Summer Tour ‘23 | Underøath & The Ghost Inside

The Salt Shed - Chicago IL | July 16th, 2023

Written by: Brandi Lyn

---

Underøath & The Ghost Inside (w/ We Came As Romans and Better Lovers)

Summer Tour ‘23

Summer Tour ‘23 — with headliners Underøath and The Ghost Inside and openers We Came As Romans and Better Lovers — started July 16th in Chicago, Illinois, and ended on August 19th in Santa Ana, California.

Their first stop was The Salt Shed in Chicago, Illinois. Opening the doors at 5:00 PM, fans began to make their way through the entrance. Once through the doors, they were met with merch for each band on the left, and on the right, people could visit Fret12 (a guitar and tour culture brand)

The Salt Shed was built over 100 years ago as a Morton salt complex that packaged and distributed salt. In 2015, the building closed down and became vacant. In 2022, it was opened up to the public as a music venue with a capacity of 5,000 for outdoor events and 3,500 indoors.

Better Lovers

Fans made their way towards the stage, taking place as close as they could get to the barricade. This was the first show of the tour, so no one knew what to expect. Before the audience even had time to prepare, Better Lovers was already playing as they were entering the stage. Fans instantly began moshing to their song ‘Become So Small’.

Better Lovers is a Metalcore band from Buffalo, New York, that started in 2023. The band consists of Vocalist Greg Puciato (former vocalist of The Dillinger Escape Plan), Guitarist Jordan Buckley, Drummer Clayton (Goose) Holyoak, and Bassist Stephen Micciche (former members of Every Time I Die), and guitarist Will Putney (former guitarist of Fit For An Autopsy).

The band had played their first show just a few days before, on July 13th, this only being their fourth show. Making this their first tour as a band.

“You guys got here early enough to see some halfway decent show,” Greg said after playing their first two songs of the night. “Every one of these songs is new for us, too. This is the fourth show we’ve ever fucking played.”

Better Lovers performed tracks from their EP God Made Me an Animal with their songs ‘Become So Small’, ‘God Made Me an Animal’, ‘Sacrificial Participant’, and ‘30 Under 13’, as well as their unreleased songs ‘Croc’ and ‘Punk’, and their cover of Soundgarden’s ‘Rusty Cage’.

They finished off their set with their song ‘30 Under 13’. The crowd continued to mosh around in the back of the venue while the front was screaming back the lyrics to the band.

Greg stood at the front of the stage, looking out into the crowd. “Don’t you want to be seen?”, he continued to sing as the crowd was pushing closer towards the stage. One fan crowd-surfs to the front and reached their hand out towards the singer.

As Greg screamed, “Don’t you want to be everything?”, he made a run towards the crowd — jumping into the sea of people. The crowd pushed closer, surrounding Greg as they held him up.

“Better Lovers motherfuckers, we’ll see you next time. You guys are the shit.” He said once the song ended. “We’ll see you. We’re coming back.”

We Came As Romans

We Came As Romans started their set off with their song ‘Darkbloom’ and fans screamed along to the lyrics. We Came As Romans isn't a band that stays still, using the whole stage as they jump and spin around while still performing.

We Came as Romans is a Metalcore band from Troy, Michigan. They formed in 2005 as This Emergency then changed their name to We Came As Romans in 2006. Throughout the years the members have changed but as of 2023 the members currently consist of Vocalist Dave Stephens, Guitarist and Backing Vocalist Joshua Moore, Guitarist Lou Cotton, Bassist Andy Glass, and Drummer David Puckett.

Playing mostly from their newest album Darkbloom with their songs, ‘Darkbloom’, ‘Daggers’, ‘Golden’, ‘Plagued’, and ‘Black Hole’. Performing only two from their 2017 album Cold Like War with their songs ‘Wasted Age’ and ‘Cold Like War’ and ‘Hope’ from their 2013 Album Tracing Back Roots.

"Sup Chicago," Dave said moving closer to the crowd. "Let's turn up the energy in this fucking building". The crowd screamed and Dave shouted "Let's go" before screaming the beginning of their next song ‘Daggers’.

