Tampa, FL – Most bands have a handful of water bottles scattered around on the stage. (Photographers notice these things.) Underoath? It looked like they had a case ready for each of the five members who took the stage Friday night at the Ritz Ybor in Tampa. Just one song into their set explained everything.
The band burst onto the stage with the punishing “Take a Breath,” and the crowd instantly matched their high energy. Emo anthem “Writing on the Walls” followed, before Underoath dipped back into newer material with “Hallelujah.”
The following hour was a fantastic performance, but it was still bittersweet for co-headliner The Ghost Inside fans who would miss their set that night. On their first of two nights in Tampa, frontman Jonathan Vigil cut TGI’s set short before going to the hospital. Vigil was still in the hospital Friday night, but returned to the tour the next night in St. Augustine.
Back to Underoath. Each interlude between their high-octane performances required a breather and a water break, but they filled the gap with unique, arena-ready visuals to keep the crowd engaged. They also teased the next song with weird jam sessions that riffed on melodies and emphasized the ethereal nature of Underoath’s music.
Underoath is a big band in more than one way.
Physically they fully occupy a stage, with vocals coming from Spencer Chamberlain and drummer Aaron Gillespie, while keyboardist/samplist Christopher Dudley crafts a sonic landscape for guitarist and back up vocalist Timothy McTague and the bass of Grant Brandell.
It’s a lot to take in, with Dudley nonstop headbanging, McTague assuming the classic power guitar stance and Chamberlain’s long flying hair. Gillespie is mostly hidden behind his kit, but you can’t miss his voice booming out on top of the mix or his own wild hair flying around the cymbals.
Underoath’s outsized impact also extends to the music scene, where they’ve been firmly planted since the earliest days of Warped Tour. That was reflected in the setlist, which pulled from five of their nine albums across a whopping 24 years. Underoath catered to their loyal fan base, pulling three tracks from 2006’s Define the Great Line and four from their breakout album 2004’s They’re Only Chasing Safety.
The shot of nostalgia came hard from tracks like “Casting Such a Thin Shadow” and obviously “A Boy Brushed Red Living in Black and White,” which drew the biggest cheers from the — let’s say mostly middle-aged crowd. (Fully lumping myself in that bunch.)
In these topsy turvy times, the ability to just completely lose yourself in the performance of a band that carried you through middle or high school is sorely needed. That time machine aspect, in this writer’s opinion, is one of the enduring qualities of legacy band concerts.
Underoath Setlist:
- Take a Breath
- Writing on the Walls
- Hallelujah
- Breathing in a New Mentality
- Lifeline (Drowning)
- It’s Dangerous Business Walking Out Your Front Door
- Casting Such a Thin Shadow
- Down, Set, Go
- You’re Ever So Inviting
- Damn Excuses
- Let Go
- Reinventing Your Exit
- Cycle
- A Boy Brushed Red Living in Black and White
Second-billed was We Came As Romans, which perfectly fit into a lineup of bands with a penchant for hard-hitting and high-flying anthems. Opener “Darkbloom” is a great example, with its soaring chorus and, arguably, the hardest vocals on tour.
WCAR almost have as long a lineage as their tourmates, with their first album dropping in 2009. They definitely have as loyal fans, with everyone on their feet and moshing for songs like “Cold Like War” and setlist staple “Wasted Age.”
Opener Better Lovers set the tone for the show with the chaotic energy of yesteryear DIY bands like Bad Brains and Butthole Surfers. Often dubbed a supergroup, the lineup features members of Every Time I Die and Dillinger Escape Plan. While bringing elements from the bands they left behind, Better Lovers has built a uniquely devastating sound with tracks like “Become so Small” and “30 under 13.” Paired with a fantastic live performance, Better Lovers has bright things in its future.
Show Date: Aug. 4, 2023
