Alex Through The Looking Glass: Blog

AFI - Bodies Tour 2023

(Alex Through The Looking Glass) — Tue, 14 Nov 2023 21:57:12 GMT

A Fire Inside, better known as AFI has finally been able to tour and play the long awaited Chicago date of their Bodies Tour. After being postponed and rescheduled to 2022 from 2021, many fans have been anxiously waiting for this show! I, for one, was super excited the tour finally happened. I have to say, this band knows how to get a crowd to move and let loose!

Opening with "Strength Through Wounding" and right from the start they had a great stage presence. I had no idea where to look since Hunter Burgan, Davey Havok, and Jade Puget just kept jumping and running around the stage! It was so awesome and I was not expecting the show to start off with so much energy. And it continued the entire show!

No matter if you are an older or newer fan of AFI, then this is the tour for you. They play music from all their albums! It is great to see. And don't expect the same show at each venue, on this tour they have been changing the setlist every night, which keeps fans on their toes! They played a total of seventeen songs, which included "God Called In Sick Today" and "This Celluloid Dream" for their encore.

AFI's lighting was absolutely sickening and was so bright! Even when I was in the back of the venue, I could still see the band! I would love to see AFI again! They were phenomenal live and definitely a band to see live if you can! They are so high energy and love shredding it on stage! AFI is on tour this fall/winter, definitely go see them if they are coming to a city near you!

Head to afireinside.net for all things related to AFI and tour details.

DRAB MAJESTY - Opening

Currently on tour with AFI as the opener for the Bodies Tour, L.A.'s Drab Majesty gave a really fun set! As a huge fan of New Order, Pet Shop Boys, and similar, I can honestly say that Drab Majesty gave me very similar vibes. I absolutely loved their style of music and I love that it's a duo.

Drab Majesty played only seven songs for their set but, but each song was longer then your typical song so it felt like they played more then that. You just wanted to sit back and enjoy the music!

The lighting was dark with harsh blues and they had smoke machine running the entire set. It made me feel like I was in a haunted house but totally suited their music and completely added to the scene. They came out wearing matching outfits, right down to the sunglasses and, I'm assuming, wigs. It kind of gave me a Dystopian Sci-Fi vibe which I am always here for! Drab Majesty also has 4 albums out currently and I highly recommend checking them out even if you cannot make it out to the AFI tour or can't get there early!

Once again, if you love bands like New Order or Depeche Mode, you will absolutely love Drab Majesty! Definitely an interesting duo with some amazing talent!

Head to facebook.com/drabmajesty for all things related to Drab Majesty and tour details.

Blackbear and Waterparks at the Aragon Ballroom '22

(Alex Through The Looking Glass) — Tue, 14 Nov 2023 21:55:23 GMT

Blackbear is currently on tour and I was so happy that he brought his Nothing Matters Tour to Chicago. It’s definitely something! As a fan of blackbear, I was really excited to finally see him play live. He had a really interesting stage set up which I haven't seen done yet! The stage was 2 giant LED Screens, one directly behind blackbear and one was like a small stage that he would stand up on or come down from. It was really neat and a lot of fun to see since it feels like the majority of artists who come to the Aragon Ballroom don't really do huge stage setups.

His tour lighting was also super bright and fun. Hearing the crowd cheer, it seemed like the fans absolutely loved it! I also want to give blackbear a huge round of applause for doing the longest setlist for a solo artist that I have seen in a minute. The 23 song set consisted of a mix of originals, selected covers and songs he is featured on or did with other artists! He even had fans join him on stage for some songs, such as having 2 fans joining him to sing "DO, RE, MI", which definitely something that I'm sure they will never forget. Some of the covers include "STFU" by Mansionz, "Memory" by Kane Brown and "IDGAF" by BoywithUkle, along with many others! He closed out the night with "Hot Girl Bummer" which was honestly the best way to close out a show like this. Something I would love to make note of though, when going to see blackbear or any other artist, please remember to be safe and drink water and if you feel light headed or you might pass out, let someone know so they can get help or get you out of the crowd. Before blackbear even went on, so many girls had passed out from dehydration or how hot the venue was from all the people in the crowd.

Overall, blackbear is an amazing performer and I had a lot of fun being able to review his show. I would hands down love to see him again and I hope to see him play in larger venues as he grows as an artist! I would give blackbear as a performer 10 out of 10. He is amazing to watch, has an amazing voice, and is just really fun!

