This past wednesday, I experienced the Monster Energy Outbreak Tour, featuring Sworn In, Like Moths To Flames, Crown The Empire, and Attila. Some of these bands I had never heard of, one of these bands I had shot numerous times, and one of these bands I had a very love/hate relationship with.
 

Sworn In and Like Moths To Flames put on a hell of a show for bands that I was not too familiar with. As a true opener, Sworn In got the crowd going and then some. Led by the very charismatic Tyler Dennen this band had the House of Blues Chicago floor rumbling and the crowd jumping. A very photogenic band all around with a very unique sound. However, it was the circle headbanging bass player, Derek, who stole the show. I have circle headbanged frequently in my room and let me tell you it’s not easy – you get dizzy very quickly. But to this guys credit, he was doing it the entire set, not letting up for a second; so kudos to him. All in all, Sworn In was great but very limited photography wise due to lighting. Your standard red, green, and blue casts.
 

Next up was Like Moths To Flames, another band I had heard of but had not really listened to. I have nothing but positive things to say. However, their shitty lighting really hindered their performance photography wise. House lighting and the overuse of strobes really got in my way. REGARDLESS, led by the former Emarosa vocalist Chris Roetter, these guys really kept the crowd going, building upon Sworn In’s momentum.
 

Up next was a band I was far too familiar with. The dudes in Crown The Empire were one of the first bands I ever shot indoors, and then I got to work with them at Warped Tour. So this being my third time shooting them I was excited to redeem myself for the poor photos I churned out early in my music photography career. Flanked by two illuminating cogs, the Dallas 6 piece group took the stage and gave the crowd a hell of a set featuring tons of tracks from their newest album Resistance: Rise Of The Runaways along with classics like their set closer “The Fallout.” Bottom line? Crown The Empire slays no matter what.
 

Last up was the headliner. A band I have been very hesitant to listen to, due to certain things I have heard. But I was ready to give Attila a fair shot. After listening to their new album Guilty Pleasure, I found they had some catchy choruses and a lot of passion which had me convincing myself to see them live find out what all the buzz was about.

Now my beef with Attila comes simply from the crap you hear on the internet: “Fronz is insensitive for using certain language blah blah blah.” But let me squash that – when you listen to the music it’s just a word in a sentence, lyrics in a song, and not an objectification of someone or their identity. Fronz took the stage to a roaring ovation from the crowd and got right into “Proving Ground”. On a photography note, the lighting was a lot stronger for Attila but still house lights, mainly.

As the set went on, Attila had crowd surfers coming in left and right, bras being thrown on stage, and, for a band that has a much younger feel to them, they also maintained a mature demeanor. All in all Attila proved to me that not only do these guys genuinely love what they do, but that they are a rock powerhouse who will be around for a while. I got a little bit of an old school Asking Alexandria/Bring Me The Horizon vibe, two groups who started at point A and grew into rock and roll icons in the new generations rock genre.

The Monster Outbreak Tour was fantastic, bottom line. Hindered solely by its lighting, it’s a tour I enjoyed shooting and a great way to cap off 2014! Till next time (in 2015) and with photos as always.

See You In The Pit,
Greg
 

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