Images: Silverstein, Beartooth, Hands Like Houses, Major League, My Iron Lung February 3, 2015 at the House of Blues

It’s been over a year since the last time I covered Silverstein, and this particular tour announcement was highly anticipated. The Canadian post-hardcore outfit is out supporting the 10 year anniversary of sophomore album Discovering the Waterfront, which they’re playing front-to-back along with their usual crowd pleasers. In support roles, they brought a diverse mix of bands in Hands Like Houses, Beartooth, Major League and My Iron Lung.

By the time I arrived inside the House of Blues, My Iron Lung was already playing to a full room. I had seen them back in 2013 at Layla’s Palace Banquet Hall and became an instant fan, so I was really excited to see them again on a bigger stage, with a bigger crowd. They didn’t disappoint, but it was kind of hard to read the rest of crowd. I imagine most of them had no clue who the band was but I’m hoping they won over a few new fans during their set.

New Jersey pop punkers Major League were up next. After parting ways with their lead vocalist last year, the band moved guitarist Brian Joyce to the frontman spot (to great effect) and released There’s Nothing Wrong with Me. Songs from that record made up the majority of their 7-song setlist. Like with My Iron Lung, I got the feeling not many in the crowd knew who Major League were, but many bobbed their heads up and down to the beat of “Wallflower” and “Kaleidoscopes.” The people who were already fans of the band stood out, singing along to every song. My personal favorite track of theirs, “Homewrecker” was played early, and left me content.

Beartooth’s Caleb Shomo and company exploded onto the scene just over a year ago and have been making big waves since. They opened with “Beaten in Lips” and the moshpits didn’t end until their last hit song, “Body Bag.” If you’re a fan of metalcore/hardcore and haven’t seen these guys yet, I highly recommend going out to their next show near you.

Australian rock/experimental band Hands Like Houses played a great set despite there being word that lead singer Trenton Woodley was sick. I’ve been eager to see and cover the band since I heard their first record Ground Dweller back in 2012. The setlist consisted of a few older songs but was comprised mostly of newer tracks from their 2013 release Unimagine. It was nice to see that I wasn’t the only one singing along to “Lion Skin,” and the band ended their set list with “A Tale of Outer Suburbia,” “Shapeshifters,” and “Introduced Species.”

The turnout for this Silverstein tour has been huge, with many eager fans excited to hear Discovering the Waterfront in its entirety. The crowd cheered as soon as the house lights went down and the intro samples began to play. The Canadian post-hardcore outfit switched things up a bit and opened their set with singles not from Discovering the Waterfront like “Smashed into Pieces,” “A Midwestern State of Emergency” and old hit “Bleeds No More,” right before getting into the thick of things with DTW. The energy from the crowd stayed at a constant high throughout the entire set as people sang along and moshed, and everyone left happy after the slow-but-great acoustic “Call It Karma” ending.

Tylor Thuirer | https://www.flickr.com/photos/thuirermedia/

Silverstein setlist:

Smashed into Pieces
Massachusetts
Sacrifice
Stand Amid the Roar
Vices
November
A Midwestern State of Emergency
Bleeds No More
Your Sword Versus My Dagger
Smile in Your Sleep
The Ides of March
Fist Wrapped in Blood
Discovering the Waterfront
Defend You
My Heroine
Always and Never
Already Dead
Three Hours Back
Call It Karma