and inspiring set that touches on subjects like mental health. She starts the set wearing a stocking covering all but her eyes and mouth. The energy is high on the first two songs, “Overdrive” and “Destructible,” which grab the attention of the crowd. She removes the stocking and proceeds to play a killer cover of Pussy Riot’s “Power” which gets the crowd moving. She also plays some newer songs including “Jealousy” and “Fear the Sun” as well as some brand-new ones. She introduces a song she wrote for her best friend that is not with us anymore. For that song, she gets the fans to hold up their lit cell phones throughout the whole song. Several times she lets the crowd know “you guys are fun.” Throughout the set, Siiickbrain stalks the whole stage from side to side, playing up to the audience. Judging by their reactions, the crowd loves it.
grandson (Jordan Edward Benjamin) hits the stage fully charged, working the stage from side to side and jumping about. He is very animated while singing as he makes heavy use of his arms to accentuate the vibes of the songs. His music combines many genres including rap, EDM, and alternative rock, and makes for some interesting songs as his vocal delivery goes from soft to angry ranting on many occasions. Early in the set, he gets down into the pit and has a father bring his young son to the front and grandson engages with him. The guitarist even passes down a guitar pick to him. It surely made this boy’s day. grandson also gets the first circle pit of the night going. His set contains songs from several of his EPs and album Death of an Optimist including “6:00,” “Despicable,” “We Did It!!!,” “Oh No!!!,” “Riptide,” and closes with the radio hit “Blood // Water.” The fans respond with huge cheers throughout his set. Kentucky-based Knocked Loose takes the energy up a level with a heavy set of metalcore songs. Kicking off with the song “Where Light Divides the Holler” and then “Trapped in the Grasp of a Memory,” it does not take long for the headbanging and moshing to begin in the pit up front. They keep it going pretty much through the whole set as crowd surfers also flow to the front of the stage. Their set pulls from their two albums, Laugh Tracks and A Different Shade of Blue, and their 2021 EP A Tear in the Fabric of Life. Lead singer Bryan Garris leads the charge with his harsh vocals and screams while traversing and jumping around the stage. Guitarists Isaac Hale and Nicko Calderon tear it up with searing leads and heavy riffs. Drummer Keven Kaine puts a beating on the drums and, along with bassist Kevin Otten, provides the bottom end that propels the songs. Their set would not be complete without the fan favorite “Deadringer” which they throw in the middle to huge cheers. Bryan also gets the crowd engaged in some waving from side to side. Their set also includes songs such as “God Knows,” “Billy No Mates,” “Mistakes Like Fractures,” and the closer “Permanent” which leaves the fans wanting more. The lights dim and a large video screen at the back of the stage displays some messages and leads to Bring Me the Horizon taking to the stage. It’s been over three years since they last came through the Detroit area and the fans erupt with cheers and screams. Taking to the stage, they waste no time getting the crowd fired up with a fan favorite “Can You Feel My Heart.” The fans sing out loud as they do on all the songs during the set. The stage is extremely well lit with Jordan Fish (keyboards, percussion), Matt Kean (bass), and Matt Nichols (drums) on a higher tier. Two lower risers, one on each side, are used throughout the show by guitarists Lee Malia and John Jones. Another low riser in the middle is used often by singer Oliver Sykes. The video screen provides cool images and, for some songs, also has the lyrics that make it even easier for fans to sing along.They keep the fans engaged with one hit after another including “Happy Song,” “Teardrops,” “MANTRA,” and the heavy song “Dear Diary.” Prior to the song “Parasite Eve,” Oliver mentions this song is one good thing that came about during the pandemic. During it, various images of virus cells, biohazard symbol, gas mask, and skull and crossbones are displayed. New song “sTraNgerRs” and “Shadow Moses” once again have the fans fully engaged and singing along. They then take it up another level with the fast-paced “Kingslayer” as Oliver tells the crowd to “go hard.” Guitarist John Jones can be seen rocking hard on this song.
There are fans old and new, young, and even some much older. For many, this is their first time seeing Bring Me the Horizon as Oliver asks the crowd and many hands go up. However, that does not matter as they are all rocking out with many headbanging, bouncing, pumping their fists, and for the crowd up front, moshing and crowd surfing til the end. At one point, a circle pit even breaks out on the lawn at the back of the pavilion, while a large group of fans on the lawn join arms and headbangs in unison throughout a whole song. These fans sure love Bring Me the Horizon and are having a great time.
Winding it down, they play “DiE4u,” “Drown,” and another ripping song “Obey” that has the crowd bouncing and headbanging. They close it out with another fan favorite, “Throne” which finds Oliver in the pit near the fans up front. Bring Me the Horizon does not disappoint tonight, and Oliver takes a moment to let the fans know, “you have been the best, we love you so much”, before exiting the stage.
BRING ME THE HORIZONWebsite Facebook Twitter
KNOCKED LOOSE
Website Facebook Twitter
