Live Review: Motionless in White Returns to Lincoln

Motionless in White at The Bourbon in Lincoln, Nebraska on Monday, April 22, 2019. Photo by Robert A. Chadwick

WORDS BY DAVID TAYLOR AND PHOTOS BY ROBERT A CHADWICK | Go Venue Magazine

Monday, April 22, 2019 marked my return to the Bourbon Theatre in Lincoln, NE since May of 2016, as Motionless in White, Atreyu, and Wilson were in town. Mondays are not the most ideal concert nights, but I happened to have that day, as well as the next day off, plus I hadn’t seen both Motionless in White and Atreyu in a couple years, so it was nice seeing them, again. The Bourbon was packed, regardless of it being Monday, with the Nebraska crowd giving their love off to all the bands.

Official tour poster

East Lansing, Michigan’s own Wilson kicked off the show. They brought the party lifestyle vibe to the bill, just straight up having a good time. Their tongue-in-cheek lyrics are very clever, fitted well with the party lifestyle. Music-wise, very groovy, easy to dance to. Towards the end, lead singer, Chad Nicefield, brought out a giant marching bass drum, which was very innovative. Check out their latest release, Tasty Nasty, on all the music platforms.

Atreyu was the first of the co-headline. I haven’t seen Atreyu since their ripping set at Rockfest in Council Bluffs in 2016, so I was stoked when I heard they were coming back to this part of the country. They played all their tunes, old and new. Very reminiscent of the last time of saw them, bassist Porter McKnight and vocalist Alex Varkatzas went into the crowd, becoming one with it. Brandon Saller, drummer and clean vocalist, sang his ass off, like always. I love how they’re a metalcore band, but borrow a ton of 80’s hard rock influence, including their cover of Bon Jovi’s “You Give Love A Bad Name”. Check out their new album, In Our Wake.

Lastly, it was Scranton, PA’s own Motionless in White to hit the stage. This was my second time seeing the live, after seeing them direct-support In This Moment at Pinnacle Bank Arena in 2017. Seeing a Monday night Lincoln audience go crazy for them was insane. One of the most hard-working bands out there since their Warped Tour days, they look like they are still having fun onstage. Chris Motionless, lead vocalist, was cracking jokes, having fun with the crowd. But, overall, the band looked like they have really matured as a live act. Their gothic metalcore is one that is unique and always fresh that always draws enough interest to keep going. They teased some of their new album that is coming out on June 7, Disguise, by playing the self-titled track. This summer, you can catch them on tour with Alice Cooper and Halestorm. It’s always cool seeing a band like Motionless in White getting these one of a kind tour offers, as they are one of the best out there.

Motionless in White

Atreyu

Wilson

All images © Robert Chadwick Photography
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