Head to blackbear's Official Website (beartrap.la) for all related info and tour details.

Waterparks is currently on tour as direct support for the legendary Blackbear and they are so much fun to watch. There are a few things I enjoyed during their set. For Starters, the band is huge on safety. At this show, fans were passing out from heat left, right, and center. It was insane. The band stopped a few times to help security be able to get people out of the crowd and into safety. That was a huge deal to me because of the recent events at shows. I will say yes it can be annoying when a band has to stop their set because of someone but it shows they would much rather make sure a fan is okay then play and watch someone get hurt.

Their setlist was only 10 songs long, opening with "Numb" and ending with "Turbulent"! The band also played their most recent single "SELF-SABOTAGE". They kept the setlist pretty relevant to their newer stuff but also sprinkled in some of their older stuff. The crowd absolutely loved them and I think they gained a lot of new fans to add to their already large fan base in Chicago!

Another fun note about the show was the lighting. It was a little darker than I was expecting but towards the middle/end of their set it did get much brighter which was a nice surprise!

Overall, I was really excited for their set and I hope they do a headlining tour again because they were so much fun and were just full of energy on stage!

Head to waterparksband.com for all things related to Waterparks and tour details.

RIOT FEST LATE NIGHT AFTERSHOW 2022 -THE ACADEMY IS..., Midtown, and Jon Walker

(Alex Through The Looking Glass) — Tue, 14 Nov 2023 21:53:11 GMT

It's been 7 years since The Academy Is... has played a show. No one knew 2015 would be their last tour and we wouldn't have a chance to see them perform again for seven years. But here we are, with The Academy Is... closing out the Riot Fest on Sunday. However they played a sold out afterparty show on Saturday at Concord Music Hall and it was an amazing night.

For starters, when this show was announced fans went nuts for tickets, to the point where the show sold out almost immediately and you ended up having to get tickets from a re-seller if you weren't able to get them early.

The setlist is what any The Academy Is... fan could have dreamed of! It was fifteen songs and they played a nice mixture of all their albums. On top of that, for the encore played "Bring It (Snakes on the plane)" a Cobra Starship cover with Gabe Saporta, the singer of both Midtown and Cobra Starship, joining the band on stage. It had everyone losing their ~~shit~~, including me! The set also included "Attention" and featured original members Michael DelPrincipe and AJ LaTrace, which was definitely an experience I am so happy to able to watch! They also did a cover of "Very First Lie" by Material Issue which the fans also went nuts for!

Something else that happened during this show was there were a lot of crowd surfers. I honestly was not expecting that but everyone stayed safe and from what it I could tell no one got hurt. Everyone was just having fun night!

Overall, I have to say the Riot Fest Afterparty was so much fun and I absolutely enjoyed every minute of it! I also saw them the next day at Riot Fest and they were amazing however they ran out of time and weren't able to do the entire set the next day. So it was a bonus for those of use at the Afterparty show!

Head to theacademyis.com for all things related to The Academy Is... and tour details.

MIDTOWN - 2022/09/17 -CONCORD MUSIC HALL - CHICAGO IL

This must be the year of reunions because Midtown has come back to play a Riot Fest After show at Concord Music Hall as Direct Support for The Academy Is. Midtown had played their last show/tour in 2014 and broke up shortly afterward 2015 as they decided to focus on their personal lives and family! It's been 7 years now and fans could not be more excited with the return of this band!

Originally, Midtown was announced to be heading on tour for a few dates with My Chemical Romance. Then it was also announced that they would be playing on the 3rd day of Riot Fest. Then it got even better because the band decided to do a small intimate show at Concord Music Hall with The Academy Is on a Saturday night.

My only complaint was the lighting. It was quite dark, especially in the beginning, but it happens. Other than that it was great. The band sounded absolutely amazing. They kept it fun by telling jokes and talking about their lives and what they have been up too since the break up, and even talked about what got them back together and what made them want to perform again. It basically came down to two things: A. how much they love and missed their fans and B. how much they missed performing in front of an audience!

They played an eleven song set, which included a cover of The Killers "When You Were Young" which had the crowd singing along! Of course, there were also a few crowd surfers, but nothing terrible.

Overall it was a great experience and I hope others get to enjoy this amazing show!

Head to midtownrock.com for all things related to Midtown and tour details.

