On May 10th at the Metropolitan Opera House on Broad Street (yes, Philadelphia has one of those) Bring Me The Horizon played a show for their Second Base Tour. BMTH started their music career as a heavy metal/scene band and have constantly been evolving and changing their sound. Their latest album amo, released back in January, had more electronic elements to it than their previous albums. This is especially true for the album opener “i apologise if you feel something” and “nihilist blues” (which features art-pop musician Grimes).
Image courtesy of Bebhinn Nagle
This is my second time seeing BMTH live in concert. The first was two years ago at the Liacouras Center, where they were promoting their fifth album That’s The Spirit. I had fun at that show, but May 10th’s was so much better. Two years ago I had tickets for mezzanine seating while last night was my first time ever in pit seating.
To say the pit was intense is an understatement. There’s a lot of shoving, pushing, headbanging, and yelling along. My friends and I managed to push our way to the very year front, in what would have been the second row if things had been organized. It’s not for the faint of heart nor is it for those who are super claustrophobic. But it is the way I’ve always pictured going to a concert. BMTH were mere feet from us and singer Oli Sykes split his time between the right, middle, and left sides of the stage, giving equal attention to the crowds before him. Bassist Matt Kean was constantly moving around the entire stage, while the other band members (Jordan Fish, Matt Nicolls, Lee Malia, and John Jones) stayed in their areas. The band’s energy is really contagious. Sykes was constantly engaging with the audience, both in the middle of and in between songs.
Image courtesy of Bebhinn Nagle
Speaking of songs, Bring Me The Horizon managed to bring a good variation to their setlist. They played their singles from amo like “nihilist blues”, “medicine”, and “sugar honey ice & tea”, but also played songs from previous albums like Drown, Diamonds Aren’t Forever, and Sleepwalking. The audience went absolutely crazy when they played their older material, and my ears are still recovering from the screams of the girl next to me.
Overall, the concert was f*cking amazing. I’ve never experienced anything that brought me for much energy and was simultaneously such a good release. If you have the chance, listen to amo (and their other albums) on Spotify and if Bring Me The Horizon comes back to Philly in the future, you should definitely check them out.