Photography and review by William Dibble
The line outside of Summit Music Hall wrapped around the block, and then some. The show wasn’t quite sold out, but was quite close to it. Senses Fail, Reggie and the Full Effect, Have Mercy, and Household were playing, and Senses Fail, being a long-running veteran of the emo and hardcore genres, was quite the crowd pleaser. It took almost the entire opening hour to get the line through the door. People were still filing in as it approached 7:30pm, the start time for the opening band.
Household opened the concert for the evening. They are a post-hardcore style band from Kansas City, MO. Despite having only two albums under their belt, it was clear within moments that Household knew how to play for a crowd. The venue was already at least half full, and they didn’t waste a moment of their set. They played a variety of softer, slower music along with more traditionally emo tracks. The mix of high-tempo and slower songs really showcased the variety that they are capable of writing. It was clear that they deserved their spot on this tour from the outset.
Have Mercy was up next. Have Mercy is a emo band from Baltimore. Throughout their set, they used a very distinctive blue lighting which lent an interesting mood to their faster, punk-styled emo songs. Have Mercy dominated the stage with their energetic presence, bouncing from track to track with a youthful energy. At this point, the venue was beginning to fill up, and the crowd was getting a little more energized. They made sure they were not going to disappoint, playing a fantastic and fun set.
Reggie and the Full Effect was the third band for the night. It was clear that Reggie’s James Dewees was here to have a good time. He took the stage making a joke about people too serious to enjoy a song about peanut butter sandwiches, and talked about some of the history of his other songs. At one point, he regaled the audience with a story about how he got high and quit karate school. The songs were fast, light, and fun, with most of the audience singing along. Despite being a long-time member of the genre and a national touring act, Reggie very much had a local band feel to their set. They kept it intimate and light-hearted, never taking themselves too seriously to have a bit of fun at their own expense. It wasn’t long, though, before their time was up and it was time for Senses Fail to take the stage.
Senses Fail have been around since the early 2000’s. Their discography stretches just as far back, and they’ve been touring just as long. This tour was both in support of their new album and their fifteenth year touring. From the moment they took the stage, Senses Fail absolutely dominated the Summit Music Hall. With a professional-yet-laidback attitude, James Nielsen had the audience’s total attention while he and the rest of the band ran, jumped, and even somersaulted across the stage. They’ve been around for awhile, but that didn’t stop Senses Fail from demonstrating the very energy that made them popular over a decade ago. Their lengthy set explored hits from their latest album all the way back to some of their earliest, showing that while their sound has evolved, they have not lost any of their musical ability. It was a setlist that will please fans of both their new and old material.
The “If There Is Light It Will Find You” tour is not over yet- there are still a few stops to go. If you haven’t been yet, you should definitely make this tour a priority. It is an absolute blast, and features fantastic bands from opening moment to closing song. Be sure to check out our entire concert gallery here!
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