Jon Walker - 2022/09/17 -CONCORD MUSIC HALL - CHICAGO IL

Opening for The Academy Is... during the Riot Fest After show at the Concord Music Hall, Jon Walker was honestly a great was to start the show. He was a super mellow performer. With so many people rushing to this after show, to walk in and see Jon playing an acoustic guitar, it just helped you relax and feel chill!

Jon's set was really short, only 5 songs, but hey, it was his birthday and he probably wanted to relax and see his friends perform! Especially with it being such a late night! His setlist included "Better Than Never", "Maybe I will, Maybe I won't" (Cover of The Young Veins), "Sun and Moon", "Fairytales", and lastly "Enjoy The Days". It was really an awesome way to start the show and I loved seeing him smile when everyone started yelling "Happy Birthday"!

Head to jonwalkermusic.com for all things related to Jon Walker and tour details.

NORTH AMERICAN TOUR 2023 - THE SISTERS OF MERCY and A PRIMITIVE EVOLUTION

(Alex Through The Looking Glass) — Tue, 14 Nov 2023 21:50:11 GMT

It's been 15 years since The Sisters of Mercy have toured in the US and the anticipation for the Chicago show was insane! Fans lined up hours before doors opened to be the first through the barricade for one of their favorite bands! Needless to say, The Sisters of Mercy did not disappoint.

The lighting choices was something I have never seen another band do. Most bands have strobe lights, or multicolor lights or no lights but The Sisters decided to change it up and each song had 1 solid color for lighting and it definitely caught my attention. It was so odd, yet unique and I honestly felt like it made listening to the music more intense and less distracting! It was really beautiful.

The Sisters of Mercy played a total of 18 songs at The Salt Shed, opening with "Don't Drive On Ice" and ending with three encore songs: "Lucretia My Reflection", "Temple Of Love" and "This Corrosion"! Lead singer, Andrew Eldritch has a beautifully haunting voice. When he sings he adds to it by walking back and forth on the stage and doing "spooky" hand and arm gestures. It really sucked me in and I couldn't stop watching him!

Overall, The Sister Of Mercy were incredible live and so many fans were so excited to finally see one of their favorite bands after waiting 15 years! Even if you only know a few songs like me or are a hardcore fan, they are definitely worth seeing live, especially during this tour because the whole band sounded incredible. I had a great time being able to hang out and just listen to their music! The crowd was very mellow and just fun to chill with, just like the music! I will say definitely get tickets for this tour, especially before it sells out!

Head to the-sisters-of-mercy.com for all things related to The Sisters of Mercy and tour details.

A PRIMITIVE EVOLUTION
2023-06-06
THE SALT SHED - CHICAGO IL

A Primitive Evolution opened for The Sisters of Mercy and they sounded fantastic and really got the crowd excited for the night! A Primitive Evolution is a Canadian rock band from Toronto. The crowd cheered when they announced that! They played seven songs, opening with "Who's your maker" and ending with "Echo"! The band mentioned how the last time they were here they played at Reggies but said this show was even more special to them because they are on tour with Sisters of Mercy. You can just tell how excited they were to be part of this! Overall, the band sounded amazing live and I loved their fun rock sound and the energy they had on and off stage! I highly recommend getting to the venue early and checking out A Primitive Evolution. Chicago absolutely loved these guys and I bet you might as well!

Head to aprimitiveevolution.com for all things related to A Primitive Evolution and tour details.

A Day To Remember - 10/9/2021

(Alex Through The Looking Glass) — Tue, 14 Nov 2023 21:48:24 GMT

A Day To Remember brought their Re-Entry Tour to Chicago's Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom on October 9th, 2021 and blew the roof off the venue!

From the darkness, an arch lit up on the stage and the member of the band came out to “THX intro”. They then broke into “Right Back At It Again”. The lighting was a little darker then expected for an opening song. They shot out confetti and streamers right away which was exciting and no one was ready for so early in the show!

Even with Covid and all the protocols in place for that, no ADTR show would be complete without crowd surfers. And they start almost as soon as the first song began.

About 7 songs in was “Have Faith in Me” and Jeremy asked for the ladies to get on top of the guys shoulders and to sing along. It was incredible see so many people partake in it!

The band played several songs off their new album, “You're welcome”, and of course also played the classics that everyone loves but also decided to mix in some songs that they have never played live before! During the song “Blood Sucker” they brought out a t-shirt cannon which always goes over well with the crowd!

