Over the past couple of years, many bands that have been apart of modern day metalcore have been performing classic albums in its entirety to celebrate the ten-year anniversary of it. We got to see it last year with The Devil Wears Prada, The Acacia Strain and After the Burial, and this year we recently got it with Miss May I, The Word Alive and of course one of the pioneers of this modern movement, August Burns Red.

You can definitely say that they partied like it was 2009. Ending this insane tour with Silverstein and Silent Planet in the heart of New York City at Playstation Theater, they could not have ended things on a high note.

Silent Planet opens this insane show and they deliver a formula that is familiar yet fresh. With super heavy elements and melodic elements, the started things off on a great note. Its fair to assume many fans of this style of music are fans of the breakdowns, the fact that this band is able to utilize spoken-word elements before the breakdown is a unique and fantastic way to create buildup and suspense. They were able to engage the audience in lyrical elements to go along with their heavy, yet melodic style. One minute the audience was focused on the elements spoken by the vocalist and the next minute they were crowd-killing away.

Next we get long-running veterans of this genre Silverstein. This time we get a first taste of the beautiful lighting that the Playstation Theater is able to demonstrate. The lights followed along with their music perfectly. Silverstein was celebrating a good ten years of music as well with the release of Redux: The First Ten Years  earlier this year. Many fans were just as eager to see them being that this was able to rekindle their love for their music. Whether they were playing an older song in their catalogue such as My Heroine or one of their newer songs such as Burn it Down, the audience was engaged and moving the entire time.

Next we get the headliners, August Burns Red. Playing Constellations in its entirety, there were many fans who practically grew up with this album, had it as their soundtrack in high school as well as many new fans who may have discovered them later in their career and came to hear the older material. This was not just a testament to how dedicated of a fan base August Burns Red has, but it also is a testament to how important this album was. After the audience sang along to System of a Down’s, Cop Seuy, the lights dimmed and once all five of those members took the stage, no punches were pulled.

Being that they were playing a record in its entirety, the audience knew what to expect in the setlist. Starting with Thirty and Seven to Existence, to Ocean of Apathy and so on, there was a constant tsunami of crowdsurfers and emotions that flooded the venue. To hear all twelve of these songs and how the audience was able to engage with it the entire time is something that was truly remarkable. While the audience was moving constantly with their horns up, crowdsurfing and moshpitting, the band themselves did not have a single static moment on stage. Vocalist Jake Luhrs was moving just as much as guitarists JB, Dustin and and Brent. Another thing that was astonishing about this performance was the lighting utilized during their set. While the first twelve songs in their set were from the same album, each song managed to have its own emotion and vibe. From red lights to green lights to strobes and everything in between, if you blinked at any stage during this performance, you missed something. The lights moved along with each member while following the rhythm and having color that supported its emotion. It is fair to say that for this performance, everyone was granted with a case of synesthesia.

As the Constellations portion of this setlist came to an end with Meddler and Crusades, the lights dimmed. Many fans in the audience were chanting for them to play one more song, as many of them assumed they were just playing this album followed by maybe one more song for the encore, but they were fooled. Drummer Dustin Davidson immersed from the shadows behind the stage followed by hypnotic strobes and started soloing away on the drums. You were either constantly transfixed by the skill he was able to demonstrated or you were injected with even more momentum to mosh and crowdsurf away. Jake Luhrs stepped out from the side of the stage with his own little drum kit as well and then were get the ultimate drum solo/drum duel. It was an epic opening to what would consist of the rest of the set.

Next, after a time warp of older material, we get something from 2015, Ghosts and even one song of their most recent album , Invisible Enemy off of Phantom Anthem.

New York also got a special treat when Silverstein’s vocalist, Shane Told took the stage for some punk rock fun, covering Linoleum by punk legends, NOFX.

Jake Luhrs later returns to the stage for a trip back to back to 2011 by performing Empire, and to end the show, we go even earlier, all the way back to the Messengers album, ending with Composure. Anyone who wasn’t thrown over the barrier at this point was either in the pit or up in the air. Ending with one last blast from the fog machine and going all out with lights, August Burns Red ended this epic tour on the highest possible note.

This tour was not just a testament to the talent and passion August Burns Red is able to portray on stage. August Burns Red are some of the most dedicated musicians with the most dedicated team behind them and with that comes some of the most dedicated fans. It is a testament that when you make an album that speaks and connects with so many people, you can guarantee that there will always be a good show. When the audience was not moving around and going nuts in the pit, every lyric was sung by them, creating a beautiful essence of harmony and community. Last but not least, August Burns Red has a sound that truly defines them. While they have been categorized in the “metalcore” movement, they deliver it in their own unique way in delivering both savage brutality and hypnotic melodies. By hearing Constellations in its entirety, you were able to see how much they evolved over the years while never forgetting their roots at the same time.

It really felt like a time warp, a party like it was 2009.