It seems like only yesterday that I was standing in the parking lot of our local outdoor amphitheater at my very first Vans Warped Tour, roasting in the sun, and catching a band called Silverstein for the first time. The band was a newbie on the scene and was out promoting their first full length debut album “When Broken Is Easily Fixed,” which came out the year before. It’s been over fourteen years since that fateful day and the Canadian rockers are still going strong and are now out on tour celebrating the fifteenth anniversary of the same record. It almost seems surreal but certainly holds up the old adage of time flies as well as things get better with age.
This past Tuesday evening Silverstein returned to the Queen City to play their iconic album in its entirety in front of a capacity crowd that was pumped and ready to rock. The venue was packed and there was a long line of fans waiting to get in when I arrived. As I bustled about, you could hear a lot of chatter about the band and it was crystal clear that the excitement level surrounding the show was at a fever pitch. The atmosphere inside the club was one of gleeful anticipation among a community of fans. This was the kind of show where you would run into people asking how many times have you seen them or which Warped was your first? When the band took the stage, the venue erupted as they quickly got things rolling with “Smashed Into Pieces.” The first segment of the show would feature the “When Broken Is Easily Fixed” album in its entirety with the second half being devoted to the band’s greatest hits. Lead vocalist Shane Told took command of things from the very first note, drawing the crowd into the emotions, which ran very high throughout the night. These were long time fans and knew the words to each and every song as they sang along. Guitarists Paul Marc Rousseau and Josh Bradford kept the leads and licks going while drummer Paul Koehler and bassist Billy Hamilton provided the strong rhythmic backbone. The band is often described as post hardcore, emo, or screamo but it’s all rock and roll to me. One of the best elements of Silverstein’s music is the emotional rollercoaster that you experience while listening. The songs are full of emotion, ranging from fiery guitar leads to soaring vocals with everything in between. One song can easily lift you to an incredible high before returning you down to an emotional low and then rising up again. For me this is the ultimate concert experience, sharing those highs and lows with the band and all those around you. Before you knew it, they had played the entire album and began delving into crowd favorites like “Smile In Your Sleep” and “Texas Mickey” before closing out with “Discovering the Waterfront.”
After many shouts of “Silver-stein! Silver-stein!, Shane returned to the stage for an acoustic performance of “Aquamarine” with the entire venue helping to sing. The rest of the band returned for “My Heroine” which began acoustic before kicking it up a notch toward the end allowing the crowd one more mosh pit and a last chance at crowd surfing before the night ended.
Opening up for Silverstein, were the Ohio rockers of Hawthorne Heights, another Warped Tour alumni. Led by frontman JT Woodruff, the band put in an excellent set which did a fantastic job at warming up the crowd and kicking things off an outstanding night of rock. This is a show you won’t want to miss and dates are selling out fast so be sure to scoop up your tickets before it’s too late.
Set List:
Smashed Into Pieces
Red Light Pledge
Giving Up
November
Last Days of Summer
Bleeds No More
Hear Me Out
The Weak and the Wounded
Wish I Could Forget You
When Broken Is Easily Fixed
The Afterglow
Smile In Your Sleep
Call It Karma
California
Massachusetts
Texas Mickey
Retrograde
Lost Positives
Discovering the Waterfront
Encore:
Aquamarine
My Heroine
We would like thank Amy Sciarretto from Atom Splitter for the credentials to review the show.
