The first band of the night was San Francisco band, I the Mighty. The four piece progressive bands performance was refreshing. Not many in the room knew the words to their songs, but those who did made sure to sing along. Their performance was made up of about 6 songs.
To follow I the Mighty was Virginia based metalcore band, Glass Cloud. Vocalist, Jerry Roush said "Orlando is the place to be" upon entering the stage. The crowd bursted into a roar, while the band put a little chaos into the night, yelling in fans faces and pouring water on them. Glass Cloud played around 6 songs before ending their performance with "If He Dies, He Dies".
Following I the Mighty's and Glass Cloud's sets, letlive. covered the stage with white flowers. While newbies to the band looked at it as a bit odd, others knew that in some point of the bands performance, Jason was destined to grab them and utilize them into the performance. From the moment the band opened with their song "27 Club" the crowd was singing lyrics back to the frontman, jumping, fingerpointing, and stage diving. In reality, Jason Butler didn't need a microphone, at times he found himself not singing, but instead simply smiling at the roaring audience who knew every song of the set. The band was a bit in awe to how everyone seemed to know every word. "That shit is crazy!" Jason Butler yelled to the crowd during the beginning of their track"Pheromone Cvlt".
As for the very few people in the room who might have been hearing letlive. for the first time, there was no doubt that they were entertained as well. It seems letlive. puts on the most energetic and entertaining performances than any band out now. No two performances of theirs are ever the same. Butler takes full advantage of his surroundings and incorporates them into the show. Their performance in Orlando shows prime examples of this. From climbing the balcony, ripping t-shirts, and throwing flowers, everyone in the venue was amused, even those few newcomers. letlive. is obviously a wholehearted band. They say it's not about the band, but rather about everyone in the room, and they back that up perfectly. During tracks, hugging those who made it on stage, and in-between songs sharing personal stories and their love for those in the room, making the night memorable as ever.
We've been lucky enough to share ourselves with open minded people, with people who understand and people who make us feel safe enough to be who we actually are; thats what we're doing right now. I use to be a different person, I was not able to show emotion, I was aggressive, and I was very closed off. I just want to say on a personal level, in a room full of about 350 people, that I don't feel afraid anymore. Im not afraid of love. I'm not afraid of death, and now that I found that out, can't shit stop me. Cant shit hurt me. The only motherfucker that can stop me, well thats this motherfucker right here, I'm the only mother fucker that can stop me. That being said, I'd like to say thank you to a woman who helped me become a man, and that woman is my mother" - Jason Butler, introduction to "Muther"
Although letlive.'s set was over, the crowd wasn't done just yet, next up was the headliner; Architects. Opening with "Gravedigger" the band got their fans bouncing and singing along. From the moment the band took stage it was hard not to participate in the set, especially with vocalist, Sam Carter telling you to "Get the fuck up!". More crowd surfing, stage-diving, moshing, and jumping immediately took place in the room; the temperature rose, and so did the intensity. The performance by the UK band was emotional in the best way possible, with members of the audience fighting for a shot to get mic action and scream the lyrics back. Their performance closed with their popular song "These Colours Don't Run" which put everyone in the room, in motion. Everyone was screaming the lyrics, especially right before the breakdown "You fucking pigs" which was the peak of the energy.
The show was over, the audience was sweaty, and it was a memorable night to say the least. It's plain to see, Orlando will be looking forward to seeing these bands again in the future, hopefully sometime soon.
To see more photos from the show, click the image below, or check out the album here.
