Burning it down with memphis may fire
Concert Review: Memphis May Fire
CONTRIBUTING AUTHOR AND PHOTOGRAPHER: KJH CONCERTS
Elijah was the opener for Memphis May Fire on the first night of the Shapeshifter Tour. The independent artist debuted one of his newest singles during his opening set, called Skin. One of the heaviest songs on the album, Elijah stated in an interview that the mix of pop and metal found within the song is going to be a recurring mix of genres throughout the new album as well as his future releases.
Starting the night out with hardcore bangers, Elijah took the stage by storm. With hit songs like Easy to Drown and IDGAF, the crowd was entranced and their hearts were stolen. Between the guitarist popping large bubbles made of gum on the heavy drops of particular songs and the bassist spitting water while twirling around the stage to cause a dramatic effect with the lights, the atmosphere the band created was infectious. The audience was already excited, but the palpable energy that exuded from each member of Elijah was hard to resist. The carefree and playful behavior carried on throughout the night with each advancing set.
Another smaller band making waves in the metal community, Windwalkers is a mostly metal band that mixes modern pop into their music.
The unique blend of genres made the crowd mosh and start crowd-surfing to the beat. Playing their unreleased single for their first night of tour, the audience was able to enjoy The End Aesthetic before anyone else. It was a special night to be in The Hall to not only hear a new single but to participate in a dance party to an ironically named song, Body Bag. The happy beat contrasted with the darker lyrics, but no matter the song, everyone bopped along to the performance. While most of the crowd didn’t know who Windwalkers were before their set, almost everybody was adding them to their playlist, happy to find a new and unique metalcore band.
Memphis May Fire brought insane momentum to the stage the second they stepped onto the hardwood as they celebrated the release of their new album Shapeshifter. Hitting as hard as ever, top hits like Make Believe and Misery seamlessly blended with new songs from the album. Crowd surfers went crazy with energy, hopping right up into others' arms to get a chance to be carried near the stage.
MMR almost ended the night with Chaotic, giving everyone, including themselves, more energy than the night started with. The light show and dry ice cannons elevated the experience to another level, creating tension and drama to enhance the music. By the end of the night, the crowd buzzed with pure energy as they chanted for “one more song.”
They were rewarded with The Devil Is Here and Blood and Water. Eighteen years in, Matty Mullens still brings the same passion and strength he had from the beginning of his career. With a wide variety of switches, beats, and downright nasty growls, paired with his clean runs and the guitarist’s backup vocals, the band has gained a massive following of all ages throughout the years. Not a body was still in The Hall on their first night of tour, gearing up the band and future venues for one hell of a tour.
Check out the full photo gallery from the night here!