During the final chorus of the song, the crowd chanted, "Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. There's no escape from the wrath in my eyes - Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. There's no escaping this time." With the crowd screaming "No Mercy" then head banging to the beat of the drums as the back of the crowd began moshing.

Before playing their next song ‘Golden’, the band stopped to talk about the passing of their good friend, and former singer, Kyle Pavealed.

“Our band experienced a tragic loss several years ago. Our singer Kyle passed away unexpectedly. I just wanna say to anyone thats lost somebody as well, I understand your pain, I understand your frustrations. Those moments of uncontrollable anger, uncontrollable sadness. If you've listened to our record "Darkbloom", the songs are all over the place. Moments of hope. Moments of happiness. Moments of intense anger. Moments of sadness. And it's just all part of the process. And if you're going through something similar, hold on, stay strong, and I promise you it'll get better day after day." Dave said, and the crowd cheered.

After their song ‘Golden’, the band played a song from their 2013 album Tracing Back Roots which would be 10 years since its release on July 23rd, 2023.

“We thought it would be appropriate to play an older song next".

They performed their song ‘Hope’, which is a track that speaks about having personal struggles and the determination to find hope.

"Sometimes I feel so wrong. Like I'm being held down. I feel my heart like a rock, it's sinking. These days can get so dark like an eclipse in the sky. But I can rise above. I can find the light." - Hope

We Came As Romans ended their set with their song ‘Black Hole’. Another song of theirs that speaks about the struggles with mental health, specifically anxiety. In an interview with Loudwire, Dave Stephens talks about the meaning behind ‘Black Hole’.

"The lyrics to 'Black Hole' are about dealing with the anxiety that you feel going through life. For me, at the time, it was the anxiety I was feeling in dealing with loss and the grieving process. But we wanted to leave the song open-ended enough for our fans to relate to, with anything they were going through. That anxiety is sometimes so crushing and so heavy, and you have to deal with the weight of it, the gravity of the situations you're in. And sometimes, it just feels like an endless cycle."

Underøath

The crowd stood in the darkness of the venue as a video played on the screen behind the stage. A soft melody played over the sounds of someone crying. As the instrumentals got louder and the stage lighting got brighter, the band began to make their way to the stage. The words "Just Breath" flashed on the screen behind them and they began playing their song, ‘Take a Breath’. With the band taking over the whole stage, utilizing it to their advantage. The fans felt their energy and gave it right back, Jumping along to the beat.

Underoath performed a wide variety of different album tracks, playing ‘It's Dangerous Business Walking Out Your Front Door’, ‘Reinventing Your Exit’, and ‘A Boy Brushed Red Living in Black and White’ from their 2004 Album They're Only Chasing Safety. ‘Writing on the Walls’, ‘Casting Such a Thin Shadow’, and ‘You're Ever So Inviting’ from their 2006 Album Define the Great Line. Only playing ‘Breathing in a New Mentality’ from their 2008 Album Lost in the Sound of Separation. Playing ‘Take a Breath’, ‘Hallelujah’, and ‘Cycle’ from their 2022 Album Voyeurist. And playing two of their newest releases ‘Lifeline (Drowning)’ and ‘Let Go’.

Underoath is an American Rock band from Tampa, Florida that was started in 1997 by former members Dallas Taylor and Luck Morton. Currently, as of 2023, the band consists of Vocalist Spencer Chamberlain, Guitarist Timothy McTague, Bassist Grant Brandell, Keyboardist Christopher Dudley, and Drummer Aaron Gillespie (who is the only original member).

The band was originally considered a Christian Rock band but later separated themselves from Christianity. Spencer mentioned in an interview with Revolver “One of the best things we ever did was when we agreed not to be a Christian band anymore.” Spencer stated, “Being a Christian band became far too limiting and suffocating.”

In 2013 Underøath had called it quits, leaving fans with one more album, ‘Best Of Underøath’ and in 2015 Underøath announced that they were back and began touring again. In 2018 they released their first album in 8 years, Erase Me, which shocked longtime fans with their new sound and the absence of Christianity. Voyeurist followed behind, releasing in 2022, tackling the same topics of addiction and mental health.

