On Saturday, August 11th, The Dark Horizon Tour came to Harrah’s Cherokee Center in the heart of Asheville, NC. Co-headliners In This Moment and Motionless in White, who have been touring together for over 15 years, brought along From Ashes to New and Fit For a King.
From Ashes to New opened the show with their usual “Backstreets Back” song that had the crowd singing and dancing along. Bringing together old and new fans, the band played several songs from their Blackout album that came out a few weeks ago, as well as older favorites like “My Name” and “Through It All.” From Ashes to New set the tone for the rest of the show with energy and crowd interaction unlike any band I’ve seen. Matt also gave his inspirational speech of never giving up on your dreams and how grateful they are to be playing to fans every night. Many people that night may have come for one of the headliners, but left a fan of From Ashes to New.
Not to be outdone by the first opener, Fit For a King came onto the stage to wow the crowd. I had the pleasure of meeting Ryan Kirby, the lead singer of the band, before the show started, and was blown away by the dichotomy of a soft-spoken man and a powerful singer. As the heaviest band on the tour, the crowd didn’t disappoint by opening a pit and crowd surfing when Ryan requested. About halfway through the show, the crowd got a special surprise when Ryan brought up their merch manager to sing one of the songs!
Each night of the tour, Motionless in White and In this Moment alternate between who is the direct opener. At the Asheville show, Motionless in White was the first headliner for the night. The band opened with the title track of their latest album Scoring the End of the World. Chris Motionless is a staunch supporter of the LGBTQ+ community, and many fans use the song “Voices” as an opportunity to have their flag represented on stage. At this show, one fan had a pansexual flag that Chris proudly hung from his skeleton stand throughout the rest of the show. There were also two special surprises for this show: Ryan from Fit For a King joined Chris on stage during "Slaughterhouse," and there was a setlist change for this show only. A very special fan requested Chris play “Soft,” which he obliged by replacing the usual “</c0de>” with that one. Motionless in White closed out their show with their usual “Eternally Yours” and roses.
Closing out the show was In This Moment. An experience unto itself. While the set changes over, a huge screen covers the front of the stage with a Black Widow on it, which is a nod to their 2014 album of the same name. The official opening song is “Don’t Stop Believin’,” which the band covered in 2019. It abruptly stops and transitions into “Salvation,” featuring a pulse-pounding siren sound and spotlights in red behind the screen before it drops. At this point in the show, the adrenaline was pumping, and the crowd was more energetic than before. In This Moment starts off with their newest single, “THE PURGE,” and features songs from the span of their career. Maria is known for elaborate costumes, but the fans are entertained by the stage performers and the remaining band members between each song. Along with fog machines and pyrotechnics, incense is used to create a whole sensory experience and not just a concert. Ending out the show was their encore for “Whore” with Maria giving her infamous “I Have a Dream” speech.
All Images of Motionless in White, From Ashes To New, Fit For A King, and In This Moment via Jennifer Mullins.
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