LIVE Review: Bring Me The Horizon at Lowell, MA
The clock struck 9:08. Two minutes until Grammy-nominated British rock band Bring Me the Horizon took the stage. The energy in the room was tense. As for me, I stood anxiously in the photo pit, about to shoot one of my top ten bands for the first time.
The lights dimmed, and the beginning notes to “i apologise if you feel something” rang loud throughout the Tsongas Center arena. Lead singer Oliver Sykes emerged from the thick fog on stage, slowly walking down the catwalk. Everyone began to roar over the gentle intro. Let’s just say the crowd felt something, no apologies necessary.
I spent the next three songs in the photo pit, doing what I do best. It was a blur, until my camera decided to suddenly stop working. Apparently I had overwhelmed it from taking photos too fast even with a strong SD card (Canon, get with it!). As a three-year music photographer, this was a first for me, and at such an inconvenient time. But, I made it work and was thankful I had my second camera with me.
The stage production was fantastic. The colors, the lighting, the smoke and confetti -- all of it. If there’s one band to see, it’s definitely Bring Me the Horizon. Even with keyboardist Jordan Fish’s sudden absence due to a family emergency, the rest of the band didn’t miss a beat and delivered a tight and engaging performance.
Hearing the songs off their newest album, Amo live for the first time was mind-blowing. I’m glad they added songs like ‘Ouch’ and ‘Medicine’ to their setlist.
They also even played their hit ‘Drown’ in a mesmerizing acoustic performance between Sykes and guitarist Lee Malia. It was crazy to see the tears just start pouring down everyone’s face as they sang along to the beautiful song.
Something else that was very interesting was seeing all the heavy songs they brought back from Sempiternal, such as “Sleepwalking,” “Shadow Moses,” and even “Antivist.” Hearing Sykes bring back his legendary screams and beckon for a mosh pit was something completely unexpected. “And you all said WE went soft,” he scoffed. “Show me a REAL mosh pit.”
All in all, I’d say it was a pretty solid show. I’m glad to finally say that I’ve seen a full Bring Me headliner tour and photographed it!
Scene Daddy Rating: 4/5