The guitar riff for ‘Writing on the Walls’ began and fans sang along as Spencer pointed the microphone towards the crowd. During the chorus Spencer made his way into the crowd, standing on the barricade. The crowd screamed along to the lyrics as they helped him up. Fans pushing closer towards him. Spencer jumped off the barricade and onto the crowd of people. They held him up and carried him back towards the barricade.

Their next song ‘Hallelujah’  had fans moshing and crowd-surfing. Singing along to the lyrics and jumping along to the beat as Spencer danced around the whole stage.

After ‘Hallelujah’ they played ‘Breath in a New Mentality’. Before the final chorus, the band stopped and Spencer shouted, "Chicago", and the crowd cheered. "Now's your time. Let's get that circle pit fucking goin tonight. We're just getting warmed up, lets get this place fucking going. Are you ready?" Fans cheered and Spencer says, "Hold on a second. I said are you ready?", and the crowd screamed louder. They continued their song and the crowd began moshing and crowd surfing to the front.

"Chicago how are we feelin'?" Spencer screamed and the crowd cheered. "Well we are Underoath from Tampa Florida and we are here to have a good fucking time baby. If you're here to have a good time let me hear you say 'hell yeah'." He said and the crowd screamed back, "hell yeah". "Let me try that again, if you're having a good time let me hear a hell yeah" and the crowd screamed it again even louder. "There we go."

"So ladies and gentlemen, about two weeks ago, we released a brand new song. Have any of y'all heard it yet?" He asked and the crowd cheered. "That's okay, it's brand new. You can find it anywhere. Just type in Underoath and it'd probably be the first thing that comes up. And if it's okay with you, we're gonna play you that new song. Right here, right now." Fans cheered in excitement. "This one's called ‘Lifeline'". He said as they began performing their new song.

Underoath has stated that ‘Lifeline (Drowning)’ was a "cry for help". The lyrics describe a feeling of isolation and despair, "This can't be my reality. I'm slowly sinking, I'm slowing sinking. You're the ocean over me. You pull me under."

"Don't let me sink, throw me a lifeline, save me. The pressure comes and goes in waves. I feel like I'm drowning. I feel like I'm drowning." - Lifeline (Drowning)

Their next song, ‘It's Dangerous Business Walking out your Front Door’, had the OG fans screaming along to every word. The 2004 song is one of Underoath's most popular song to date, along with ‘Writing on the Walls’ and ‘Reinventing Your Exit’.

Next, they played their song ‘Casting Such a Thin Shadow’, which is mostly instrumental with very few lyrics. Spencer brought out his guitar and joined the rest of the band as they performed. The performance had fans nodding their heads up and down as they watched the band. The crowd in a trance listening to each sound of the instruments.

Once the song was over, the beat of the drums to their next song brought fans' energy back up. "Teach me to let go", Spencer screamed into the microphone as they began their other newest single ‘Let Go’.

"Chicago how we feeling?" Spencer asked. "Ladies and Gentleman, welcome to the first night of our Summer Tour. I honestly couldn't think of a better place to start it than fucking Chicago." The crowd cheered. "So we have a handful of songs left, and by a handful, I mean one, two, three... Four." he counted, "Four".

"Just three" Aaron corrected. "No, four."

Spencer said, "One... Two... No, you're right, three. Fuck. Now I'm the bad guy." Fans shouted for four songs as Spencer continued, "Hey I'm still learning the setlist. This is the first night of fucking tour, make some noise," and fans cheered.

Spencer continued talking with the crowd and welcoming newcomers.

"For all my old school Underoath people, I'm gonna play you an old song, this one's called ‘Reinventing Your Exit’." Spencer screamed and they began playing their 2004 song and fans sang along.

Next, they performed their song ‘Cycle’, which was only their second time playing the song live. Ending their set with their song ‘A Boy Brushed Red Living in Black and White’.

The Ghost Inside

The venue's floor was completely packed and ready for The Ghost Inside to take the stage.

The Ghost Inside (Which was formerly known as A Dying Dream) is a Metalcore band from Los Angeles that formed in 2004. The band consists of Vocalist Jonathan Vigil, Guitarists Zach Johnson and Chris Davis, Bassist Jim Riley, and Drummer Andrew Tkaczyk.

