Concerts Reviews
LIVE REVIEW: Screaming All Around Me – Flyleaf Live in Silver Spring
What started as a string of festival appearances over the past few years has turned into a reunion tour over a decade in the making. When Lacey Sturm left Flyleaf in 2012, it left an enormous hole in one of the defining bands of the 2000s. The band continued touring with a new vocalist while Sturm took some time off, eventually returning to the stage with her solo project. In 2022, the band’s social media pages were reactivated, and they took to the festival circuit, with Sturm once again at the helm.
Earlier this year, the band’s self-titled album’s 20-year anniversary tour was announced to much fanfare, with thousands of likes and comments adorning the post. The tour finally reached Silver Spring and could not have come sooner. Fans filled into a sold-out Fillmore just a few miles from Our Nation’s Capital on Wednesday night for one of the shows of the summer.
The show was opened by two very capable bands. Tiny Ships, an alt-rock band native to New Jersey, took to the stage first. They brought a great sound and strong stage presence. Although they are a little rough around the edges, they will likely grow into a solid band as they gain more experience. Opening for Flyleaf on a sold-out show definitely says something about their future and gives a good indication of where their career is heading!
Ohio Christian Metalcore band Convictions played next and absolutely dominated every corner of the Fillmore’s stage. Unclean vocalist Michael Felker made his way from side to side with what seemed to be the goal of screaming in the face of every front row fan. The band has a very gritty sound that just makes you want to jump twenty feet in the air and then go for ten-mile run through the desert. They played a ten-song set and really stole the show. If Flyleaf was not headlining, the band would easily be the best band on any bill they open for. I would not be surprised if the band is earning some prominent festival slots and headlining their own sold-out shows soon. Check Convictions out if they are playing a show near you. You won’t regret it!
After the extreme adrenaline of Convictions started to wear down, the energy picked right back up as Sturm and crew made their way onto the stage. It is very common for some fans who came for the openers to leave early when the headliner comes out, but not a single person left the venue early on Wednesday night. They were all there to relive the songs of their teenage angst years all over again.
After a preshow prayer from Sturm, drawing on her religious roots, the set started right off with a bang of a back-to-back dosing of “In the Dark and Chasm.” It is a lucky thing that I wear really good earplugs at shows, or else I might have some hearing damage from how loud the screams were inside the Fillmore. Sturm commanded the crowd with a masterful control. Every movement she made was followed by thousands of eyes awaiting the next great moment on an already amazing evening.
The crowd’s voice was warmed up by the time Sturm requested some participation on Fire Fire. The 2012 track from the band’s last release with Sturm was a huge favorite and a big highlight from the early part of the set. “Cassie,” “Freedom,” and “Stand” filled out the ending part of the first half of the show. Even though the show was half over, it seemed to just be kicking into gear.
The back half of the night was filled with all the songs that a Flyleaf show would be incomplete without. “Cage on the Ground” kicked off the second half, followed by “This Close” and “Saving Grace.” It was extremely hard to hear the bass of Pat Seals, or the guitars of Sameer Bhattacharya and Jared Hartmann with how much the crowd participation filled the venue with noise. James Culpepper’s drums cut right through the noise though and gave a thumping kick to keep the Fillmore on beat.
“Fully Alive” started to signal that the show was unfortunately close to an end which was met with calls for the night to never end. After a sermon from Sturm following “I’m So Sick,” the band launched into one of the most defining songs in rock music, “All Around Me.” The bumping chorus juxtaposed with the soft and sweet vocal melody showcase Flyleaf’s superior musical composition skills and ensured that a new generation of Flyleaf fans would be born with the large number of kids in attendance.
Overall, the show was just top notch. Sturm and Flyleaf’s reunion was well worth the wait. Unfortunately, if this review convinced you to purchase a ticket to the closest Flyleaf show, you may be out of luck as like the Fillmore, every other venue on the tour has sold out as well. Hopefully this tour was not a one-off for the band though and will lead to new music and another decade of shows around the world.
Check out our favorite photos of the night below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!
FLYLEAF
All Photo Credit: Ryan Renger
Concerts Reviews
LIVE REVIEW: AC/DC – Hell’s Still Bellin’
AC/DC. Christ. What’s left to say? Everything’s been said, screamed, tattooed on someone’s bicep already. Doesn’t matter. That’s the whole racket, they never changed, never blinked, and more than fifty years later they’re still the loudest gang in the room.
Growing up, they felt ancient already. I am a 2001 kid. Turns out the joke’s on me: they’re still out there, riffing like it’s ’79, refusing to retire into legend status.
Princess Auto Stadium was packed with about 35000 attendees. Everyone was wearing red twinkling devil’s horns. To warm up the night, The Pretty Reckless started with one of the hits “Death by Rock and Roll.” Some support acts play like they’re grateful for the slot. Taylor Momsen played like she owns the stadium. The hair falling forward, somehow the less you can see of her face the more magnetic she gets. Stage presence isn’t something you learn. She’s just got it.
