Silverstein and August Burns Red
Playstation Theater // New York, NY // August 11th, 2019
Photos and review by Jess Williams
This past weekend marked the conclusion of Pennsylvania metal core band August Burns Red’s tour celebrating the decade anniversary of their third record, Constellations. Canadian rockers, Silverstein and Los Angeles based metal core band, Silent Planet, joined the band to kick off the party inside Times Square’s Playstation Theater.
I’ve found that there are not a lot of times when I get to a show and the venue is packed to the brim when the opening band is just beginning. However, that was the case on Sunday evening as eager fans pushed their way to the barricade to partake in Silent Planet’s set. I’ve seen Silent Planet more times than I can count on my hands and the one thing that I love about them is the sense of community that they are able to create within their short but powerful sets. Their seven song setlist began with “The New Eternity” as well as some other fan favorites including “Native Blood” and “Depths II,” when lead vocalist Garrett Russell, climbed into the crowd to sing the song together.
Silverstein
Moving away from heavy metal core and transitioning into more pop melodic infusions, the next band up was Canadian powerhouse band Silverstein. “We’ve been on tour with August Burns Red for what feels like 17 years,” vocalist Shane Told said to the crowd. The band, who are no stranger to NYC, played a super high energy and fun set that was filled largely with hits from their most recent release, Dead Reflection. That being said, Silverstein did throw it back for some of their older fans by playing “Smashed Into Pieces” off their off their 2003 debut record. It’s always a treat getting to see Silverstein perform and they did an excellent job amping the crowd up for August Burns Red.
There’s a special sense of pride that comes along with seeing a band from your home town become wildly popular and sell out venues in the middle of Times Square. As a Pennsylvania native and August Burns Red fan of over 10 years, I was eagerly awaiting my first time seeing the band. The lights dimmed and the band took the stage with drummer, Matt Greiner, climbing atop his drum set and throwing his fist in the air. It was clear to see that both the band and the crowd were ready to give this final night of tour their all.
August Burns Red
August Burns Red kicked off their set with the lead track off of Constellations, “Thirty And Seven,” and then proceeded to play the record in full from front to back. Getting to hear and witness the band perform this record in its entirety was such a treat, but it wasn’t all that the band had to offer. After completing the entire album, they took a short but much needed break to center themselves before returning on stage for one of the best encores I have seen in recent memory. The return from the encore began with Greiner dropping a sick drum solo, as well as an insane cover of NOFX’s “Linoleum.” The night ended with “Composure” before August Burns Red thanked the crowd for coming out and for supporting them over the years. The lights lifted and before we knew it, the night was over.