They started off with their song ‘Avalanche’. This song has been their anthem about overcoming obstacles, pushing through, and breaking free.

"I'm living for today. Forgetting things I can't change unwinds me. Nothing stands in my way. Theme stopped when I broke the chains that bound me." - Avalanche

The Ghost Inside performed a wide range of songs, playing 14 tracks such as their 2008 song ‘Faith or Forgiveness’ from their album Fury and the Fallen Ones and their 2010 song ‘Unspoken’ from their album Returners. Playing songs from their 2012 album Get What You Give. with ‘Engine 45’, ‘The Great Unknown’, ‘Dark Horse’, and ‘White Light’. Their 2014 album Dead Youth with ‘Avalanche’, ‘Merch’, and ‘Dear Youth (Day 52)’. Their 2020 Self Titled album with ‘The Outcast’, ‘Pressure Point’, ‘One Choice’ and ‘Aftermath’. Also playing their newest single ‘Earn It’ from the 6th upcoming album.

After playing their song ‘Avalanche’, they continued with their songs ‘The Outcast’ and ‘Engine 45’.

"In 2020 we released a self-titled record, anybody out there get a chance to listen to that one?" Jonathan Vigil asked and the crowd cheered. "I see a lot of you guys out there are familiar with it and some of you are not so I'm gonna teach you guys how to sing along to the next one. It's really really simple. When I put my hands up in the air I want everybody in this building to yell ‘Fuck This’, Alright, here we go."

He said and the crowd screamed "Fuck this". Johnathan screamed for the crowd to yell louder and the crowd obliged. Chanting it over and over. "This song is called ‘Pressure Point’, he said and the band began playing and when it was their turn, fans would chant out "fuck This".

Their next song ‘One Choice’ had fans singing along and crowd surfing. The song is about resilience and determination. Repeating the words "I won't bend, I won't break through the darkest of days. I remember, I survive I won't surrender".

"We put out a new song on Monday, did anybody get a chance to listen to that?" Jonathan asked and fans screamed. "It's not even a week old yet. Some of you guys know the words already?" He asked and fans cheered again. "Alright, I'm gonna put you to the test alright? This next one is a new one, it is called "Earn It"." Those who already knew the song sang along with Jonathan.

"Sometimes people think because of the social status or circumstances they're born into, they're entitled to greatness. Nothing worthwhile is ever gonna be handed to you. You gotta earn it." - Jonathan

The Ghost Inside played their songs "Mercy" and "The Great Unknown" before they stopped to talk to the crowd about their accident.

"We were on tour on a two-lane highway and our tour bus got into an accident with a semi-truck." Jonathan Vigil began, "Unfortunately both drivers lost their lives, leaving the rest of us, all 10 of us, in the hospital for days, and weeks, and months at a time. In that time we never knew if we'd be able to get back up here and do this. But you guys coming back to us." Fans cheered for the band as he continued, "Telling us how much our band means to you and the support that we've given you in your toughest time. Giving it back to us is really is what brought us back here right now. And no matter what you think, whether we're your favorite band or you just kinda like us, our drummer played drums with one fucking leg, and its amazing." Jonathan said as the crowd cheered and they began their next song "Dark Horse".

In 2015 The Ghost Inside was involved in a fatal bus accident with a semi truck. Colliding head-on, ripping the bus apart, and leaving both drivers pronounced dead and all five band members (as well as other crew) in critical condition.

Singer Jonathan Vigil had a fractured neck and two broken ankles and was put in a medically induced coma for a month. He ended up suffering an infection in one of his ankle bones that delayed surgery. Guitarist Zack Johnson had to have two of his toes amputated; he also suffered a broken femur, pelvis, and hip pocket, that needed 13 surgeries. Guitarist Chris Davis broke two toes and bassist Jim Reilly broke his ankle. Drummer Andrew Tkaczyk had over 80 medical complications. His lungs, kidneys, and liver functions were “so poor that it put his life at risk”, his doctor stated. His right arm was paralyzed and his leg needed to be amputated above the knee.

In an interview for DMagazine Johnathan stated, “I was the one dragging my feet the most. I woke up, and I told people, ‘Hey, I don’t want to do this anymore.'"

