One of the most exciting metalcore tours occurring this summer is the co-headliner with Underoath and The Ghost Inside, featuring support from We Came As Romans and Better Lovers. Having seen the rest of the lineup live previously, it was primarily the newly formed group Better Lovers that lured me out to The Ritz Ybor in Tampa on Thursday evening. Consisting of former members of The Dillinger Escape Plan and Every Time I Die, the band has no shortage of touring experience and it shined through in their high energy performance to kick off the night. It was evident that Better Lovers has managed to secure quite a solid following in their short tenure, as the line wrapped around the building prior to doors opening, and when they took the stage, it was easy to see why. Given the intimate venue and the amount of equipment necessary to accommodate a four-band lineup, the guys had limited space to move around, but it did not stop them from jumping around and swinging their instruments while frontman Greg Puciato got as close to the fans as possible while delivering his fierce and frantic vocals. Along with all four tracks from the debut EP God Made Me An Animal, the setlist included a couple newer songs and a cover of Soundgarden’s Rusty Cage. I think I speak for metalcore fans everywhere when I say we can’t wait for a full length record from these insanely talented guys. In the meantime, head here to pre-order merch and vinyl copies of the EP.
After everyone was sufficiently hot and sweaty from the first set, We Came As Romans took the stage and treated the audience to a great mix of tunes from their discography including recent singles “Darkbloom” and “Daggers” along with popular ones from their early career “Tracing Back Roots” and “Hope” which were dedicated to the late previous clean vocalist Kyle Pavone. It was an emotional experience given it was my first time seeing them live since Kyle’s passing. It’s truly amazing to see the rest of the band continue to pursue their passion and create inspiring music for the world to enjoy, which is the perfect way to honor their former bandmate and brother’s memory.
The Ghost Inside took the stage next and created absolute mayhem with constant moshing, crowd surfing, and screaming the band’s lyrics back at them. This group also comes with a tragic but inspiring story, with a serious bus accident almost ending their lives and careers back in 2015. Vocalist Jonathan Vigil paused during the set to talk about the incident and how they are still in disbelief that they were able to resume their career in music and how grateful they are for the fan support. Everyone in attendance cheered and applauded in mutual respect, especially when Vigil mentioned that their drummer, Andrew Tkaczyk, suffered a leg amputation from the accident and had to re-teach himself how to play with a prosthetic. It is also worth noting that Vigil was feeling ill during the show and ended up visiting the ER shortly after, and The Ghost Inside still managed to deliver a flawless set.
Finally, Underoath took the stage to insanely loud cheering, given this was the first of their two “hometown shows.” As per usual, they had LED screens lining the rear of the stage to display various colors and visuals throughout the set to match the tone of different moments in the set. Having seen this band live several times before, I was blown away at how much more special it was given that they were performing back where they started it all. The crowd was extra loud, extra energetic, and Underoath gave every ounce of it and then some right back. The balanced set included newer tracks like “Lifeline (Drowing),” the calmer then turned wildly intense song (and a personal favorite of mine) “Casting Such A Thin Shadow,” and of course the classic hits “Reinventing Your Exit” and “A Boy Brushed Red Living In Black And White.” There are a few dates left of this run, and you can get tickets HERE.
All photos by Ali Brant Photography
