Talk Your [S]#?! We’ll Give You a Reason Tour feat Woe, Is Me – REVIEW

Last week, we stopped by the “Talk Your [S]#?! We’ll Give You a Reason Tour” to check out the tour’s headliner, Woe, Is Me, as well as the supporting acts: Chunk! No, Captain Chunk!, Our Last Night, Secrets and Capture the Crown. You can check out the review after the break.

On Woe, Is Me’s ‘Talk Your [S]#?! We’ll Give You a Reason’ tour they came to Chicago with The Seeking, Capture the Crown, Secrets, Our Last Night, and Chunk! No, Captain Chunk!. With a lineup like this how could you not want to go?

On my way to the Bottom Lounge I wasn’t sure what to expect at this show considering the recent change in members of Woe, Is Me. Walking into the venue I was surprised to see how close I could get to the stage even after being late and missing the first band. I was uncomfortable with the fact that people were even able to sit down during sound checks. It wasn’t something I was used to. Fortunately for me my opinion on the crowd changed once the bands started to play.

The second band to perform was Australian band, Capture the Crown and when they took the stage they really took over the stage. Opening their set with “You Call that a Knife? This is a Knife!” with such energy that a circle pit opened up immediately and the crowd began moshing. Halfway during their set the lead singer had the crowd split down the middle and a wall of death ensued. During the second to last song I looked away for one second and the next thing I know the lead singer was climbing on the speakers and swinging from the pipes above like it was a normal Wednesday night for him. Capture the Crown really got the crowd pumped and ready for the bands to come.

The next band hailing from San Diego, California was Secrets. I could tell from the crowd that people were anticipating them to play. As soon as their backgrounds with the band name went up people began gathering around the stage again. Once Secrets came on stage they started the set off playing songs from their album The Ascent such as “40 below” and “Melodies”. A group of guys began moshing and got other people really into it. At one point one of the vocalists had the crowd split in half again and counted down for the people to run at each other. Closing with “Somewhere in Hiding” gained the most moshing out of the whole set. They seemed to have a lot of fun on stage and this being my first time seeing them I would definitely pay to see them again.

Our Last Night was up next and having been a fan for years now I can honestly say I was really excited to see them. At this point of the night there were more people who had arrived and they seemed ready as well. They opened their set with older songs such as “Elephants” and “The Devil Inside”. The same people who had started the moshing before seemed to not run out of fuel and kept up the hype by going between people and pushing them, getting others to do the same. With their song “Age of Ignorance” the band really got the crowd jumping and singing along. Once they were done it seemed like their set was short compared to the bands that performed before them. Even so with just the few songs they played you could tell they were having fun on stage and their energy reflected on the crowd.

“Chicago let’s do this shit right” is what was being heard from French vocalist Bertrand throughout Chunk! No, Captain Chunk!’s set. Before the band came on stage a clip from the popular song “Oppa gangnam style” was played and people on the floor were dancing. Playing many new songs, there set seemed to be one big dance party. After a few songs the crowd began to chant ‘M.I.L.F’ and Bertrand laughed saying they weren’t allowed to play that song. Teasing the crowd though he said how maybe for Chicago they would play it, then gave a slight pause while people cheered, then continued his sentence with implying that they would play it next time they come back. People seemed disappointed by this but that did not stop them from giving it their all each song, with moshing, having a wall of death, and even crowd surfing. Seeing them perform is not something you would want to miss.

The period between Chunk! No, Captain Chunk!’s set ending and the start of Woe, Is Me’s set got me really anxious. This was my first time seeing them with the new lineup in Chicago and first time getting to hear their new songs live from the album Genesi[s]. Once they came on stage though they wasted no time jumping into their set with new song “D-Day”. Hance though was the only one not on stage when the set started and didn’t appear until it was his turn to sing in the song “A Story to Tell” which they did next. Afterwards they asked if it was okay to play an old song which of course the crowd did not object to. During their set people really let themselves go and there were crowd surfers everywhere. They would surf onto the stage and then jump right back onto the crowd. Woe, Is Me gave a performance that was nothing short of what can be expected at a Woe, Is Me show. Even though it’s not the same seeing them without the former members you cannot deny they love what they do. Playing a mix of old and new songs all the members were singing along to each one and they had so much energy and looked so excited to be performing. After they played a cover song they also did a bit to “Oppa Gangnam Style” and they themselves were even doing the dance that goes with it. Throughout the whole set people were moshing and at certain times the crowd’s singing could be heard over Doriano’s. After they performed what they said would be their last song and left the stage people began chanting “one more song”. Once that happened they all came back on stage and ended the night with “Vengeance”. At a point during this song they all stood with a fist in the air as one and that was probably my favorite part of the night. With everything that has happened with this band it was as if that symbolized that they were all still together and were not giving up.

Afterwards all the bands were either by the merch tables, outside the venue, or on the floor doing signings, taking pictures and taking the time to meet their fans. I would definitely advise anyone who can to go to this show if they are looking to have a great time. None of the bands seemed to care or put in any less excitement to playing to a not packed venue. If anything they put in more effort into getting the crowd into it and for the people who were there, they did not disappoint giving that same if not more enthusiasm right back to the bands. Whether you’re still apart of the [S] army or not this tour is not one to miss if it comes to your city.

Information about the review…
Tour: Talk Your [S]#?! We’ll Give You a Reason Tour feat. Woe, Is Me
Bands: Woe, Is Me, Chunk! No, Captain Chunk!, Our last Night, Secrets, Capture The Crown
Reviewer: Ali Jimenez
Date: November 28, 2012
Venue: The Bottom Lounge in Chicago, IL