Blackbear Further Plants Himself in the Modern Pop-Punk Scene with the ‘nothing matters tour’
Blackbear has just kicked off his ‘nothing matters tour’ in Atlanta, Georgia and it showcased Bear in a new and slightly unexpected way. The show started with two openers, Heart Attack Man and Mod Sun, and later in the tour Bear will be joined by State Champs and Waterparks. Many of these openers are pop-punk bands that fans of his earlier work may not have been familiar with before the release of his most recent album. As his sound has changed since his beginnings in rap, he has become integrated into a new era of pop-punk, and that was reflected in the supporting lineup for the tour.
Mod Sun, who has collaborated with Blackbear before, livened up the crowd perfectly. He has been making music under the name Mod Sun for a while (and even played with multiple bands before going solo), but he has gained more recognition recently due to connections with Bear, Avril Lavigne, and Machine Gun Kelly. His energy and stage presence were a solid match for what Bear was about to bring to the crowd.
Blackbear recently released his new album, In Loving Memory, on August 26, just one week before the kickoff of this headlining tour. I was curious which songs he would play from it, but ever the crowd-pleaser, Bear opened up the show with seven old songs and a few covers and didn’t get into his new album until the twentieth song. This crowd was happy to hear some of the old songs, as the last time Blackbear was supposed to be in Atlanta, the tour was canceled. The headliner also altered some of his songs to have more of a pop-punk sound by having an entire band on stage which meant more guitar riffs and less backtracking. Though the set was not lacking overall, it was slightly disappointing that we didn’t get to hear the latest single “gfy” feat. Machine Gun Kelly.
One part of the show that was unforgettable was the medley of other artists’ songs that Blackbear features on, including tracks by Avril Lavigne, MGK, and All Time Low. The crowd went wild and thrived during this section of the set before Bear went off stage for a small hiatus. What may have been an even more surprising moment was when Blackbear came back on stage for the encore and he yelled into the mic, “We’ve never done this before so be nice to us. Ok. Open this shit up!” Concertgoers who love bands that Bear has recently featured with, such as The Used, knew exactly what to do. Unfortunately, not everyone did, as newly alternative crowds have a thing or two to learn about moshing and pit etiquette. But they gave it their best shot, even if it meant a sprained ankle.
So far, Blackbear’s tour has been successful and entertaining, and beyond that it has solidified his position in the current pop-punk scene. You can still catch him throughout the USA in the next couple of weeks and then overseas in early October!