SILENT PLANET BRINGS THEIR SOLD OUT SUPERBLOOM TOUR TO CHICAGO
WORDS AND PHOTOS BY JIM HELMECY
As we dive head first into another tour season, this was definitely a sentimental show for myself. Silent Plant was a bill 2 years ago, one of my second ever shows shooting. Fast forward and here we are again, coming full circle, and Silent Planet is headlining. The boys dropped a killer album in November called Superbloom, and to me personally it’s a rebirth of the band. So why not have a tour to celebrate. Bringing some heavy hitting acts with them, Aviana, Johnny Booth, Thornhill, and Soulkeeper. This line up was bound to blow the roof off the Bottom Lounge in Chicago.
Minnesota’s Soulkeeper opened the night up with a massive beat down. Opening their set with “ Holy Design” the crowd went into an immediate frenzy of moshing. During the next 2 songs, “Three Parts Disdain” and “Inflorescence” the crowd kicked themselves in high gear, chaos ensued , circle pits erupted, what I like to call the “norm” of these shows. With a few songs left of the set list, the crowd kept up the energy, and this was just the opening band…Chicago came to throw down.
Swedish metalcore band Aviana hit the stage next, with their members dressed in black robes and mask, only lead singer Joel Holmqvist was the lone unmasked member. Opening the set with “Rage”, well of course you know the fans are going to rage!! As Aviana blasted through the next two songs, “Illuminate” and “My Worst Enemy”, the crowd again went into a frenzy, this time we finally got a couple crowd surfers that came over the rail.
Up next was Johnny Booth, and holy hell this band did not miss. Now I’m not saying the opening bands weren’t heavy, but this was all together a different kind of beat down. Opening g their set with “2040 ”and “The Ladder”, the crowd finally went feral, and honestly that’s what I look for. It looked like the gates of hell had opened up behind the barricade, people were moshing all over the room. Even after I was dine shooting, the people in the back of the room, the “I’m going to stay out of the pit” people got into the action. Yeah Johnny Booth brought it, and Chicago’s fans answered back…Hardcore.
The boys from “down under” opened their set with “Arkangel”, and immediately got the crowd jumping. The crowd surfing picked up during this set and carried on through the next 2 songs, “Viper Room” and “Coven”. Thornhill went on to annihilate the rest of their set, the crowd was definitely well warmed up for the upcoming carnage that was about to ensue.
Ladies and gentlemen the moment you all have been waiting for…Silent Planet!!! The guys kicked off their set with “Offworlder”, from their new album. Greeted with a thunderous ovation along with one of the biggest mosh pit of the night, yes of course, this on was off and running, or moshing. Silent Planet is using a projected back screen for their entire set, which is definitely setting the mood for the new album. SP played an amazing 15 song set which included mainly newer songs, and of course ending with another fan favorite, “Trilogy “.
Now with this tour being 3 weeks in, there is still plenty of time to catch this monstrosity before the rest of the dates sell out. Now from a photographer’s point of view, the opening bands lighting was at times difficult, but sometimes that’s the norm for this venue, challenging yet rewarding at the same time. All photos were shot on a Canon Mark 5D Mark IV with Sigma 2.8 24-70. Catch you all on the next one peeps.
