Who: “Take To The Skies 10 Year Anniversary” Tour- Enter Shikari, Being As An Ocean, Dozer
Where: Come and Take It Live, Austin, Texas
When: March 31, 2017
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The recent popularity in 10 year anniversary tours has risen in the past few years, and music fans have rejoiced in being able to hear their favorite albums from a decade ago be played live and in-person. One particularly unique band from England, Enter Shikari, came to the U.S. to celebrate their 10 year anniversary of their breakout album, Take To The Skies. The supporting acts would be Being As An Ocean, and local act, Dozer. Enter Shikari shows are always full of mischief, crowd participation, and a lot of movement. This tour would be no different from the past.
Starting off the night was Dozer, a pop punk band from San Angelo, Texas. Although they weren’t quite the same genre as Enter Shikari, they brought enough energy and good vibes to welcome the crowd and kick things off. They played songs off their newest EP, Centerpiece, which was released back in March.
Being As An Ocean was next, and as I heard in the crowd, they’re “like Drake if he was hardcore.” BAAO is known for their melodic ways, but also being able to incorporate the “hardcore sound.” Their raw, in-depth lyrics are the type that those going through a tough time can relate to, and actually connect with. One of my favorite things about this band is their ability to keep a cohesive sound throughout all of their albums, but still make them each unique in their own way (although if they were to mix in other genres, I’m sure it would be just as great).
Before they began their set, the band requested that the stage lights be turned off, and the only lights kept on were part of the band’s set up. The band started off with songs “OK” and “Dissolve.” “Dissolve” particularly showcased the vocals of guitarist Michael McGough and how pristine his singing is, live. After a couple of songs, lead vocalist Joel Quartuccio decided to make a trip off the stage and down into the crowd, something that he is known for doing. In addition to the dim lights, Quartuccio getting into the crowd made the concert experience that much more intimate and emotional. The crowd was receptive and simultaneously moshed while attempting to sing in the mic with Quartuccio. He eventually got back on stage and the band finished their set with favorites “The Hardest Part is Forgetting those You Swore You would Never Forget” and “This Loneliness won’t be the Death of Me.”
The lights came back on and it was time for headliners Enter Shikari to rock the stage. After setting up, the lights dimmed and the band was ready to come out (or so we thought). The crowd began chanting “And still we will be here, standing like statues”- a popular lyric found in multiple Enter Shikari songs. 10 minutes later, the band still hadn’t come out and people were wondering if something was wrong. The chanting faded in and out, but nonetheless, still persisted. It eventually came to a sudden halt and turned into cheers when people started noticing the shadows of the band members come out from the side. They all ran out on stage and immediately began with “Stand Your Ground; This is Ancient Land.” The crowd surfers started right away and everyone could agree that it was going to be one crazy show. People were also already getting knocked down due to the abundance of movement in the crowd, but everyone was quick to help out anyone who fell.
Enter Shikari began to play more songs off Take To The Skies, but slipped in a few other favorites, such as “Juggernauts” and “Anesthetist.” Drummer Rob Rolfe, although he was towards the back of the stage, appeared to have just as much fun as his bandmates, even though he wasn’t able to interact with the crowd. Bassist Chris Batten constantly went up to the crowd and sang along with them, giving boosts of energy to the people in the front (even though they didn’t need it). After finishing their set, the band came out for a three song encore, which included “Redshift,” “Okay, Time for Plan B,” and lastly, “The Appeal & Mindsweep II.” During the final song, Rory Clewlow went amp-surfing, which I had never seen before. An amp was put into the crowd, and he got on top of the amp and amp-surfed, all while still playing his guitar. At the same time, lead vocalist Rou Reynolds somehow climbed up to almost the roof of the stage (which is actually pretty normal behavior, as he does that during many shows), and hung around there for a little. As he got down, a bar from the ceiling ended up falling, and ended the night with a literal bang. This was the perfect way to end the night and show, as this is what an Enter Shikari show is almost always like.
This was my tenth time seeing Enter Shikari (keep in mind that they are from a different country!), and being able to see them play their 10 year anniversary tour of Take to The Skies was simply amazing. Everyone left in good spirits and many memories were relived after seeing this show. Enter Shikari is currently continuing their TTTS 10 Year Anniversary Tour in Europe, and hopefully will be back in America sooner than later. Being As An Ocean announced that they are going to play this year’s Warped Tour. All bands on this lineup were phenomenal and really proved the meaning of why the words concert and show can be interchangeable.
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Post by Megan Choi
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