Posted October 6, 2018 by Kailey Howell Concert Reviews & Galleries

Blessthefall – The Crofoot Ballroom – 9.20.18

Blessthefall, The Word Alive, Ded, Thousand Below and A War Within
The Crofoot Ballroom – Pontiac, MI – 9.20.18
Photographer: Kailey Howell

Blessthefall has been touring in celebration of their latest album Hard Feelings with support from The Word Alive, Ded, Thousand Below and A War Within. Their stop at The Crofoot in Pontiac was highly anticipated.

Detroit natives A War Within (not pictured) opened the evening. Their fans could easily be heard screaming back the lyrics to their favorite songs. Vocalist Spencer Maybe carried the energy of the set. The band opened with “Hell Is Empty” and included songs such as “Atlantic” and “Promises” in their set.

Thousand Below is one of those opening acts that truly sets the tone for the evening. The band’s opening song, “The Love You Let Too Close” sent the crowd into a frenzy. As someone who was unfamiliar with their music prior to the show, I left eager to hear more.

Since the release of their 2017 album Mis-An-Thrope Ded has been gaining widespread recognition. Their entire set consisted of songs off the album, opening with “Rope”. The crowd was the rowdiest they had been all night screaming back the lyrics to “FMFY”.

The Word Alive opened with “Red Clouds”. Vocalist Tyler Smith screams carried a weight of intensity. Smith gave a heartfelt speech, dedicating the song “Life Cycles” to the late Kyle Pavone of We Came as Romans, as the crowd held up enough lights to illuminate the stage.

The lights dimmed and the crowd chanted “bless the fall” continuously until the band ran out on stage, with drummer Matt Traynor leading the way. Frontman Beau Bokan quickly hopped up on the rising, spitting water as the band opened with “Wishful Thinking”. Bokan was quick to join the crowd at the barrier for “Exodus”.

The band did not neglect to play some old favorites. In addition to hits off of Hollow Bodies such as “Youngbloods” and Exodus” the band included some throwbacks to their 2011 album Awakening. The crowd sang along to songs like “We Are the Promised Ones” and “40 Days…”.

The band also payed homage to Pavone, dedicating their song “Keep Me Close” to him. The band closed their set with long time favorite song “Hey Baby, Here’s That Song You Wanted”.

Stream Hard Feelings here and check out the gallery of photos from the show below!

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