With the 10 Years of Constellations Tour rolling through House of Blues Dallas last night, my concert experience has officially come full circle. About a decade ago, coming off the release of their album Constellations, August Burns Red was one of my first concerts to attend at the House of Blues. A decade later and August Burns Red still knows how to put on one hell of a show and they are arguably even better now compared to the last time I saw them. They brought along some incredible talent with them to celebrate a decade of success, Silent Planet and Silverstein. This was an absolutely loaded show only proving that these seasoned bands show no signs of slowing down – and it’s no wonder they sold out this show.
Taking the stage a little after 7 pm, the metalcore heavy-hitters in Silent Planet opened up the show. Every time I see Silent Planet perform live, I am reminded why they are so widely liked. They are so raw and they perform with so much passion. Frontman Garrett Russell, puts on an inexplicably unique act as you can see the intensity and anguish in his lyrics melt through to overcome is demeanor. They opened with “The New Eternity,” and played through favorites including “Orphan,” “Panic Room,” “Native Blood,” and closed with “Depths II.” Every song they played covered heavy topics such as immigration, PTSD, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, Native American history, and so on. Russell, taking time to bring attention to mental health awareness and telling fans about things he went through, fosters a sense of community and shows that no one is alone in what they are going through. They always make their time on stage special.
Next up to the stage was a bit of a change of pace, Canadian post-hardcore band, Silverstein. As huge and successful as this band is, I never thought I’d want to see them live, but I’m so glad that I did. They had all the metalheads in the crowd reliving their middle and high school days by playing a bunch of their classic hits as well as their newly released single “Burn It Down.” The crowd seemed to already have this catchy anthem memorized as they shouted the lyrics in unison. They really amped up the energy in the room and got people even more hyped. Silverstein puts on such an exciting show that clearly displays their experience playing to sold out crowds in big venues like House of Blues.
Last, but certainly not least, the band of the hour took the stage shortly after 9 pm. As “A-B-R! A-B-R! A-B-R,” chants rang out from the crowd, the lights went dark and their giant LED logo lit up. Each member took to their battle stations and geared up for the epic set ahead of them. Their plan of attack was to play Constellations from start to finish. Coming in hot with the first track, “Thirty and Seven,” they had the crowd instantly hooked. They continued through the album and got the mosh pit constantly stirred up throughout the first six songs, including heavy favorites “White Washed” and “Marianas Trench.” This rowdy crowd even started a mosh pit on the balcony in the VIP section! This show was absolutely killer. Even more insane than ABR’s energy was the lighting design. It was a mind blowing light design with that aforementioned LED logo centerpiece that remained captivating up until the very last note. The lights added such a big impact to the intensity of the set that was reinforced by the savage breakdowns. It’s a real shame if you happened to miss this show. It’s rare I go to a show where even the stage security is getting into the music. This show was a big deal and it’s definitely a tour to be remembered for years to come.
– Lauren Frederick