For the Encore, Jermey came out and started an acoustic version of “If It Means A Lot To You”. The crowd waved their phones in the air with the flashlight on and sang along. The rest of the band slowly made their way back to the stage and joined in so it was no longer just acoustic.

Overall, it was a great night. A Day To Remember is known to always put on an amazing show!

5 Seconds of Summer - 7/16/23

(Alex Through The Looking Glass) — Tue, 14 Nov 2023 21:46:19 GMT

5 Seconds of Summer brought their Take My Hand Tour to Chicago. The Australian boy band sold out their show and brought the house down. It blew me away to see how talented these guys are and I was amazed to see how dedicated their fan base is.

Technically, 5 Seconds of Summer is classified as a pop band but they also mix in pop rock and pop punk and it really fits them well!

The band played a total of 26 songs, including the encore, which consisted of "Ghost of You" and "Youngblood". The set also included and cover of The Chainsmokers' "Who Do You Love" and also performed an unreleased song called "Easy for You to Say"!

The tour lighting was phenomenal. It was bright and colorful with a huge LED screen behind them that played graphics to match their songs which was really cool! Their sound was amazing and was just like listening to their albums!

I would hands down love to see these guys perform again but on a bigger stage! They all have so much talent and are much more than just some boy band! As I mentioned, they blew my expectations away! 5 Seconds of Summer is on tour this summer with Pale Waves opening for them! Definitely check them out if they are coming to a city near you!

Head to 5sos.com for all things related to 5 Seconds of Summer and tour details.

WKQX Night 5 of How We Stole Christmas with 311 - 12/15/2019

(Alex Through The Looking Glass) — Tue, 14 Nov 2023 21:45:26 GMT

Wrapping up a very limited five city tour, 311 came to Chicago as they headlined the fifth night of WKQX's "Night We Stole Christmas" at the Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom.

This is a band to see live. They always put on fantastic show and between the venues amazing lighting and 311 incredible energy tonight was super awesome.

Opening up with "Beautiful Disaster" the crowd went nuts. I couldn't even hear Nick Hexum sing because of how loud the crowd was.

Five songs in, 311 does a cover of The Cure's "Love Song". It was very beautifully done and sounded amazing. Later in the set play played what is arguably their most popular song, "Amber". Everyone, including security, loved it and sang along because who isn't a fan of that song!

I've always recommended seeing 311 because they are not only an amazing band but their fan base is awesome, sweet and fun! I'll definitely continue to recommend EVERYONE see 311 next time they are on tour which will hopefully come in 2020!

3 Doors Down - Away from the Sun Tour 2023

(Alex Through The Looking Glass) — Tue, 14 Nov 2023 21:43:04 GMT

AWAY FROM THE SUN ANNIVERSARY TOUR
3 DOORS DOWN
2023-06-17
CREDIT UNION 1 AMPHITHEATRE - TINLEY PARK IL

3 Doors Down is currently on their Away From the Sun Anniversary Tour with special guest Candlebox. I was really looking for forward to this tour because it's such a good throwback album and both bands bring back so many memories!

Coming out and opening with "Pop Song", 3 Doors Down had the crowd roaring and singing along! The band then proceeded to play another 18 songs, including "Landing in London" and "Kryptonite" for their encore, which literally left the crowd screaming since everyone knows that song!

3 Doors Down never fail to amaze their fans because they have so much energy on stage! No matter where you look, someone is either singing right in front of you or jamming on the guitar! There is truly never a dull moment during the entire show! It's so insane, but also awesome, and it's one of the many reasons why I love seeing this band live!

The lighting for this tour was absolutely impeccable and so bright that no matter where you are in the venue you will be able to see every single band member on the stage! It's insane!

Overall, 3 Doors Down did not disappoint! They are always such a joy to see live and one of my favorites! From their amazing catchy songs, to their simple stage set up, they always put on a fun show!

Head to 3doorsdown.com for all things related to 3 Doors Down and tour details.

3 DOORS DOWN - 2021-08-05 - Hollywood Casino Amphitheater - Chicago, IL

(Alex Through The Looking Glass) — Tue, 14 Nov 2023 20:09:26 GMT

It’s been a great 20 years since 3 Doors Down released their studio debut album”The Better Life”!

To mark this amazing anniversary, 3 Doors Down has embarked on a North American tour to celebrate with their fans!

