[dropcap]W[/dropcap]ith a sold out show, Asking Alexandria brought a crowd to Royal Oak Music Theatre as part of the Break Down The Walls tour with August Burns Red, We Came as Romans, Crown the Empire, and Born of Osiris.
Michigan natives We Came as Romans hit the stage for a hometown show, with the whole band repping the D in Red Wings jerseys. The energy of this band was unreal and they had a lot of interaction with the fans during the show as well.
During “Hope,” vocalist Kyle Pavone stood atop the crowd for part of the performance, handing the mic to fans to hear their voices resonate through the venue. We Came as Romans showed that they knew how to control a crowd, because not one fan was standing still during their performance.
The band’s other vocalist, Dave Stephens told the crowd he would be attending the Red Wings game the next day and that if anyone was going, to come say hi if they saw him. Towards the end of the set, the band brought their friend up on stage and gave a toast to him, because they were celebrating his bachelor party that night.
We Came as Romans closed out their set with “To Plant A Seed.” The ending of this song was essentially performed by the crowd singing “The first note that was ever sang!” over and over until the song ended. The band then said their thanks and handed the stage over to August Burns Red.
The band covered all the fan favorites, including “Composure,” “Empire” and “Marianas Trench,” ending the set with “White Washed.” Vocalist Jake Luhrs’ guttural screams sounded just as good as they do on an album, and the rest of the band really showed they are masters of their craft when it comes to performing their instruments.
The stage presence of this band was great, and the interaction between members is spot on. At one point, bassist Dustin Davidson reached between the legs of guitarist Brent Rambler and moved his fingers on the guitar as if he himself was performing the guitar solo. There was also a massive circle pit during this set– and the fans really got into it.
Before Asking Alexandria hit the stage, the mic stand for Danny Worsnop was already covered with many, many bras. The band is known for attracting women so this shouldn’t have caught people off guard. The stage setup for the night was bigger than anything the band has had before, complete with stairs, a tall drum riser, and light fixtures that could have been mistaken for vending machines (which can be seen on their most recent album).
The opening song of the set was “Don’t Pray For Me” in which the band established that the rest of the night would be filled with energy, rage, and pure rock ‘n roll. As soon as the song ended, they kicked right into the first single released on “From Death to Destiny.” Fans belted the chorus, bringing a sea of voices that could be heard echoing.
When the band took a break from stirring the crowd into a frenzy with their energetic set, Worsnop proceeds to tell the crowd that Asking Alexandria is here to “Intoxicate, invigorate, ejaculate, impregnate and over-compensate, and play some goddamn devil music!”
Before a strong performance of “To The Stage” there was a little jam session intro, during which the crowd was commanded to separate into a wall of death so the band could “see some goddamn violence.” Right as the song started, the crowd charged at each other in what was quite possibly the most insane moment of the night.
There was a familiar face to the band in the crowd that night. Highly acclaimed producer Joey Sturgis was in attendance. Sturgis has been involved with all of Asking Alexandria’s records. Worsnop stated “Our band wouldn’t be here today if it werent for the one and only Joey Sturgis,” and then dedicated the song “Break Down the Walls” to him.
Prior to the final song of the night, a speech was given to the crowd about the history of the band and how they created one song that made them who they are today. The crowd was toyed with as they performed a little medley consisting of “One Step Closer” by Linkin Park, and “Walk” by Pantera before playing their song “The Final Episode” which had just achieved certified gold status. As the lights went off after their last song, Asking Alexandria proved that they want to be leaders in the Rock and Metal industry, putting on a show that is not worth missing.
