THE AMITY AFFLLICTION TURN CHICAGO’S SOLD-OUT CONCORD MUSIC INTO A CROWD SURFERS PARADISE
We took the Get Some Magazine party to Chicago for another sold-out show this week. This stop brings us to the Concord Music Hall. The Amity Affliction, which would be playing their album Let the Ocean Take Me in full and bringing bands Currents, Dying Wish, and Mugshot, was bound to be a crowd surfer and mosher's best dream. We hit the venue early at our usual hour, and fans were already lined up down the street, ready to have fun. A regular sell-out at the Concord ranges between 1200 to 1400 people, so we knew we were in for some excitement tonight.
California’s hardcore/metal act Mugshot opened the night “Hate Speech” and fans immediately started moshing. The relentless onslaught continued with “Death has a Shadow,” which is when the “pits” started to warm up. Bodies were banging off each other like a nasty pile-up on the highway. During song three, “24 Thorns,” is when the crowd ultimately got bitch slapped by some chaotic riffs and epic breakdowns. Chicago came to throw down tonight, and it was only the first band. Other songs played in this set were “Blush Covered Bruise,” “Egodystonic,” and ending with “Violent Ends.” Fans were well warmed up for the next band, Dying Wish.
Portland’s Dying Wish hit the stage next and looked to continue the onslaught of heavy music. Starting the set with “Symptoms of Survival,” Dying Wish came to demolish this crowd. Lead singer Emma Boster proceeded to devastate fans with her screams and brutal lows during “Watch My Promise Die.” Crowd Surfing and mosh pits erupted throughout the set. We sometimes had to dodge a handful of surfers during the third song, “Starved.” Some other songs played during the set were “Prey for Me,” “Torn from Your Silhouette,” and ending the set with “Innate Thirst.” It was safe to say that the crowd had set our expectations for the next band, Currents.
Connecticut's Currents was set to come to the stage next; this was one of those bands where you can feel the anticipation from the crowd before they hit the stage. As band members came on stage one by one, cheers were getting louder until Lead singer Brian Willie hit the stage, and the crowd went insane. The opening number, “Never There,” set the tone for this set. Fans sang along from the first note, and crowd surfers started to come over the barricade. This was just a slow opener, when the next song “Monsters” hit, the excitement began. The floor “opened up” and a giant pit started in the center of the floor, crowd surfers were now coming over anywhere between 5 to 10 at a time. As usual, dodging surfers has become an art form for me in the last couple of years (I got to keep my head on a swivel). Song three, “Kill the Ache,” started, and the crowd went into full mosh pit mode. From my view of the barricade, it looked like the whole floor was a giant cyclone of people. Currents is one of those bands we love to shoot; it brings a different energy to the crowd. Currents played a brutal 11-song set, which included “The Death We Seek,” “Over and Over,” “Remember Me,” and ending with “Guide Us Home.” It was a set filled with an epic amount of moshing and surfing, and we have not even seen Amity yet, which is notorious for it.
Excitement built again before Amity hit the stage; you could see the fans on the barricade getting amped, knowing their favorite band was coming on. Fans again erupted into a frenzy when the opening number, “Pittsburgh,” started to play. Within the first 45 seconds, crowd surfers were coming over the barricade. During song two “Lost and Fading” we finally saw the high point of surfers, I had counted around 60 during the song, which is when I got trapped on one side of the stage due to venue security filling the pit to catch people. Fans continued their onslaught to barricade security during “Don't Lean on Me.” I grabbed a better vantage point at the elevated area at the back of the venue to take in what it looked like while the waves of people surfed. It was exciting to watch as person after person was lifted and what looked like they were being levitated and thrown into the abyss. The Amity Affliction played their album Let the Ocean Take Me. It was another crazy show and week covering for Get Some Magazine, which we would not have it any other way. Always remember to watch your pit people, pick them up when they go down, and remember to have fun out there. I would like to thank my wife Jess for tag teaming these shows with me, without her we would not get the video clips, pit videos, and crowd surfing videos without her. As always, catch you at the next one, peeps.
