August Burns Red || The Observatory

It has been ten long years since August Burns Red released their sophomore album Messengers. After completing their Legends of the Fall tour, ABR decided to do a Messengers 10 year anniversary tour, playing their second album in its entirety. Following the conclusion of the Messengers playthrough, bassist Dustin Davidson and drummer Matt Griner had an epic drum solo together followed by some songs off of their newest album Found In Far Away Places along with other fan favorites. 

August Burns Red was (and always is) one of the most fun bands to watch live. Frontman Jake Luhrs danced and swung his microphone around the stage, JB wore flip flops amidst the shredding, and everyone in the crowd had an excellent time.

After the set, Matt Griner came out from behind his throne of drums and shook the hands of some fans, thanking them for coming to the show. Along with being talented musicians, the members of August Burns Red seem grateful to have such a dedicated fan base. 

Opening for August Burns Red were bands '68, In Hearts Wake, and Protest The Hero. Each of these bands was vastly different and added a new energy to the night. 

'68 is a two piece band consisting of vocalist/guitarist Josh Scogin and drummer Michael McClellan. Facing each other instead of the crowd, '68 had the energy of Twenty One Pilots which was a fantastic way to start the evening. Between songs, Josh entertained the crowd saying, "if you know this next song... I would be pretty surprised." Well we know it now. This is one band to watch out for because they're definitely going places. 

In Hearts Wake opened their set with the song Refuge they cowrote with Between The Buried and Me. As awesome as that song was, nothing could top the inflatable shark that appeared on stage. From there, Jake Taylor rode the shark into the roaring crowd and went "crowd sharking" (a more epic version of crowd surfing). Hailing from Australia, In Hearts Wake put on a hell of a show that had the entire crowd surging. 

Having just released their album Pacific Myth in November of 2016, Protest The Hero hopped on stage. These Canadian metal heads sure know how to put on a good show. Hilarity ensued when Rory Walker (vocals) made fun of his own Canadian accent and shared some honest truths about the life of a performer. All in all, these highly technical musicians put in an excellent show before August Burns Red played.