The show kicked off with them taking the stage and performing one of my personal favorites “Kryptonite” which blended perfectly into “Loser”. The crowd was so excited! It was both a chance to see their favorite band play all the hits for the anniversary and it was also The Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre first show of 2021. Even the staff were excited to be working not just any show but to work a 3 Doors Down show!

Lighting for this tour was incredible and they even have a screen behind the drummer that plays videos to go along with whatever song they are playing!

The entire band really got into every song they are playing. They also followed all Covid safety protocols to keep everyone safe. Complete respect!

Overall, 3 Doors Down had an amazing show and stage presence. I would definitely love to see them perform again.

To stay up to date with the 3 Doors Down tour for the “The Better Life” 20th Anniversary tour, visit their website where you can see where they are heading next and buy tickets! For this tour, Seether is also opening and playing a 10 song set! 3 Doors Down Website- Tour Page

2 Chainz at Summerfest 2022

(Alex Through The Looking Glass) — Tue, 14 Nov 2023 20:07:49 GMT

Friday night of Summerfest '22 second week had me in shock at how large of a crowd 2 Chainz bought in! After talking to security I was informed that he brought in the biggest crowd they had seen so far this year, the turn out was huge! 2 Chainz came out and the crowd went nuts as he started singing "No Problem" which is a cover from Chance The Rapper.

His lighting was absolutely phenomenal while he was on stage and I loved watching him interact with the crowd without actually getting into the crowd. He was also making jokes with his fans about his songs or the meanings of some of them.

2 Chainz did a 15 song set with a mixture of both his own work and an assortment of covers as well! He sounded absolutely phenomenal and just like his records! I wasn’t sure what to expect but he did not disappoint. He made me want to go home and hear more of his stuff!

I would definitely love to see 2 Chainz again and if he is playing a show or festival near you, I'd highly recommend giving his set a shot and check him out!

The Trilogy Tour

(Alex Through The Looking Glass) — Tue, 14 Nov 2023 20:06:17 GMT

I think The Trilogy Tour could also be called the Eras Tour or the Spiderman: No Way Home of Hispanic/Latino music. This is a tour you don't see everyday and, in my opinion, is a once in a lifetime opportunity with an amazing lineup of Ricky Martin, Enrique Iglesias, and of course "Mr. Worldwide", the incredible Pitbull. This tour is also unique because all three performers switch out the order each night, so you never know who will be the "headliner" or the "opener" for each show. They all give full performances lastingn about an hour and a half per set. For the sold-out first night in Chicago, it was Ricky Martin opening with Enrique Iglesias playing second and Pitbull closing out!

Mr. Worldwide, Mr. 305, Mr. Right Now, Pitbull, is hands down one of my favorite artists/performers and I was so excited to be able to catch him live for a 3rd time! I saw a ton of Pitbull cosplayers which makes me happy. It was so fun to see and I can honestly say, it makes Pitbull happy to see how much his fans love him!

Pitbull's set, started a little like Ricky Martin's (see below). Pitbull played an intro video which showed a little bit of everything, like bits from recent shows but also footage from when he first started way back before he even called himself Pitbull! It was like a mini time capsule and it was really cool! After the video, Mr. Worldwide came out with his dancers, The Most Bad Ones, and started playing "Don't Stop The Party", which is truly how this whole show felt, like one giant party and why should it stop now!

His thirteen song set included a cover of Daddy Yankee's "Gasolina! Between songs, Pitbull also talked about how thankful he is for his incredible and amazing fans. He also said how grateful he is to be doing this tour with Enrique and Ricky!

Pitbull never disappoints and if you are thinking about seeing him on this tour, go do it. All 3 men are incredibly talented performers and I loved seeing each one play a unique set! Plus, as mentioned, this is likely a once in a lifetime tour because I honestly never thought I would see a tour bill like this!

Head to pitbullmusic.com for all things related to Pitbull and tour details.

Enrique Iglesias was the middle performer for night one of The Trilogy Tour, and before you ask me "how did Enrique sound live because I saw people posting on Tik Tok he is not that good", I thought Enrique sounded really good and had no complaints! I have seen Enrique before and each time he sounded wonderful! I think "fans" sometimes forget that artists usually sound incredibly different seeing them live and in person then what they are expecting.

Enrique truly gives a one of a kind performance. Half way through his set, he runs to a second stage behind the Soundboard and sings a few songs acoustically. It really highlights how incredible of a singer he is.

Enrique gave a nice 14 song set with covers of the Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams" and Nicky Jam's "El Perdón"!

