Concert Review:
Constellations Tour Summer 2009
Line Up:
Destroy The Runner (filled in for iwrestledabearonce)
Enter Shikari
Blessthefall
August Burns Red
I wasn't going to go to this show at first, considering the only band I liked on the original bill was Enter Shikari. But at the last minute iwrestledabearonce had to drop off the tour for a few days and Destroy the Runner was asked to fill in the San Diego show, which prompted me to go as I have wanted to see them for some 2 years now. Tickets were $17 and the line was ridiculous, the majority of the crowd there for August Burns Red.
Destroy the Runner was up first. I must say, a little shaky at the start. Which I can understand because they were called in at the very last moment to fill in, I can only imagine that they hadn't rehearshed in weeks. But irregardless they were hitting all cylinders by the end of the show, the vocals were a bit weak but progressively got better as the show went on. The instrumentals were extremely heavy, yet sounded amazing. They did one of the heaviest breakdowns I have ever heard in my life which completely blew me away. The band itself was tight as hell on the last 3-4 songs and just completely brutalized the crowd more than any opening band should ever do. It was enjoyable none the less. Performance rated 7/10.
Enter Shikari was on next, and I must say, from start to finish they are one of the best bands I have ever seen live. They were so hard to photograph because they moved around so much, sounded great instrumentally and had great vocals harmonies. Their Electroinc/Post-Hardcore sound is something that is unrivaled in todays scene, using every aspect of their ablity to make evey song something better. This was another band I have wanted to see for a long time and afterwords I am very glad I took the chance to do so. Performance rated 8.5/10.
Blessthefall came on next. This was a band that I had never heard before the show, and let me just say that they first thing I did after the show was go home and download their cd from Itunes. They did exactly what a live band is supposed to do, turned me into a fan. With an excellent sound, playing ability, vocals and a charismatic frontman, Blessthefall was by far the best performance of the night. Engaging the crowd in way the other band couldn't think about accomplishing. The bassist does the majority of the screaming, and is damn good at it too, while the frontman handles clean vocals and back up screams. The clean vocals were crisp, clean, and very vibrant throughout the set. Couple this with the on-point sound of the rest of the band and you've got one hell of a solid set. Performance rated 8.5/10.
August burns red... was a dissapointment. Taking over 30 minutes to set up, coming out on stage like they were rockstars, and playing half-assed, generic metalcore, this band had enough to keep me around for 3 songs. I just couldn't take it anymore. Not to mention my camera had died right as they were coming on so I was bummed about that already, but in retrospect, I wouldn't want pics of those tools anyway. I left early. Performance rated 5/10.
Overall this show was very enjoyable and I would recommend seeing it if the tour stops in your town. Worth the 15-17 dollars.
p.s. All photos done by Me (except August Burns Red)