Posted April 22, 2019 by Kailey Howell Concert Reviews & Galleries

We Came as Romans – St. Andrews Hall – 4.14.19

We Came as Romans, Crown the Empire, Erra, Shvpes
Saint Andrews Hall – Detroit, MI – 4.14.19
Photographer: Kailey Howell

Detroit natives We Came as Romans visited St. Andrews Hall with friends in Crown the Empire, Erra and Shvpes as part of their spring headlining tour. Detroit was the second of two Michigan dates, proving to be a packed hometown show.

Following the death of former vocalist Kyle Pavone, it was heart warming to see WCAR announce this tour. The band has toured with Crown the Empire before, and named them as close friends of theirs.

The venue was decorated in honor of Pavone, his photo hung over one speaker, and another reading “Kyle Pavone 1990-2018.”

WCAR entered the stage full of passion and smiles, quickly breaking into “Vultures with Clipped Wings” off of their 2017 album Cold Like War.

Dave Stephens (vocals) has honed his skill, now carrying harsh and clean vocals. His cleans show a new range that have developed over the past year.

Their set included a nice handful of older songs off of their 2013 album Tracing Back Roots such as the albums title track as well as “Fade Away” and “Ghosts.” The performance of “Hope” was full of emotion, almost proving to fans that despite the heartbreak, the band will carry on in Pavone’s honor.

They closed their set with a powerhouse performance of “Cold Like War,” shaking the room.

A week ago, in an interview with Billboard, Stephens revealed that the band will be recording a new album this summer, and assuring that they will not be replacing Pavone.

“There’s just no one who could replace him,” Stephens told Billboard. “I feel like if we added another singer it would feel like replacing him, whereas if it’s just me then I’m just covering his parts. It wouldn’t tear at our fan base or our hearts as much as seeing someone else up there singing those words and these songs.”

The band answered the begging question of how they will continue without Pavone with the release of two live videos of “Cold Like War” and “Lost in the Moment” from their set at Swanfest via CaliberTV.