On February 5th, hardcore enthusiasts showed up fully charged for Parkway Drive’s “U.S. Mini Tour” featuring Upon A Burning Body, and Betrayal at the famous Glass House Concert Hall in downtown Pomona, CA. With around 800 eager fans in attendance waiting to get in, the line outside the Glass House started to wrap around the corner several hundred feet back. Although I wasn’t surprised that the night sold out, I was impressed with how many people showed up at the time the doors were to be opened.
The first band to perform was Betrayal, a punk-like hardcore band from San Fernando, CA. They stormed the stage and opened the show with purpose. They wasted absolutely no time in getting the crowd pumped over time and instead cranked the aura of the room to maximum intensity immediately. Within a few moments of opening the show Brendan Foley, the band’s vocalist, had already jumped off the stage and perched himself atop the barrier in front of the crowd to share the mic with a horde screaming fans all belting out the song in unison. Since Betrayal was only a few counties away from their hometown, it was more than apparent that their fans showed up in large numbers. Their performance was one of the best responses I had seen towards an opening band performing at the Glass House in quite some time and Betrayal owned it.
Upon A Burning Body was next to hit the stage and they effortlessly matched the hype instilled from the previous band. UABB, being the crowd-active party-style band that they are, they naturally increased the energy of the venue the moment the music kicked it. They opened their set with the track “Showtime” off of their album “The World Is Ours.” Danny took the mic and yelled “Welcome To The Family!” and the crowd lost it. The photo pit was nearly shut down before we reached the third song due to the constant flow of crowd surfers coming over the safety barrier. UABB played a couple of their newer songs and mixed them with nearly their whole “Red.White.Green.” album, but the set overall was fantastic. It was crammed with heavy hitting breakdowns, synchronized crowd bouncing, and unscheduled pauses that added a dramatic affect a few exploding breakdowns. Every time I witness UABB live, I am impressed with how impactful their show is. More than anything though, I look forward to some more new material from UABB.
UABB’s set list was:
1. Showtime
2. Intermission
3. Devil’s Advocate
4. Mimic
(El Mariachi)
5. Desperado
6. Once Upon A Time In Mexico
7. Game Over
8. Texas Blood Money
9. Sin City
It was finally time for Parkway Drive to hit the stage and bring the how down, but this did not happen until a slight stage adjustment took place. Both Betrayal’s and UABB’s equipment was removed from the stage to make the most room possible for PWD. The crowd was watching and getting anxious because of a lack in patience that they all shared. Everyone started chanting, “Parkway Drive! Parkway Drive! Parkway Drive!” in hopes that it would speed things along. After a few more minutes, the climax of the show kicked off with a bang as the Aussies opened everything up with the track “Sparks” from their latest album “Atlas.” Song after song during their performance, I found myself mesmerized with the sheer talent that Parkway Drive possess. Winston McCall vocal’s sound exactly like you would expect them to and he showed no signs of trouble when it came to hitting every mark and pitch consistently throughout the show without fading over time. Also, Jeff Ling (lead guitar) is a beast! Dynamically his guitar heavily overpowered the other guitar and not once did he hit the wrong note or lose timing. As the show wined down and after Parkway Drive played their last song the crowd expressed that they were not ready to leave yet. The audience’s loud chanting for a encore sparked Parkway Drive to come back out to finish things off with, “Carrion” from their album “Horizons.”
PWD’s set list was:
1. Sparks
2. Old Ghost/New Regrets
3. Sleepwalker
4. Karma
5. Idols And Anchors
6. Boneyeards
7. The River
8. Dark Days
9. Deliver Me
10. Home Is For The Heartless
11. Romance Is Dead
12. Swing
13. Wild Eyes
Encore:
14. Carrion
Betrayal: Facebook//Twitter//Instagram: @betrayal
Upon A Burning Body: Facebook//Twitter//iTunes// Instagram: @uponaburningbodyofficial
Parkway Drive: Official Website//Facebook//Twitter//iTunes//Instagram: @parkwaydriveofficial
