Photos & Review: Future Hearts Tour
Featuring: All Time Low, Issues, Tonight Alive & State Champs
The Fillmore Auditorium, Denver, CO.
5/9/15
Review by Gabrielle DB
Photos by Shannon Shumaker
Full photo gallery HERE.
The Future Hearts Tour stopped in at The Fillmore Auditorium Saturday May 9, 2015. Saturday is a perfect day for a concert: all day to prepare attire and stand in line to secure a great spot, and then sleep in after the show, or after party. Dedicated fans rounded the block hours before doors, despite steady rainfall all day. Many attendees were prepared with umbrellas (that were not permitted inside) because the highly anticipated line-up would definitely be worth the soppy wait.
Those of us who waited in line all made it inside well before the opening band. Surprisingly, The Fillmore was not humid from the moisture accumulated outside, and the large crowd in general. This show was my first at The Fillmore Auditorium; it is such a nice venue with ample floor space, bathroom and beverage accessibility, and of course, gorgeous chandeliers.
State Champs started the night with high energy straight out the gate. “Remedy” garnered immediate crowd reaction as soon as the set began. Sing-along portions of choruses were shouted right back with that Pop-Punk finger point to the stage from the crowd for every song. When the crowd was asked to jump, they did so. When clapping was instructed, the crowd gladly raised their arms to participate. State Champs had an incredibly fun set, even indulging an acoustic version of “If I’m Lucky.” Ending the set with “Elevated,” the floor erupted and offered up a few crowd surfers.
Tonight Alive had an increasingly active crowd. The beautiful clarity in vocals was matched by the band as a whole. The crowd was given direction on arm sways, and by the end of the set, they knew when to do them without being told.
Issues had a fun stage set up drenched in Pokemon inspired amps, drum kit and gear. It was very fitting that the band entered to the Pokemon theme song, to the crowd’s delight with many singing along. The crowd was off of their feet and opening up a mosh pit when asked to do so. Screamer Michael Bohn wore his Manning jersey for the performance, and when he made a note of it, the crowd was obviously excited. There was a special somber moment for “Disappear (Remember When),” where the crowd provided the choral section of the track; it was chillingly beautiful. The set closed with “Hooligans.” It must be noted that popular hits from the Black Diamonds EP were not included on the setlist, affirming that Issues is interested in showcasing and playing their newer material. The crowd enjoyed singing along to every song and recording on their cellular phones when they were not jumping.
The crowd had moved in very tightly before All Time Low took the stage, offering up screams for techs on stage. The restlessness gave way and the crowd began chanting for the headliners to come out, and the band emerged to a roaring applause. “Satellite” kicked in with an epic light show. From the front to the back, it seemed as though every person in the building was singing along. Unfortunately, technical difficulties plagued the first few songs, but the band carried on seamlessly, and the crowd was not deterred from singing along or enjoying themselves. The band was able to stall time by pointing out how strong the “Bra Game” is in Denver with guitarist Jack Barakat’s microphone stand being covered in brassieres only a few songs into the set. Thankfully, the technical difficulties were taken care of, and the set was able to carry on. Banner changes were made a few times. “Missing You” was performed by frontman Alex Gaskarth on acoustic guitar, with the band joining when the track kicked in, and Tonight Alive vocalist, Jenna McDougall performed Vic Fuentes’ spot on mega-hit “A Love Like War.” A handful of fortunate individuals from the crowd were taken on stage to participate in the band’s set, and it was so fun to observe. The entire set was laced with quirky [sexual] jokes, so it was no surprise that the crowd was asked to chant “dick pump” instead of the band’s name for an encore. A solid verse cover of Green Day’s “American Idiot” was given before the set closed with fan favorite hits “Jasey Rae” and “Dear Maria, Count Me In.”
All Time Low has fun on stage, and their genuine appreciation of the crowd reception is beautiful. It was quite a treat to have a nineteen song set from a passionate live band. The tour support was incredible, and every attendee must have been satisfied by the night’s end. The merchandise stand was flooded, and exit doors were thrown open where we would all leave into inches of thick snow. The Future Hearts Tour was a phenomenal event.