SET IT OFF'S SECOND LEG OF THE DEATHLESS TOUR INVADES GRAND RAPIDS
We hit the road this week to Grand Rapids, Michigan, for show one of our stops with Get Some Magazine. It was night 2 of The Deathless tour for Set It Off, and the crowd at The Intersection was looking to set the tone for the rest of the tour. Set It Off brought some great bands with them, including Versus Me, If Not For Me, and From Ashes to New. With a stacked lineup of some awesome bands, we were excited to get in and party with this crowd.
VERSUS ME
Verses Me is a tiny little band from Janesville, Wisconsin. They consist of brothers James Milbrandt (Vocals) and Lee Milbrandt (Bass), Dustin Hansen (Guitar), and J.J. Johnson (Drums). These guys have been making waves with their music and steamrolling through the music industry. The boys have been gathering a following, showing the number of bands they have toured with over the past few years. Tonight was a perfect example to have Set It Off bring them along for a short 2-day stint to fill in for New Year’s Day until after their festival run is over. Versus Me moved the crowd with their opening number, “Control,” and the fans immediately turned up. The band rolled into their second song, “Blackout,” their recent 2023 release and lead singer James Milbrandt had the fans in his hand. Fans sang along with the band's third song, “Down,” and we had a couple of our first crowd surfers and moshed pit during this song. The boys ended their set with one of their 2022 chart hits, “Terrifier,” and it seemed like the crowd wanted so much more. There is so much energy with this band on stage that it turns infectious, and the crowd immediately gets sucked in. One thing you will notice about this band is that they always have smiles when playing. This is a band that has been grinding to where they are today. If you didn’t know them tonight, you were left with a good impression and wanted more from this band. Versus Me rocked the opening set and warmed this crowd for the next band, If Not For Me.
IF NOT FOR ME
Pennsylvania’s If Not For Me was next, and the crowd was anxious to return after the short break. The band opened with “Demons,” and the fans were ready to be taken to the next level. The second song was “Everything You Wanted,” Now we had another mosh pit open. This is the first time I have caught this band, and I must say that the electronic pop and metalcore mix is sublime. This is one of those bands that can and will keep you moving during their set. The band kept the momentum going with their third song “Alone”, which had the crowd singing along during this number. “Blameless” was one of their heavier numbers of the set. It had a great Memphis May Fire sound that got the crowd jumping and surfing. This is another one of those bands that has an infectious sound that gets you moving immediately. At this point we had seen a very tame crowd, a lot of people have been holding back, but From Ashes to New was up next. They will always find a way to break a crowd open and get you going.
FROM ASHES TO NEW
FATN mixes a lot of hip-hop with metalcore to get their sound. I’ve always considered them the “new age” of Linkin Park since I discovered them in 2016. I have watched FATN grind their asses off over the years to be who they are today. They take no shit in your face, work your ass off to get what you want, band. I’ve had a couple of opportunities to shoot and see this band over the last three years, and every show I have seen them, it’s always 100% energy and giving it all back to the fans. Tonight was no exception. FATN opened with “Nightmare” off their newly released 2024 album BLACKOUT, and we were off and running in actual From Ashes to New style. The crowd was into the set immediately, like I said this band will break you out of your shell to get you going. Another new song, “Dead to Me,” was the second song with the crowd going into a frenzy, and you could hear this crowd singing along loudly during the chorus. In song three, “Heartache,” this crowd completely broke open, and we finally got the monster mosh pit we wanted to see. The band continued to keep the fans moshing and crowd-surfing during their set. Other songs included during this set were “Hate Me Too,” “My Name,” and ending the set off with “Nothing.”
SET IT OFF
Set it off again? Absolutely! We caught this band the first time a couple of months ago on the first leg of The Deathless tour with Crown the Empire, Caskets, and Death by Romy. This was the second night of this leg, and we wanted to see if the energy was any different early in the tour than halfway. The band opened with “Parasite,” and this Grand Rapids crowd was ready to sing along for this one. Set it Off has a way of bringing you into their energy zone, which showed during their second song “Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing”. Fans were seen singing and dancing along during this number. Song three gave us “Fake Ass Friends,” which was another crowd favorite. Set it off completely blew the roof off the venue with their hit-packed 16-song setlist. Some of the songs in this setlist included “Evil People”, “Creating Monsters”, which is a newly released single, “I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead”, “Killer in the Mirror”, and ending the set with “Punching Bag”. The crowd energy was excited for this set, and the band gave them back everything they had. Grand Rapids was the tone-setter for this tour, and this crowd did a phenomenal job of doing it.
There was a lot of history and excitement in this show. Versus Me and FATN were the first two bands I got to shoot when I started this venture three years ago, and having both bands in the same house on the same tour was a full-circle show for us. This tour is just starting to pick up, and the energy level of the bands from top to bottom is through the roof. Catch this tour while you can! Look for our subsequent write-up for Wage War, which is coming soon.