Overall, if you are already planning on going to the tour to see Ricky or Pitbull, go see Enrique as well because he is so good live and hands down one hell of a performer!

Head to enriqueiglesias.com for all things related to Enrique Iglesias and tour details.

Ricky Martin started off the first of two nights in Chicago, and he left no crumbs when it comes to his performance! It was really cool to watch his dancers come out from under the stage before Ricky to the stage, coming out on top of these large LED stairs and starting the night off with "Pégate". Man oh man did the fans go wild! Honestly, I couldn't blame them because Ricky knows how to get an arena moving and excited to be there!

Ricky used the whole stage, including the catwalk, so no matter where you were in the crowd, you had a good seat and could see him throughout his set! Ricky Martin's dancers were also incredibly talented and were even doing flips down the catwalk onto the stage! It was so incredible and felt more like a performance than just a concert!

Ricky played 12 songs including a cover of Wisin"s "Adrenalina".

Overall, Ricky was incredible as always and I loved seeing his energy on stage and the numerous outfit changes he and his dancers go through!

Head to rickymartinmusic.com for all things related to Ricky Martin and tour details.

My Chemical Romance Review for Official Indie 2022

(Alex Through The Looking Glass) — Thu, 12 Jan 2023 07:19:53 GMT

It’s been 11 years. 11 years since My Chemical Romance last performed a show in Michigan. 11 years ago no one knew that would be the last tour they would do before deciding to break up the band until 2019. In December of 2019 My Chemical Romance reunited and did an L.A. show and people everywhere went nuts over the possibility of what "Might be". Why? Because their favorite band had gotten back together and announced a tour for 2020. Sadly, the 2020 tour got moved to 2021 due to Covid, and then was moved again to 2022. But it finally happened and I was lucky enough to be able to attend the sold out show at the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit Michigan, my home town.

This tour held a lot of emotions for me; I was literally crying happy tears. They played songs that reminded you of better times or of a loved one. At least that was my experience and from what I can tell, many other fans as well. The show started with "The Foundations of Decay", which is their latest song that was released this year. After that, they played "I’m not okay (I Promise)" and the fans went nuts! People were crowd surfing, moshing, head bannging and just letting loose! Honestly, I enjoyed their setlist being a mix of everything from Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge to The Black Parade to Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys, to even stuff from the Conventional Weapons series! I was really happy that they included a little of everything! To top it off, the show ended with Gerard Way saying "Thank you for waiting all this time. We Made it and you made it. So long and goodnight" before playing "Helena" to end the night. It was wonderful and honestly best way to end the show!

I also love that they are changing the setlist every night and with every city, so people traveling and following the tour will have pretty much a new show each time. The only thing being consistent is "The Foundations of Decay" has always being the opening song!

Lastly, I would love to talk about the set! The stage set up was really interesting! It was like a 3D backdrop showing smoke coming from a decaying city during an apocalypse. I really liked it a lot and from every angle you looked at it the perspective would change! After MCR played "Na, Na, Na", Gerard passed water to fans and ask that they pass the water back to people who needed it and to make sure the crowd was space out enough so people could breath and get air. I honestly felt like was an amazing and something that he didn’t have to do it but he did! Also before the band went on, they had the screen display a message asking people to be kind and to help if someone gets injured!

Lastly, I loved seeing that behind Frank Ireo and Mikey Way it would sometimes display artwork that the band's kids made for their dads. It was really cute to have a small little piece of them on tour with the band but also out for everyone to see!

No matter how you look at it, either eleven years later due to their temporary break up, or two years late due to Covid, it was definitely worth the wait to see this amazing show! It was honestly everything a My Chemical Romance fan could have asked for! If you can, or are on the fence about going to this show, I say do it! It was hands down one of the best shows I have been to this year!

Head to mychemicalromance.com for all things related to My Chemical Romance and tour details.

We Came As Romans start "To Plant A Seed" 10 year anniversary tour in Chicago

(Alex Through The Looking Glass) — Tue, 10 Mar 2020 06:31:59 GMT

Ten years ago, six friends decided to get together and make music. Ten years ago these six friends made their first record album called "To Plant a Seed". Fast forward to today and the fans are still playing that same album. The only difference is now, we sadly lost Kyle but his memory will never be forgotten.

