By Christy Peterson
On April 9th, 2023 The Misery Made Me Tour hit up the Ritz in Raleigh, North Carolina. Despite it being a holiday, there was a huge turnout for this show! The dedication of the fans on this tour is immense!
ONE STEP CLOSER
The show was kicked off by the fiery band, One Step Closer, from Wilkes Barre, PA. This band really knows how to get the crowd energized with their spicy energy. They brought so much energy, that I heard several comments in the crowd along the lines of “I would love to go harder for this band, but I am trying to save energy for the other bands too!” In the middle of the set, the vocalist, Ryan, mentioned that some of their members are originally from Charlotte, NC and that the show felt almost like a hometown show for them. They ended their fiery set with, “The Reach.”
SEEYOUSPACECOWBOY
Next up to hit the stage was SeeYouSpaceCowboy from San Diego, CA. They definitely did not give the crowd a single second to rest. In fact, they multiplied the energy levels in the room by at least 3! They had the room booming with their heavy bass drops and kept everyone moving through their whole set. They played some favorites such as, “Misinterpreting Constellations” and “Armed With Their Teeth.” It was amazing to see how much fun they were having on stage.
DAYSEEKER
Just as the crowd had reached maximum energy levels, pop synthcore/post-hardcore band, Dayseeker took the stage and allowed everyone to take a moment to breathe. The atmosphere this band brings to the stage is truly incredible. They sound massive with their bassy sound and thier popping snare and toms. The vocalist, Rory, sounds phenomenal live. His voice is extremely well controlled despite having an array of different vocal styles scattered throughout their songs. The crowd was singing right along with him the entire time. In the middle of “Burial Plot” the lights dropped, and the band was quiet, but the crowd carried the song with their voices perfectly. The room was lit only by the lights from the crowd’s phones. You could physically feel how much love the crowd had for the band. After the emotional performance, Rory thanked North Carolina for always being so great to them as a band. The rest of the performance was equally as entertaining and emotional. They played many fan favorites such as, “Homesick”, “Without Me”, “Crying While You’re Dancing”, and “Drunk”. They finished off their set with “Neon Grave”. Dayseeker honestly stole the show, in my opinion. They had me questioning why they weren’t headlining the tour when the crowd begged for an encore after they stepped off the stage.
SILVERSTEIN
While Dayseeker was extremely captivating and emotional, Silverstein took the stage back and brought a completely different energy to the room that had not been there with the prior bands. The fans were roaring and fired up. There were a good amount of crowd-surfers. Somehow, Silverstein was even more bassy than Dayseeker and had the room exploding through their whole set. The set included songs like, “Bad Habits,” “Poison Pill,” “The Afterglow,” “Misery,” and many more. Of course, one of the last songs they played was “Smile In Your Sleep”. The most impressive sight to see during their set was all the young children in the crowd there with their parents that were singing along to all the songs. It is wonderful to see that clearly, in many homes, Silverstein is a household name, and can be appreciated by several generations at this point!
By the end of this massive, energetic show, I know all the fans left and were able to sleep very well after moving and singing the whole night! While these bands were not any that I typically listen to, I left the show having a larger appreciation for all of them.
