LIVE: AS I LAY DYING – St. Petersburg, FL, USA – July 31, 2024

Venue: Jannus Live

City: St. Petersburg, FL

Date: July 31, 2024

Review and Photographs by: Stephanie Gray (https://stephgrayphoto.mypixieset.com/)

On an evening where the weather forecast was as heavy as the music, As I Lay Dying, Chelsea Grin, and Entheos took the stage at Jannus Live in St Petersburg, Florida. Despite it starting to rain almost exactly when doors opened, crowds trickled in as final preparations were made to the stage for the opening act. Entheos, a band with progressive metal sound, and powerful female vocals were the first to take the stage. With influences spanning from Lamb of God, Job For A Cowboy, Tool, and A Perfect Circle, to Fleetwood Mac, their sound is constantly evolving and impossible to define in one genre. Vocalist Chaney Crabb entered with a commanding presence and began hyping the crowd up immediately. The band’s six song setlist included selections from their albums Time Will Take Us All and their newest release All for Nothing. Chaney engaged the crowd, encouraging them to open up two mosh pits on each side of the venue. Despite it being a little damp, the crowd was ready for an epic evening of metal mayhem and began thrashing to the music. As Entheos played their final song “The Sinking Sun” the crowd was encouraged to jump along, keeping the energy high for the next band to take the stage. Next up was Chelsea Grin, a death metal band from Salt Lake City, Utah. Their energy was infectious, and the perfect second act for the evening. They cite influences from Suicide Silence, Whitechapel, Bury Your Dead, Megadeath, and Scars of Tomorrow making them a lethal blend of death metal and post-hardcore. Their pounding drums and guttural vocals cut through the rain like a sonic sledgehammer. As vocalist Tom Barber’s growls echoed through the stormy night, you could hear the audience belting it out alongside him. The band played a nine song setlist that was a mixture of songs from all their albums. Tom was very interactive with the crowd and commanded a wall of death to start in the pit. As fans crowd surfed and crashed into each other, you could taste the mixture of sweat and rain in the air. As they concluded their setlist with Hostage, the crowd erupted with roaring and cheering.

The headliner for the evening was As I Lay Dying, a Metalcore band from San Diego California. As I Lay Dying’s influences are bands such as In Flames, Pantera, Fear Factory, and Cannibal Corpse. The last time I saw them in concert was in 2006, so I was very excited to be able to see how the band has evolved. Despite some band members changing, as they often do with time, the sound remains just as powerful and melodic as before. The fans have only grown greater in quantity and enthusiasm. They started their set with “Nothing Left”, a song I recognized from their An Ocean Between Us album. For their fourth song, they had Chaney Crabb join them on stage to sing “Redefined” alongside vocalist Tim Lambesis. There was a steady stream of crowd surfers, and the center of the crowd was a continuously ongoing mosh pit. I had a wave of nostalgia again when they played “The Darkest Nights” from their Shadows are Security album. As they closed their fifteen song setlist with “The Sound of Truth” and an encore was requested by the crowd. Encore songs “My Own Grave” and “Confined” were the final songs of the night. The rain definitely did not dampen the mood for these metal fans! As the evening concluded, I saw a fan getting a shirt signed by one of the band members. A little girl who was up front with her parents for the whole night got one of the guitar picks. A few other lucky individuals from the crowd caught drumsticks and set lists. I made a quick stop in what I would call possibly the cleanest venue bathroom before heading out. I really enjoyed my experience at Jannus Live, the staff and security were wonderful and made sure everyone stayed safe and had a great time. The rain and humidity ended up being just a special Florida treat for the concert goers! It was a wild night…did I get pinned to the speakers more than once by crowd surfers falling on me? Yes. Did I enjoy every second of it? Also, Yes! If you have the chance to catch any of these bands when they come to your city on tour I highly recommend you go, you will not be disappointed.

As I Lay Dying Setlist: Nothing Left – Falling Upon Deaf Ears – Through Struggle – Redefined – Parallels – A Greater Foundation – Condemned – Blinded – Shaped by Fire – 94 Hours – The Darkest Nights – Re-Separation – Burden – Anodyne Sea – The Sound of Truth – My Own Grave – Confined

Chelsea Grin Setlist: Recreant – Sonnet of the Wretched – The Isnis – Bleeding Sun – Playing With Fire – Dead Rose – My Damnation – Sing to the Grave – Hostage

Entheos Setlist: All for Nothing – Absolute Zero – An End to Everything – I Am the Void – Life in Slow Motion – The Sinking Sun

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Category: Live Reviews, Photo Galleries