Photos / Review : “March of Madness” Tour with Memphis May Fire

Who: “March of Madness” Tour- Memphis May Fire, Blessthefall, The Color Morale, Sylar, Bad Seed Rising, Against The Arachaic

Where: Come and Take It Live, Austin, Texas

When: March 28, 2017

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What was a typical Tuesday night for most Austinites would actually be an anticipated nights of music for others. Memphis May Fire, Blessthefall, The Color Morale, Sylar, Bad Seed Rising, and Against The Archaic would play an energetic and fun show that few would forget. The majority of the bands are no strangers to touring, yet they still deliver every. single. time.

Up first were locals in the hardcore band Against The Archaic. The venue was starting to get packed and it was a great sight to see so many people in support so early. To make it better, the crowd was willing to move along with the band as well. Of course, it helped that the music was catchy and pumped up the crowd.

Next up was Bad Seed Rising, a female fronted band with powerhouse vocals (both clean and unclean). It was clear that they had many fans in the audience, as the house was packed for their set. Before beginning another song in their set, lead vocalist Francheska Pastor told all the females in the audience to raise their fists, and jokingly called out a few males who put their fists up as well. It was an intimate set, and Pastor sat down to sing with the crowd multiple times. Bassist Louey Peraza could be seen shouting at the crowd to amp them up, as well as whipping his hair and guitar in all directions. At the end of their set, Pastor told the crowd to “take me to my merch table” via crowd surfing, and so they did.

Sylar shook things up next with their unique metalcore/hip hop style and flawless vocals from both lead vocalist Jayden Panesso, and guitarist Miguel Cardona. The intensity of the band can be seen and heard live. Their latest album, Help! was released last year and the band has hit the ground running since.

The Color Morale began their set, and continued to keep the crowd going. When they played “Walls” the crowd chanted in unison for different parts of the song. Later on, lead vocalist Garret Rapp noticed two crowd members taking a selfie, and invited one of them on stage to take a selfie with the band and crowd, because if you’re going to take a selfie, you have to “do it right.” TCM is known for their messages of positivity and hope, as heard in their songs “Learned Behavior” and “Strange Comfort,” both of which were played on the tour.

It was Blessthefall‘s turn to show the crowd what they’re made of. They played some older favorites, such as “Promised Ones” and the crowd went insane. Even people in the corner were being forced to move due to the movement of the pit. Vocalist Beau Bokan let the crowd know that they were the wildest audience of the tour and that he wasn’t joking. I lost count of the times he sprayed water into the crowd. In contrast, he also got down and sang with them many times, and crowd members from every direction were reaching to make contact with him and give him high fives. You could see the whole band was having a blast, and non-stop smiling and laughing, even while playing their songs. They closed their set with “You Wear a Crown, But You’re No King.”

Texas natives Memphis May Fire were up to headline/close the night. Both vocals of Matty Mullins and Kellen McGregor are known for being superb live. Bassist Cory Elder jumped around a lot and also made some intense shouting faces for the crowd. They played songs from multiple albums, including  hits such as “Prove Me Right” and “Wanting More.” Before playing “The Victim,” Mullins described to the audience that the song was actually about a business relationship that had gone wrong, and not a romantic relationship, which many had originally thought. They then slowed things down a bit by playing “Miles Away,” which discusses being a homesick musician while on the road. For the encore, they played “The Sinner,” and Mullins went into the crowd and crowd surfed to say goodbye.

This was the second to final date of the March of Madness tour. If you missed out, you’re in luck because you’ll be able to catch Bad Seed Rising, Sylar, Blessthefall, and Memphis May Fire on Vans Warped Tour this year! It will basically be a reunion of almost all the bands on this tour. If you were able to attend this tour, then consider yourself lucky as well, because you’ll be able to see these great bands for a second time this year.

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