This show has had me on edge for weeks. Since it was announced, I knew I that I couldn’t miss it. The lineup was stacked with great bands, and I knew it was going to get wild with Dying Wish, Chamber, Varials, Stray From The Path, and Counterparts.
The Portland based hardcore act Dying Wish is up first. Some may not know of them, but if you’re a fan of Knocked Loose, Dying Wishes Emma Bostor makes an appearance on the track ‘A Serpent’s Touch.’ Approaching seven o’clock, the venue started filling with people and as the band emerged on stage, their energy made the crowd excited and lively.
A few songs in, you could see people two-stepping and even a fight broke out, which isn’t surprising if you’re in the hardcore scene in Denver, but the only fight that I witnessed was during their set. They played older songs and some newer ones as well.
Chamber was out next, and the energy didn’t stop there. Personally, I haven’t listened to much of Chamber, but their riffs and the lyrics were solid, and people were pushing their way to the barricade so that they could crowd surf and sing along with the vocalist.
After Chamber, Varials emerged and people grew anxious with excitement. Even I couldn’t contain myself. Varials released a new album a few weeks ago and played newer songs off their album such as ‘I Suffocate,’ ‘Bleeding,’ and ‘South of One.’ Brendan Murphy of Counterparts even joined the band on stage for his parts in ‘South of One,’ and the crowd went wild. People were trying to get over the barricade, and at the end of the song, Travis Tabron and Brendan Murphy shared a hug and left the stage.
The band that I was personally the most excited to see was up next: Stray From The Path. I’ve been listening to them since the Rising Sun era, dating back to 2011 and the thing to know about Stray is that they are a very outspoken band, which is the thing I enjoy the most about them. They’re not afraid to speak their minds about issues that other bands don’t typically say or write music about. They played songs off Only Death is Real, Subliminal Criminals, and their newest album that dropped on November 1st, Internal Atomics. I nearly lost my voice singing along while they played some of my favorite songs. They always have a phenomenal stage presence and pour every ounce of energy they have into each set.
Lastly, the show ended with Counterparts. The venue was packed, people were pouring upstairs, and finally, the band emerged from backstage. It felt like the entire hardcore community in Denver was there, and Counterparts noticed it too – dedicating their set to Colin Mulhern, the vocalist of Denver band If I Fail and owner of Darkly. Colin was killed last year in an accident while on tour, which left many band members in the hospital. This hit home for many of us as Colin was the glue to the hardcore community.
Counterparts had also just released a new album on November 1st titled Nothing Left to Love and the excitement following the release of the album left the crowd and the band at their maximum. Seeing people crowd surfing, two-stepping and singing along with older and newer songs made for an epic conclusion to the night. Even though the band knew the crowd was tired, they didn’t slow down or stop towards the end. Finishing off the night with “The Disconnect,” it was obvious that this long show was worth the wait.
