Silverstein at the Majestic Theater in Detroit, MI

Silverstein make mighty musical mayhem for Michiganders that mashed themselves into the marvelous Majestic Theater of metropolitan Detroit, Michigan. 

A frigid fall night ripped down Detroit’s historic Woodward Avenue, smacking hundreds of shivering Silverstein fans across their chilled cheeks as they await the Majestic to open it’s doors for the evening’s event.  Despite the inclement Michigan moment, hearts were warm, eyes were wide, and grinning ticket holders bonded in musical camaraderie as they patiently wait to spend an evening with Canadian power-punk, screamo-licious sensations: Silverstein. 

The band kicked off the first night of their When Broken Is Easily Fixed 15 Years Later Tour to the city of Detroit before embarking on a grueling three month 50+ stop, trek across the eastern United States and Canada.  The emo/screamo, rock star super-band is well received when visiting the motor city, as is evident by this evening’s “Sold-Out” status.   

It’s 9:30pm on Saturday night and all ticket holders have nestled themselves “ala sardines” into the massive innards of the mighty Majestic Theater.  Body temperatures are warm, pulses are high as anticipatory adrenaline trickles through the veins of ticket holders.  A massive two-story tapestry, emblazoned with the cover of the bands smash album When Broken Is Easily Fixed, hangs much like a carrot on a string before a hungry crowd.  An enhanced security team takes their places in anticipation of the much loved Silverstein crowd surfers, inevitably making their way to center stage and Utopian fandom.

The house lights ignite to expose a sea of red and blue fog backed by tweeters, horns, and woofers engaging at a thunderous level.  The crowd immediately roars to life as the stage lights reveal frontman Shane Told wielding his microphone much like a great king holds his mighty scepter.  Epileptical lighting ensues as the band’s rhythm section launches the power hit “Smashed Into Pieces.”  The excitable audience is electrified with the band’s energy and reciprocates with the banging of heads and pumping of fists.  The band presses on with “Red Light Pledge,” “Giving Up,” and into the crunchy yet melodic “November.”  As the setlist begins to track through the night, we begin to see the cult-like, fun time musical phenomenon known as “crowd-surfing” begin from the inner bowels of the capacity crowd.  Fan after fan sacrifice themselves to the hordes hungry hands and are propelled forward to the stage (and awaiting security team.)  The well-behaved travelers are gently guided back to the horde from which they have come.  

The band’s performance for opening night is powerful, driven and engaging with drummer Paul Koehler and bassist Billy Hamilton keeping their groove tight and on point.  Dueling guitarists Josh Bradford and Paul Marc Rousseau keep the Silverstein growl crunchy and aggressive with Rousseau providing memorable guitar solos that would satisfy even the most elite of snobby tone-a-holics.  Frontman Shane Told’s interaction with his fans this evening is kind and endearing as he is seen multiple times reaching out to touch and shake fans’ hands.  Silverstein delivered an unbelievable setlist of twenty-two tracks, and a complete play through of their album “When Broken Is Easily Fixed.”  They also fired into a massive “Greatest Hits” collection that included “The Afterglow,” “Texas Mickey,” and a special live debut of “California.”  Nearly ninety minutes later, Silverstein give their beloved fans a very special acoustic encore that featured “Aquamarine” followed by “My Heroine.”  The later of the two smoothly made an organic transition from acoustic to full band accompaniment and “plugged-in” status.

With the conclusion of the final encore, and the two thousand plus fans reaching concert-cardio exhaustion, a parting thought is left to those in attendance:  Silverstein delivers, in the studio AND in person.  Purchase a ticket for a Silverstein show, and the true fan can expect everything… you will get it!

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About Jay Dunbar 56 Articles
Jay Dunbar is a professional photographer that enjoys wearing a multitude of hats. He is active in the commercial and stock photography arenas and currently owns and operates a Detroit based investigations firm and photography agency. Despite his many endeavors, Jay can frequently be found in attendance at your favorite concert venues, capturing breathtaking images of live performances of many genres of music. A skilled author and photographer, he could be described as a " Serial Music Journalist." Carrying the photo bug for nearly thirty years, Jay enjoys all styles of photography, testing new gear, and helping aspiring photographers, artists and models to develop their skills and learn their craft.

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