Every Time I Die Winter Headline Tour – REVIEW

We were recently in attendance at the Chicago date of Every Time I Die’s winter headline tour, which also included: The Acacia Strain, Vanna, Hundredth and No Bragging Rights. You can check out the review after the break.

Another show smack dab in the middle of the week filled with snow and chills outside and once again Chicago still has no problem filling up a venue to catch their favorite artist in town.

Openers No Bragging Rights got started to a warm reception from a small, yet still growing crowd still trying to get in the venue. Their taste of melodic hardcore has the ‘stamp of approval’ from The Acacia Strain’s Vincent Bennett as he joined them for one of their key tracks. Inspirational words of wisdom were the top dilemma for these youngsters and the message came across strong.

Sophomore upstarts Hundredth were another band comprised of the melodic hardcore/metalcore tinge, only they added a little extra spice to their brand to separate from the pack playing tonight. Unlike the previous act, stage banter was minimal and cranking out the tunes was maximal, but they as well carry a message of strong words and encouragement. Not a bad thing at all.

Middle band Vanna carried the torch through the night with their style of metalcore as well. They definitely fit well in the vein of the ‘Asking Alexandria/Devil Wears Prada’ types. Taking influence from bands of that subgenre and taking it to the next level. Vanna are on the verge of a breakthrough, and in a few years or less, they’re going to be riding the same wave as the bands they looked up to.

Now veterans in the scene, Boston’s own The Acacia Strain stood out like a sore thumb and delivered on all ends with one word: HEAVY. Large pits started to break and the stage diver’s were intact. It is hard to believe they had 3 guitarists at one point cause they are now only down to 1 and they have gotten even more heavy. Yes, it’s definitely possible to get THAT heavy! A few months ago they were in an automotive accident and thankfully all members were ok as no signs of crash-wear appeared on these gentlemen.

The main event Every Time I Die finally took their moment to shine as headliners of this tour. Tonight’s show felt like the movie Animal House translated to music. It is very well known that loud aggressive music can get a rowdy crowd going, but there was a different rowdy that separated this crowd from all other crowds! First of all, holy stage diver’s batman! Frontman Keith Buckley even gave some honorable mentions to a few of the frequent divers through the duration of their set. If anyone deserves an honorable mention it’s Keith Buckley. His charisma, energy is one that would make any frontman proud, if not even jealous! Talk about a man who knows how to own the crowd! You name the song, it was likely there. From ‘Apocalypse Now And Then’ to ‘We’rewolf’ to several songs off their critically acclaimed album, 2012’s ‘Ex Lives’ ETID were as hungry and vicious as the Werewolf they sang about in said song above. Halloween came early for some fans as one was dressed as a Werewolf and another was dressed as a mustard bottle. For the epic closer ‘Indian Giver’ at LEAST 40 fans got on stage and got nuts with the band. Some fans even crowd surfed on stage! Talk about a ‘you had to be there’ type of show because it was! I’ll be damned if there isn’t YouTube footage streaming of this show any minute now cause this is the type of stuff people will see and wish they were there the minute they see this footage.

Even if your not a fan of aggressive music, recommending to see the spectacle that is Every Time I Die live is an understatement. You will have a ball! Drop that 20 bucks and get your engines set and fire! This 1st show of the tour set a high standard for the rest of the tour and to all the other cities they hit after this one, I wish those cities the best in topping this one!

Information about the review…
Tour: Every Time I Die Winter Headline Tour
Bands: Every Time I Die, The Acacia Strain, Vanna, Hundredth, No Bragging Rights
Reviewer: Nicholas Wier
Date: February 6, 2013
Venue: Bottom Lounge in Chicago, IL