Underoath
Subterranean // Chicago, IL // April 6, 2018
Metalcore shows at small venues are just better, and that’s the truth.
Let’s be real: there’s nothing more awesome than getting body-slammed into a super small stage while singing along to one of the most loved screamo bands of the last 20 years. Add a brand new album (the first album that the band has released in eight years), and Underoath‘s secret show is easily one of the best shows I’ve been to this year. 200 of the band’s biggest fans huddled outside the Subterranean on an incredibly cold April day to see the band play brand new and classic songs. As one person in line put it, “this is what a show should always be like!” I couldn’t agree more.
The show started right at 6pm, which was an awesome way to start the weekend. No openers, no crazy gimmicks, just a small horde of elated and freezing fans jumping as high as possible and slamming into one another during their favorite songs. Underoath’s new album, Erase Me, is the first album in a decade with founding member and clean vocalist Aaron Gillespie, and his voice is a perfect compliment to main vocalist Spencer Chamberlain. While the album has received some flack from metal critics, many fans and critics have given it high praise. Erase Me takes a bit of getting used to for those looking for an old-school Underoath vibe, but as many have pointed out, bands and sounds evolve; staying the same would just be too boring. (Check out Substream’s review of the album HERE).
The set was only 45 minutes long, but the fact that Underoath chose to play an album release show in a small venue in Chicago was almost unreal. They played “Rapture” and “No Frame” for the first time ever as well as classics like “On My Teeth”, “The Blue Note”, and “Writing on the Walls”. One of the best moments came when Chamberlain climbed on top of the crowd to sing standing above everyone. A superfan was also hoisted up and the two sang together. The look on the fan’s face is the reason that this show was so special. It can feel incredibly humbling and exciting to see your favorite band up close and personal, and when it’s a massive act that usually headlines festivals across the globe, it’s even better.
Underoath will be playing a ton of shows across the country before heading to Europe in the summer. For tickets and info on their new album, click HERE.