The band didn’t sound like an opener. Every riff landed with the swagger “Going To Hell” and “Since You’re Gone” kept it burning, and “About You” brought it down to something rawer before the lights cut. By the time The Pretty Reckless walked off, the audience were already screaming AC/DC! AC/DC!
Winnipeggers stood stunned through AC/DC‘s whole set. Angus Young, 71 years old still in that signature blue schoolboy uniform and yellow-and-blue cap, ran wild across the stage, duck-walking like no time had passed at all, genuinely, a dream come true to watch in person.
Meanwhile, the rest of the band, rhythm guitarist Stevie Young, bassist Chris Chaney and drummer Matt Laug stayed largely in the background, keeping the engine running for Angus and Johnson to tear apart.
The production matched the legend, “Hells Bells” arrived with an actual giant bell hanging over the stage. The setlist ran deep: “Thunderstruck,” “Have a Drink on Me,” “Shot in the Dark,” “Stiff Upper Lip,” “Highway to Hell,” “Jailbreak,” “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap.” Almost every song sounded just as good as the album version. The crowd tore their vocal cords apart singing along to “You Shook Me All Night Long” and “TNT.” “For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)” closed things out with cannons blasting into the night sky.
The house lights came up and nobody moved right away. Smoke still hanging over the stage, ears ringing, horns still lit up red across the stands. Bands this old aren’t supposed to sound this dangerous. They aren’t supposed to still mean it. But AC/DC never got the memo about slowing down, and honestly, thank God for that. I walked out hoarse, deaf, and completely satisfied.
Check out our favourite photos of the night below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!
AC/DC
THE PRETTY RECKLESS
All Photo Credit: Nischal Karki
Concerts Reviews
LIVE REVIEW: Party On, Vancouver: Dogstar Sells Out the Vogue Theatre
The Vogue Theatre was packed wall to wall on September 16 as Dogstar rolled into Vancouver, and the excitement was impossible to miss. New York rock band The Backfires kicked things off with a lively opening set, warming up the room before Bret Domrose, Robert Mailhouse and Keanu Reeves stepped onto the stage. Naturally, hundreds of phones immediately went up when Reeves appeared, because Vancouver was not about to let this extremely Keanu moment go undocumented.
Reeves held down the bass, Domrose took on guitar and vocals, and Mailhouse powered the night from behind the drums. While one member may come with a little more star power, Dogstar quickly felt like a proper three-piece instead of a celebrity side project. The chemistry between them was relaxed and natural, with plenty of smiles, glances and little interactions that made it clear they were genuinely happy to be playing together. Reeves frequently wandered across the stage to jam alongside his bandmates, occasionally making his way toward the front and sending another wave of phones into the air.
Dogstar’s story stretches back to Los Angeles in 1991, when Reeves and Mailhouse first started making music together. Domrose later joined the band, and the trio released two albums before going their separate ways in 2002. More than two decades later, they reunited, returned to the stage and released Somewhere Between the Power Lines and Palm Trees in 2023. Now, with their latest album All In Now and another tour underway, Dogstar are giving this chapter of the band far more than a quick nostalgia lap.
The set began with “Siren,” immediately setting an easygoing alt-rock tone for the night. Their cover of The Replacements’ “Can’t Hardly Wait” brought an extra burst of familiarity, while “Punch the Sky” landed with the kind of energy made for a full theatre. Rather than pausing for long speeches, the band kept things moving, letting the music and their chemistry do most of the talking. Domrose’s vocals stayed at the centre of the songs, Mailhouse gave them plenty of drive, and Reeves appeared completely locked into the groove on bass.
Yes, people cheered whenever Reeves moved closer to the edge of the stage. Yes, there was an undeniable thrill in seeing the internet’s favourite human casually rocking out a few feet away. But the attention did not stay on him alone. Domrose and Mailhouse were just as essential to the show, and together the trio delivered a performance that felt tight without becoming overly polished. There was still room for the songs to breathe, for the band to play off one another and for the night to feel a little spontaneous.
A fun surprise arrived during the encore with a roaring cover of The Beatles’ “Helter Skelter.” The band shared that they had only performed it live once before, making it a particularly unexpected way to close the night. The Vogue responded accordingly, singing, cheering and soaking up every last second before the trio left the stage.
More than 30 years after forming, and over two decades after calling it quits, Dogstar are back on the road and clearly having a great time together. That sense of fun was infectious, turning the sold-out show into something warmer and more memorable than a simple celebrity sighting. Vancouver may have arrived ready to see Keanu Reeves play bass, but by the end of the night, Dogstar had given the crowd plenty of reasons to stay invested in the whole band.
Check out our favourite photos of the night below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!
DOGSTAR
THE BACKFIRES
All Photo Credit: Heather Horncastle