REVIEW BY DAVID TAYLOR AND PHOTOS BY DEAN BIRKHEIMER | Go Venue Magazine
Sunday, August 14 marked the return of A Day to Remember to the Stir Cove stage at Harrah’s Casino in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The fans of the band did not care that the next day was Monday, so they were ready to party and throw down!
Bad Omens from Richmond, Virginia kicked things off for the evening. This quartet were throwing down hard. I was impressed by lead singer Noah Sebastian’s falsetto, which very few metal vocalists can pull off. They couldn’t have been a better warm-up band for the night, even bringing out a wall of death in the mosh pit. Check out the new album they put out earlier this year, The Death of Peace of Mind.
Beartooth from Columbus, Ohio was the direct support. I had high expectations for this band, and they were met tremendously. They brought that extra juice to really warm up the crowd to A Day to Remember. The crowd popped off when they kicked into “The Lines”. This band knows how to throw down, while also can make a crowd sing. Lead vocalist Caleb Shomo is a one-of-kind talent, bringing such a frontman-energy to this band, even doing his version of the Freddie Mercury “ay-oh!”. They are that perfect blend of straight-up metalcore sound with clean singing. At the end of their set, Caleb went out to the crowd and stood on the camera platform to chug out some riffs in a total rock star fashion, breaking guitar strings and yelling. It was metal as hell. I’m so glad to finally see this band live. It will not be my last time seeing these guys.
Finally, the Florida boys, A Day to Remember, were ready to hit the Stir stage. I had seen these guys before, so I knew they had such a fanbase that love them so much, singing the songs, loud and proud like “All I Want” and “All Signs Point to Lauderdale”. I was shocked about the production they brought with them, from the huge video board behind them to the CO2 cannons, they fit perfectly for the size of Stir Cove. It was also a breath of fresh air hearing lead vocalist Jeremy McKinnon commend the security at the head of the stage with the handling of the crowd surfers, as they had to go over another barricade due to the “party pit” up front. This band remains one of the best live bands, always bringing a unique show to every city they are in. They are definitely the heaviest band on the Stir Cove lineup this year and would to see more heavy bands in future lineups.
A Day To Remember
Beartooth
Bad Omens
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