What a night!
Don broco, Papa Roach and Dance Gavin Dance! For me this was my first gig at Cardiff arena (besides the time I should've seen Lee Evans... But the less said about that the better!)
So lets begin at the beginning, Dance Gavin Dance. A band that I'd heard of, but hadn't really listened to their music. Opening an arena show is always a difficult slot, especially the first night of the tour. Sometimes you can come to the arena half filled, but Broco fans clearly got the note about supporting the support bands! It was great to see so many fans down early and checking out the opening act!
Dance Gavin Dance, are an intriguing band with a few sound issues in their set but I definitely enjoyed their performance. They reminded me of Alexisonfire in places and I'll definitely be diving into their back catalogue!
Moving onto what for all intents and purposes, were a co-headliner... Papa Roach! When I saw that these guys had been announced as the main support, I thought this was one of the best line ups I'd seen in quite some time! Having not seen them live in the UK for far too long and them having released one of the best albums of last year, this was an exciting prospect! Opening with (Kill the noise) was a great way to start, as it is from their latest album. However, don't be fooled! They played some of the absolute classics from our teenage era including Getting away with murder and Blood brothers! This was a perfectly balanced set, showcasing their older and newer music. They have grown and developed as a band over their near 30 year career, but it's clear to see that they've always remained true to themselves.
For me, music is hugely personal and emotive. Scars is already a deeply personal song to so many of us; However Jacoby stood there tonight and gave the most beautiful intro to this song, which gave it even more depth and hit home like never before.
I also want to shout our their epic covers, but I wont spoil these for you if you#re heading to the show!
As a lifelong fan of Papa Roach, I haven't seen them live enough. I can only hope that it won't be too long before they are back on our shores doing a headline tour!
Now onto the main act of the evening - Don Broco. Having just watched what could've been a headline set from Papa Roach, they had to come out swinging... And that they did. Starting with Bruce Willis was a fantastic choice. You could really feel the energy in the room elevate as soon as they walked onto stage. The crowd was absolutely electric! They swiftly moved onto Gumshield, and I love it when a crowd knows from the first note of the riff what is about to drop!
Don Broco smashed out hit after hit and some of my personal favourites including one true Prince from the new album. In my opinion, this is one of the best songs they've ever written and I've been so excited to see it live! They definitely didn't fail to deliver!
Again this was a very well balanced set list with old and new tracks. It has cemented Don Broco as potential festival headliners in the not so distant future! Visually, the show was absolutely stunning! The stage set up with the screen also being part of the drum riser was so incredibly clever and not something I had ever seen before.
Although this tour is cited by the band themselves, as the shortest tour they've ever done. It is also the largest venues they've ever played! Don Broco will continue to rise, and these venues will only get larger!
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