On Instagram, Andrew posted about his injuries saying, “So the rumors are true everyone! Unfortunately, I did lose my leg in this accident. This is one injury among many others such as fractures in my ribs, spine, and hip along with some ligament tears in my rotator cuff and Labrum. I have remained in positive and good spirits since I woke up from a 10-day coma in November to the sight of my missing leg. Not going to let it stop me. I don't care what anyone says. It's a long road ahead, but I WILL play drums again. Can't wait to get back on the kit. Couldn't have dealt with this without the love and support from my brothers in TGI & crew, friends, fans, and family. Thank you all.”

This did not stop the band — In 2018 they held their first practice since the bus accident and the band made a statement saying “Yes, There is a future”, leaving fans hopeful. In 2019 they announced their first show back which sold out within 4 minutes, only playing one-off shows (short gigs).

Before playing their next song "White Light", Jonathan said how important the song was to him."For those of you that don't know this one is about the sudden loss of my little brother. I never got the chance to say goodbye. I never got the chance to say that I loved him. And this song goes out to anybody out there that knows the hell that I went through, and the hell that I still go through every single day."

During the song Jonathan asked the crowd to shine their phone lights, "Chicago, shine your white lights for me, bring out your phone lights. Give me your white lights everybody." Yelling for everyone in the crowd to shine their lights. "For the people no longer with us. Get 'em up." He screamed before continuing with the song. The crowd waved their phone lights in the air, lighting up the venue.

"We're gonna pick it up with this next one. This one is about reminiscing on better days, better times that you might have had, and now realizing your best times are still in front of you." Jonathan said before they began their next song "Dear Youth". On the screen behind them played their music video for the song. The music video consisted of a bunch of submitted videos from fans.

The Ghost Inside ended the show with their song "Aftermath" which was their first single since the accident, followed by their new self-titled album. In an interview for Tone Deaf, Andrew stated that before the accident, they were supposed to have an album much sooner. Ironically one of the saved demos was named “Aftermath”.

“I saved the demo after I wrote it as "Aftermath" for absolutely no reason at all. I don’t know why. It’s just the word I chose. It, almost, eerily foreshadowed what happened to us, and it sort of put a twist on the negative connotation of the word ‘aftermath’”, Andrew said. “In this situation, our aftermath was realizing that there was quality of life after what happened to us, and with hard work and dedication, we got back to a level we thought we couldn’t get to before, and that’s pretty crazy.”

In the Interview, Andrew mentions how he had to relearn how to play drums and find what worked best for him. “For myself, personally, it was obviously the task of having to relearn how to play drums again. The years of going back and forth with assistive devices in different ways and finding what works and what doesn’t work, and having ups and downs of ‘I want to do this’ and ‘I don’t want to do this’ and ‘I can’t', back to ‘okay, I can do this’.”

Before they began playing their last song Jonathan stopped to thank the crowd, "You guys have no idea what it means to us to be able to be back up here on stage. We love you, we love you, we love you. Thank you for giving us a second chance. Thank you. That's what this song is about. This one is called "Aftermath".

Today I woke up to a brand new me. I know I cant rewrite history. Yesterday is gone and im ready for what tomorrow brings." -"Aftermath"

Before finishing the last verse Jonathan asked the crowd to sing with him one last time. The crowd sang along while waving their arms back and forth. As the song ended and the band left the stage, fans cheered.

The Crowds Perspective:

“To me, that show was euphoric. For the most part of my life, I lived in the Philippines and there’s just not many opportunities to watch foreign bands. I’ve listened to UØ and WCAR for more than half of my life and to finally be able to see them is such an amazing experience.” - Marc Angelo Nalupta

“The Ghost Inside has always been a huge inspiration for me and a reminder that no matter what life throws at you, you can and will rise above. The moment they hit the stage, the atmosphere was filled with joy, love, and a sense of unity between fans and the band. As Vigil took the stage and started singing the first lyrics of “Avalanche”, the crowd quickly took over and screamed every word right back. The passion of both the fans and the band radiated throughout the room and the energy was unlike anything I have felt in a very long time. From smiles to tears, every person in that crowd gave everything they had and the band gave us that same emotion in return.” - Jacob Lindahl