The Amity Affliction & August Burns Red stop in Milwaukee for a rowdy Wednesday night!
The weather is heating up, and so are the number of concert announcements, but first, all the shows that got announced last winter are still going, just like August Burns Red and The Amity Affliction’s Spring Tour with support from Boundaries and Heavensgate. This lineup came into Milwaukee this past Wednesday, and even though it was the middle of the week, people came ready to mosh, crowdsurf, you name it! There were even several fans who came dressed in fun onesies, which I imagine had to be drenched with sweat by the end of the show because it was toasty in that room from the start. I saw Scooby-Doo and a blue unicorn pegasus. My favorite was always seeing someone dressed up like a banana, but alas, there were none.
All Photos By: Carrie Bergan The Rave/Eagles club, as always, passed out the small bright yellow slips of paper that dictate no moshing, but that does not stop the band from encouraging it. In fact, you might say it actually makes more people want to do it for fun. These papers can be found all over the floors of the venue, and people sometimes make memes out of them. It’s really just a safety note that it’s not their fault if you choose to engage in this activity and get hurt, it’s not their fault. But if you’re showing up to a concert like this, you’re prepared for whatever is about to go down.
Heavensgate was the first group to take the stage, and silly me forgot I had seen them a few years earlier just downstairs in the basement at The Rave. They had opened for Like Moths To Flames, and I remember enjoying their set. They were just as energetic and loud, if not more, than the last time they graced this venue’s presence. A few crowd surfers were up in the air during their set, and even being the first opener, the room was getting itself warmed up. There was a nice-sized moshpit that formed as the band waved around telling them to “spin that shit!”
Boundaries were up next, and if I’m really honest, they were who I was most excited to see. I bought a t-shirt and scored a little ducky from tipping at the merch table. Their merch seller and I talked about the time they played at X-Ray Arcade a year or so back. I had mentioned missing out on two back-to-back sold-out shows and was incredibly stoked to be seeing them perform. The room charged full on during their set as vocalist Matt McDougal yelled for the crowd surfers. They came like rushing tidal waves, all kicking and punching the air as they screamed along. That moshpit grew as the fans were in there spinning about. It was such a fun sight to see, and the thrill of getting a good photo of a crowd surfer always brings me so much joy.
It was a co-headliner, and I’m not sure if there was a flip-flop on the order, but August Burns Red was up first. The last time I saw them was this very stage about three years ago with my husband, and much to his surprise, they opened with their cover of “Chop Suey” by System of a Down. Not this time, instead it played over the speaker as the entire room screamed along to the words, and at the very last note, that’s when they entered the stage one by one. As they all came out with lights flashing, cheers erupted throughout the room, and crowd surfers were lifted at the first drum beat.
Vocalist Jake Luhrs whipped around the stage with grace, swinging the microphone around in circles, pointing at the crowd (including me with the camera), and lifting his hands in the area indicating the crowd to do so in return. I absolutely knew their set would be on fire, and it was indeed. There was headbanging all around. During their last few songs, they did the “if you have never crowd surfed, I want to see you crowd surf right now!” and it was an absolute frenzy. Sometimes it takes an extra shove to do what you’re most afraid of, and as someone who crowdsurfed at Warped Tour when the band on stage said that, I answered. They gave a massive shout-out to the security for keeping everyone safe because the venue security staff deserve the utmost respect. They are what’s keeping you from getting a concussion from being dropped over that barricade, so be nice!
After their rocking set, it was time for The Amity Affliction. This band is one that I’ve never been too familiar with, more of a name in passing. I’m sure I’ve been at festivals where they have played and walked by the stage. The three songs in the photo pit were pure intensity, and they definitely blew me away. The room was singing along to every word, and I always think it’s so awesome to see crowds like that because I know how much bands talk about that feeling. This is the feeling when they know they have made it because they can stand there and watch every single body in that room singing back every single word. The connection between each person that night was magical because in this moment, they were all connected by these words. These words meant a whole lot to some of them.
At some point during their set, the wall of death was summoned, and I saw Scooby-Doo at the very end of it. The lights went out, and the song kicked in as everyone rushed in. I have to say, watching Scooby-Doo in the wall of death is not something I can say I was expecting, but it was everything that night. It was amazing.
The tour has a handful of dates left on this run, don’t miss out!
