So being that I wasn't familiar with the opening act (and honestly wanted to save battery life), I bypassed the set from Thank You Scientist. Keep in mind I got the chance to check out their set. They played great and the violin and brass was a nice touch to the band. The vocals reminded me that of Dance Gavin Dance (Jonny Craig/Tilian Pearson), or Coheed and Cambria (Claudio Sanchez). Not a bad start to the evening.
Then we got to the bread and butter of why I showed up. I have been a longtime fan of As I Lay Dying and do not feel that the remaining members of the band should be chastised due to the actions of their former vocalist (Tim Lambesis). So Nick, Josh, Phil, and Jordan did what any other musician would do...they moved on. Under the name Wovenwar, the guys acquired lead vocalist Shane Blay (from Oh, Sleeper) and debuted their self-titled record in 2014. Their stage energy made up for the god awful mixing that was happening in the first half of their set. Not looking to play the blame game (or even incite one) but the final few tracks saw the 5 guys sounding like they should for respected artists. Check out photos from their set here.
Check out the rest of Wovenwar's photos HERE.
Then we moved onto one of the co-headliners (or direct support...whatever you prefer) straight from Texas. Nothing More's reputation has preceded them since their debut album with Eleven Seven Music (their sixth overall as Nothing More). While I was standing around waiting for the show to start, I was hearing multiple conversations with NM fans talking about stage show and performance. And they were not wrong by any means. From the moment the band took to the stage, they were engaged with us as fans. All smiles and high energy made for a great performance. This also marked the first time the vast majority of onlookers were experiencing Nothing More. I think it's safe to say they won over a fair amount of people that evening.
It's worth mentioning that these guys do some pretty crazy stuff during their set as well. For starters, the four members attach a bass guitar to some sort of contraption that allows all four members to play simultaneously. That plus the killer quad-drum solo made for not just a concert or set...they put on an entertaining show!
Check out the rest of Nothing More's photos HERE.
Which brings us to the final round and the metaphorical KO of the evening. I can recall only one time (Summer Slaughter) I have missed Periphery as they pass through Toronto. I have been hooked on these guys since their opening slot while touring with Kittie (many years ago). What can be said about the band? The sound was amazing, the stage performance was spectacular, the members were engaging the audience, Spencer's vocal were top notch, and they picked one hell of a setlist. I am happy that I had the opportunity to shoot for new bands like Wovenwar and Nothing More, but equally happy to shoot for Periphery once more.
The guys ripped through tracks from old and new. Starting off with their debut single "Icarus Lives" set the tone right from the starting of the set. I personally thought it was great piece as it was common, everyone knew the song, and it got people moving right away. They finished off string with some memorable tracks off Periphery II: This Time It's Personal" with tracks such as "Scarlet", "Ragnarok", and "Masamune". All in all, a longer set would have been preferred [of course] but did a fine job of blending their discography into their set.
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