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A sea of people stretching for blocks littered the entrance to the Metro Sunday night in hopes of rushing the doors just in time to claim the perfect spot for the last show Underoath would ever play in the city of Chicago.
Not a minute shy of 5:30 p.m. did the music begin to erupt as Letlive from Los Angeles, Calif. stormed the stage for a powerful performance. Immediately after the first chord was struck, the crowd sped forward and formed a large circle pit where several audience members took part in hardcore dancing. As fists flew and bodies soared atop the heads of the crowd, lead singer Jason Butler screamed helplessly into the microphone as each song flowed into the next. After a quick, but sweet set filled with passion and energy, the four band members happily walked away as the next band prepared to take the stage.
As Cities Burn provided the most anticipation for audience members, as the band decided to come back together to join Underoath on their farewell tour after not playing live together since the spring of 2009. A dark stage set the tone as only four of the band members took the stage to begin. After a short introduction, lead singer TJ Bonette, who had left the band in 2009, rushed out from behind the curtains causing the crowd to explode into a frenzy of satisfaction. After only a of couple songs, the band pleased all As Cities Burn listeners with a dominant performance of their hit, “Love Jealous One, Love”. As the set progressed, fans grew increasingly ecstatic as the band rattled off several hits from their 2005 release, “Son, I Loved You at Your Darkest”. While time went on and the end of the set grew near, all five band members carefully crafted a fierce performance of the intricate song, “Bloodsucker, Pt. 2.” While the ring of the last guitar note lingered on stage, fans frantically chanted in hopes of hearing just one last song. Not a moment later, Mewithoutyou appeared on stage eager to play.
Lead by vocalist Aaron Weiss, the band eased into their performance with a melodic showing of the song “Fox’s Dream of the Log Fume” off of their most recent release “Ten Stories.” The crowd stood in awe as the group constructed together a fluid and musical set list. Intertwined in the set were several songs off of the new album such as, “East Enders Wives,” “Cardiff Giant,” and “Elephant in the Dock.” Covered in sweat, drummer Rickie Mazzotta and the other band members quietly crept into a fan favorite to start the final stretch of the set. “In A Sweater Poorly Knit” off of their 2006 release, “Brother, Sister” prompted the lifelong Mewithoutyou fans to sing quietly with the soft voice of lead singer Aaron Weiss to complete a set that was nothing short of exceptional. Weiss thanked the audience for coming out with every ounce of affection he had and then preceded to walk calmly off the stage while the final band prepared their instruments.
A pitch black view set the mood for the final time Underoath would take the stage in Chicago. As the minutes continued to inch past the posted start time, fans became increasingly anxious to hear the music of the metal core band out of Tampa, Fla. After almost 30 minutes of thumb twiddling, Underoath at last emerged with only the lead singer providing a somewhat familiar face for long time fans. An original Underoath fan, Charlie Wynne, a sophomore musician at DePaul University, was discouraged with the beginning of the set.
“For me, it was a disappointment seeing a band name I used to love, now only represented by an egotistical singer and a cluster of adequate musicians,” said Wynne.
Immediately, the group kicked off the set with a newer song, “Breathing In a New Mentality” off of their 2008 release, “Lost in the Sound of Separation.” The set continued with a mixture of new material intertwined with older hits such as, “Young and Aspiring” and “Reinventing Your Exit”. While the set approached its end, the band walked off the stage, leaving the crowd to roar loudly for an encore performance, and encore it was. Underoath crept back onto the stage for an explosive presentation of two of their most acclaimed songs, “A Boy Brushed Red Living in Black and White” and “Writing on the Walls.” Fans stormed out of the Metro with mixed emotions as Underoath left all they had in the city of Chicago.