This year marks the 20th anniversary of Underoath’s They’re Only Chasing Safety album and what better way to end a tour than selling out 3 nights in your hometown. On December 14th, Jannus Live in St. Petersburg Florida welcomed back the Florida legends with open arms. Their second sold-out night featured support from Preson Phillips and Static Dress.
Preson Phillips opened up the night with an acoustic guitar, a rarity when you sign up to see a metal show. The singer along with his 4 piece band brought folk rock to the audience, capturing their attention with high energy crescendos and his soft spoken word. It’s the kind of easy listening music you could get behind any day of the week.
Next up was Static Dress, an English rock band with a mission to get the crowd in motion. Lead Olli Appleyard leading the crowd to mosh, head-bang, and sing along with their music. The addictive solos from masked guitarist Contrast had everyone on their feet and moving along. Energy was boundless with this group, mic stands were tossed in the air, drum kits being stood on, and even a tambourine made an appearance. Static Dress was the perfect lead up to what was to come the rest of the night.
For Whom The Bell Tolls will no longer just be assimilated to Metallica anymore, it now belongs to Underoath as well. Bells rang out as the stage lights dimmed in the venue, until the stage was encased in black. Then, a table lamp lit, illuminating drummer Aaron Gillespie on a leather couch beside it. The night started out with an acoustic rendition of “Some Will Seek Forgiveness, Others Escape”, throughout the song the other members of the band took the stage one by one, other lamps scattered across the stage illuminated as they did so. As the opening song came to a close, the stage blacked out, only seconds later to be basking in a white strobe. This signaled the beginning of the They’re Only Chasing Safety segment of the night, old fans reveling in the ability to hear it in its entirety.
Months before this show was to take place, fans had the opportunity to vote for their favorite songs to be played, many coming out of the vault for this tour. The surprise of the night included Gillespie leaving his kit and taking center stage to tell us all a story, the story about how he was found by Dallas Taylor and joined Underoath at just fourteen years old. After the reflection, the band welcomed Dallas on stage to perform “When the Sun Sleeps,” a song that has not been played live since the Vans Warped Tour days. It was an emotional moment for everyone, members sneaking grinning glances as the two frontmen on Underoath meshed on stage. When the song ended all the members came forward giving hugs and smiles to Taylor who had a smile that did not leave his face the whole song. After bidding goodbye to their friend, Underoath closed out the night with “Writing On The Walls” and had the crowd moving forward to get as close as they could as Spencer Chamberlain climbed the barricade to be wrapped in his fans embrace.
To have an album that stands the test of time is an amazing feat, and some bands never get to see that come to fruition. But, Underoath has seen the writing on the walls, and it has solidified them as not only Florida music legends, but rock legends.