This is only the second time We Came As Romans has toured since Kyle Pavone passed away. This tour is different than the last because they are celebrating and playing "To Plant a Seed" for the last time. Before the show started the crowd was chanting "For Kyle!". It was heartwarming and it's nice to see the fans keeping his memory alive. Also before the band took the stage, a video began to play of all of the band members talking about this album and how it all began. At the very end, I could of swore everyone was on the verge of tears, because at the end of the video there was a clip of Kyle saying "here is 'To Plant A Seed'" when he was very young.

This was the first night of the new tour. WCAR started their tour here in Chicago at the House of Blues and opened their set with "To Plant a Seed" which was wild! So many people started crowd surfing and screaming out the lyrics with the band. The whole band had smiles on their faces from the fans singing. A few songs in and WCAR starts to play "We Are The Reasons" followed by "Beliefs", neither of which have been performed live since 2011! We Came As Romans also played a few new songs coming from their 5th studio album which hopefully will be released later this year!

I highly recommend seeing We Came As Romans this tour, especially if you are a fan of any or all the songs from "To Plant A Seed", because after this tour they will be retired from their setlist. On top of that, the energy and connection they have with the audience is just amazing and heartwarming. The lighting this tour was also incredible and some of the best they have ever had!

It is also safe to say the people of Chicago love and miss Kyle Pavone but are excited to see where We Came As Romans goes from here on out.

Aly and Aj The Sanctuary tour

(Alex Through The Looking Glass) — Fri, 14 Jun 2019 06:49:25 GMT

2019 has become the best year if you are a Disney kid like me! First of all, Aly and Aj are on tour. I was able to see their show and be in the photo pit, and let me tell you...it was amazing! Aly and Aj not only played all of their new amazing stuff, but they also played a ton of throwbacks like everyone's favorite ‘Potential Breakup Song.’ Lighting and performance wise, the girls were amazing! They had these lighting sticks/rods that change color or flash light out. For the first song, Aj would sing and walk around on stage a little, but for the second and third song she played guitar next to her sister. Aly played the keyboard and would sing but was always smiling at the crowd. Both girls have amazing talent and are still touring, so see them while you can!

Dreamers Opening for You Me At Six

(Alex Through The Looking Glass) — Fri, 14 Jun 2019 06:46:20 GMT

Dreamers opened for You Me At Six and still gave an amazing performance like always! Nick wold, lead singer and guitarist, was dancing and just having fun up on stage and interacting with fans. Dreamers is definitely one of my favorite bands to shoot because there is never a dull moment during their set which makes it more and more fun to come back and see them.On top of that, the lighting for their set was so much fun including the LED sign behind them saying Dreamers. If Dreamers ever stops by you for this tour or one in the future, then I definitely recommend going!

Fight The Fury opening for Breaking Benjamin

(Alex Through The Looking Glass) — Thu, 28 Mar 2019 23:05:09 GMT

For an opening band, Fight The Fury put on an amazing show with just some amazing lights. Jared Ward the drummer, is an amazing drummer who put so more heart and work into drumming and it really show’s when you watch, also I just love taking pictures of drummer’s smiling! John Panzer iii is one of the guitariest and is so much fun to watch and love’s smiling on stage which makes for great shots. Seth Morrison who is the other guitarist is doing double duty on this tour because he is performing with Fight The Fury and Skillet but that doesn’t stop him from rocking out on stage still! Now John Cooper does both vocals and plays the bass is also doing double duty on this tour because he is the lead vocalist and bass guitarist for Skillet but again that doesn’t stop him from rocking out! Now this Fight The Fury first big tour and they are rocking it and having so much! If you are seeing Breaking Benjamin, get there early and see Fight The Fury because they are all awesome guys who play their hearts out and it shows!

Skillet at The Sylvee

(Alex Through The Looking Glass) — Thu, 28 Mar 2019 20:06:39 GMT

Skillet is a christian rock band who has been around for a while. John Cooper and Seth Morrison are also doing double duty on this tour by playing in the opening band called Fight The Fury and then getting a small break and playing for Skillet. The thing is you would be able to tell unless you saw them opening because they have so much energy on stage and it's amazing! Korey Cooper is also so much to watch with her beautiful purple hair or the fun faces she makes. Jen Ledger who is the drummer and back up vocalist for some of the Skillet songs does a phenomenal job! Especially when she comes out from behind the drums and just sings! The best part though is John Cooper and its Co2 arm cannons, that was pretty great! Skillet is on tour as direct support for Breaking Benjamin and I highly recommend going because they put on an amazing show!