CROWN THE EMPIRE @ Ocho Segundos
Featuring - catch your breath, The light superior, taken by tides
No AC no problem right? Not in Amarillo, Texas. Bad luck seemed to have struck Crown The Empire and company as some early technical problems during set up were highlighted by the air conditioning going out just as the doors opened for the first of two Texas shows on the final leg of their Summer headlining tour. However, fans were not deterred as they packed the venue with the biggest crowd the venue had said they have seen at the place in years in part to the help of one of the hometown opening bands The Light Superior. Tagging along on the summer tour with Crown The Empire are the boys from San Antonio, Taken By Tides, as well as a band that has recently had their single ‘Dial Tone’ skyrocket on Spotify, the Austin native Catch Your Breath.
The Light Superior who unfortunately had a shortened set still set the tone for the night playing some of their heavy singles such as ‘It is Finished’ and ‘I Am’. If anyone is a big fan of Bury Tomorrow, especially their album Cannibal, go check them out right now. As of a few weeks ago they finished recording a new single. Accompanied by the release of that single will be a brand new music video, release date TBA.
Taken By Tides took the stage next and by this point in the show there was not a single dry armpit in the venue, water had run out, and liquor was the only thing flowing through the veins of all the moshers in the pit. Not necessarily the best conditions for a mosh pit, but who am I to judge. Rowdy and liquored up the Texas natives exchanged sweat and banged their heads to Taken By Tides singles ‘Time’,’In My Dreams’, and ‘You Are What Makes Me Bleed.’
Now I have to tip my cap to Catch Your Breath lead singer Josh Mowery. One hundred degrees in the venue and the man is still in long sleeves (actually a kick-ass windbreaker from Until I Wake), jeans, and his signature beanie. Seemingly immune to the heat Josh and the band put on another great performance. No seriously the band didn’t even have access to any fans, so when I say it was hot in there, it was freaking hot. (And we’re not even going to discuss the smell.) Starting their set of with ‘Savages’ Catch Your Breath had the crowd together singing along to every word. ‘Fade’ and ‘Ricochet’, two of my personal favorites followed before a surprise performance of their new, and soon to be chart topping, unreleased single ‘21 Guns Salute.’
Last but not least the main reason for a packed show in Amarillo, Texas, Crown The Empire. This was the first stop in Texas for the Dallas native band before finishing their headlining tour in Austin. This tour was also in support of the latest Crown The Empire album Dogma released back in April. Now before the band took the stage, the venue ended up taking a small trip down to the corner store buying more water to satisfy everyones thirst. Not only was the water used for drinking, but it was also used to cool off and shower the crowd as security sprayed bottle after bottled over the now soaked fans. Now also not being able to tell what was sweat, water, or alcohol, (personally I don’t think anyone cared) the crowd got into an absolute frenzy when Crown The Empire opened with the title track off their latest album(Dogma). Not long into the set frontman Andy Leo admitted to being fatigued as he was just overcoming a terrible case of food poisoning. The week prior to the show CTE had a set at Incarceration Festival, one of the biggest metal festivals of the year, when Andy was hit with food poisoning. Instead of canceling the set, Andy brought a bucket side stage and in between songs would throw up and then GO BACK OUT AND CONTINUE SINGING. If that doesn’t tell you how passionate this man is and how much he cares for his fans I don’t know what will.
Now you ask, what is the remedy for one hundred degree heat and the after effects of food poisoning? Water? Wrong answer. Alcohol. Shot after shot was brought up by not only fans, but security as well. In between shots CTE played banger after banger with ‘Blurry’, ‘Superstar’, ‘In Another Life’, and to wrap it all up, ‘Dancing With The Dead.’Crown The Empire have not released any fall tour dates as of yet, but until then go stream their latest album Dogma!