by Jennifer Mullins
Nestled in the heart of Chattanooga near the historic Chattanooga Choo-Choo, The Signal hosted the Blackout Part II tour. Joining From Ashes to New were Elijah, Phix, Ekoh (pronounced echo), and Point North. Blending multiple genres, each band brought a unique experience for the fans to enjoy on a Monday night.
First up was Elijah, who is known for hits like, "Virus", "Harder to Lie", and "Enemies". A lot of fans may know him from "Virus", but like me, they might be surprised and impressed by his guttural screams because I was not expecting that! He had incredibly energy that got the crowd pumped from the very beginning with a mosh pit during his set. All the members brought a frenetic energy to the set, and they all had a cool vibe. Elijah came out with black cut-off shorts, showing off his many tattoos. Another band member was dressed in black overalls with black painted arms and was chewing gum and blowing bubbles through the whole set. Not only was the music great, but the performance set the mood for the rest of the show!
Keeping up the energy was Phix, and he was, in my opinion, a perfect opener for this tour. Like From Ashes to New, he does a combination of rapping and singing. He's been described as a perfect blend of Eminem and Linkin Park, and it makes for an incredible live experience. In addition to the vocalist, the guitarist and drummer were also a blast to watch. The guitarist brought impressive energy, moving and jumping all over the stage. The drummer is an 11-year-old by the name of Bronx that has been playing drums since he was 4! Overall, I was super impressed by this group and didn't want their set to end.
Ekoh is another artist that blends rapping and singing in his music. Not only does he have "Hole in Your Head" out, but he also has several collabs out with Phix, including "Doomed" that he performed with Phix during Phix's set. Ekoh has several collabs out with artists like Lo Spirit ("Good Things" & "Hello Loneliness"), Attila ("Mia Goth"), and Loveless ("Wayside"). The blend of his rapping, the DJ named DJ Kode Break and a live drummer was superb, where the DJ even came out to rap with Ekoh a few times. During the set, Ekoh admitted he's a huge nerd and loves the marvel universe before he began his song about, you guessed it, marvel characters called, "End Game"! Ekoh was the first crowd surfer of the night with the crowd holding him by the feet. Not only did he crowd surf while performing, but he also had people throw their shoes up, where he signed them while performing. For those unfamiliar with it, Ekoh has his own shoe out with Vans (purchase a pair here) and has started signing shoes for fans to promote it. Don't worry, no shoes were harmed in this, and all were returned back to their respective owner at the end of the set.
After Ekoh's incredible set, Point North took the stage and kept the energy flowing. The lead vocalist came out in a pair of super fun yellow tinted glasses, and the guitarist was repping an Elijah shirt (we love to see artists supporting other artists on stage!). Point North was another great addition to the tour as they bring a more pop rock/emo vibe to the shows. Their set included popular songs like, "Below the Belt", which is a collab with Set it Off, "Bring Me Down", and their The Ghost Inside collab, "Safe and Sound", which closed out their set. The use of fog machines and a dynamic lighting set enhanced the performance and set the vibe for the headliners, From Ashes to New.
Even though it was a Monday night and a later set time, the crowd still showed up with palpable energy. Anyone who has been to a live concert knows that the pre-show music can help set the tone of the show and that is true of From Ashes to New. They played songs from their friends Shinedown, including "Second Chance", that everyone was singing along to. Once "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)" started, the crowd went wild, anticipating the band coming on stage. For those that have never attended one of their shows, this is what they always play before coming on stage. As From Ashes to New took the stage with their opening song "Armageddon" off their latest album Blackout, fans from the floor to the balcony were screaming and singing along. They were backlit by their amazing screens that were coordinated to each song and even included fake flames and other dynamic aspects.
Dressed in their typical black jeans, black t-shirts, and black painted arms, Danny and Matt were in perfect sync and fed off each other the entire night. Jimmy Bennett, a long-time crew member of the band, has recently joined them on stage as a guitarist and also sported blacked out arms and full black outfit. As their latest album is titled Blackout these looks fit perfectly for the show. Lance has long been known for his anime inspired masks and makeup, which was true for this show as well. Even Matt sported his classic red makeup under his eyes! Small details like this demonstrate the passion From Ashes to New has in creating the best show fans can see.
While the outfits, makeup, and set design certainly lend themselves to a great live experience, it's the crowd interaction the band has that makes fans come back show after show, many of them seeing multiple tours. Matt and Danny have always been outspoken about their experiences and struggles and the times during their performance where they take a moment to speak to us are some of my favorite parts of their shows. Matt has always been vocal about unity and how we all have more in common than we think, which is a huge theme on their album (you can read more about it here). I love this part of the show because it gets the crowd feeling the sense of community that live music is all about.
With an impressive 16 song set, From Ashes to New brought fans the songs they love, from oldies like "Scars That I'm Hiding" and "My Name" to their latest songs like "Monster in Me", "Hate Me Too", and "Barely Breathing". The antepenultimate and penultimate songs had Elijah and Phix come out as guest vocalists ("Panic" and "Nightmare" respectively). From Ashes to New ended their phenomenal show with their traditional "Through It All" that everyone was singing along with. As always, these boys put their heart and soul into the show and every fan left better for it.
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