August Burns Red, Miss May I, Northlane, Erra and Fit For a King, HOB Dallas -

DALLAS – Adorned in their best rock concert attire, fans lined up at the House of Blues in Dallas, TX on a cold February evening to see August Burns Red with a killer line up consisting of big names like Miss May I, Northlane, Erra, and Fit For a King, a used-to-be-local Dallas band. When doors opened, fans immediately began crowding the pit area to secure their place in the crowd.

Erra opened up the night, starting off with their song Dreamcatcher. Their set was filled with high energy, brutal screams from the lead vocalist, and heavy breakdowns. The front-man, Ian Eubanks, encouraged the crowd to get moving, and they definitely did, setting the tone for the rest of the night.

For you non-Dallasites, Fit for a King got their start playing local shows in the Dallas area, making this show one to be at if you’ve been a long time fan. The hometown heroes opened up with Hollow King and the crowd immediately began to move. Crowd surfers started flying towards the stage, catching the security guards (and photographers in front of the barricade) completely off guard. After some technical difficulties a couple songs in, the band went into their title track for their brand new album Slave To Nothing. The crowd’s energy went from a level 6 to a 10 within seconds and the whole room was a giant moshpit. Fit for a King closed their set with two of their most popular songs from their sophomore album, “The Resistance” and “Warpath,” carrying the energy out til the very end. After the band’s set finished, Ryan Kirby, lead vocalist, announced that he would be at their merch table for a while and fans could come say hi. Fans lined up in front of their table, taking pictures and talking up a storm until Northlane took the stage.

Northlane took the stage in a manner that you wouldn’t expect from a metal-core band. Members of the band took their time walking out as an ambient chord played. Their set kicked off with “Quantum Flux”, a song from their album “Singularity.” The crowd didn’t really do much during their set, movement and energy wise. While the band had great stage presence, the crowd didn’t present the same energy at first (probably from being worn out from Fit For a King). After a few songs, the crowd started to regain its previous energy and Northlane ended their set with the whole crowd singing along to their song “Masquerade.”

Next up were co-headliners, Miss May I. The band came out, quite literally, with a bang, kicking off with their song “Hey Mister” off of their 3rd album “At Heart.” Through out their set, the crowd was insane. Crowd surfers flew over the guardrail like it was nobody’s business, and the whole center of the room was a giant circle pit pretty much the entire set. In the middle of their set, however, one of the band members announced to the crowd it was the vocalist, Levi Benton’s birthday that day! The whole venue sand along with a beautifully played rendition of “Happy Birthday” as Mr Benton was adorned with a handmade black t shirt that read “Birthday Betch” in white letters across the front. Sufficiently embarrassed, and proudly wearing his new shirt, Benton urged the show on, closing out the bands set with their ever popular song “Relentless Chaos” off of their sophomore album “Monument.”
A few long moments passed, and the crowd waited anxiously for August Burns Red to take the stage. Fans became antsy as the crew set up the stage for the band to get ready to come out. The lights then suddenly dimmed and ABR took the stage, kicking off with “White Washed,” from their 2009 album “Constellations.” Immediately when the song kicked in, the pits opened up and the madness commenced. ABR’s highly energetic stage presence demanded that the crowd participate; not a single person in the room was standing still. The energy in the room sustained all the way through ABR’s entire 13 song set, and a ridiculously awesome drum solo to close it out from the freakishly talented Matt Grinor, accompanied by guitarists JB Brubaker and Brent Rambler on two sets of drums. But, even after that insanity, the crowd wasn’t done yet. The band retuned to play two encore songs; fan favorites “Carpe Diem” and “Empire.”

At the end of the night, there were a lot of tired and sweaty moshers, seeking refuge from the heat of the crowd in the cold February air, and security guards, tired from catching crowdsurfers all night. Yet another successful show for House of Blues; all in a nights work.

Article by: Blake Myers
Photos by: Emily Casey