Memphis May Fire & Black Veil Brides play sold out show at Danforth Music Hall

On Sunday January 16th, what could be called one of the coldest nights of the whole year, The Black Mass Tour made its way to The Danforth Music Hall. With a lineup consisting of Ghost Town, Memphis May and headliners Black Veil Brides this was one show you wouldn’t have wanted to miss.

Having missed Ghost Town due to complications with tickets I was happy to finally be inside, away from the -35 wind chill temperatures. Upon Arrival I noticed that the crowd seemed to have already been enjoying themselves and were anxious to see what Memphis May Fire had to offer. I wish I could have caught Ghost Town, as this has been maybe the 4th time I’ve been a show they were playing but haven’t gotten in on time.

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Matty Mullins from Memphis May Fire

Memphis May Fire

The first band I was able to see was Memphis May Fire (MMF). After missing the last time they came through Toronto, I was eager to see if they were just as good as I remembered them being. As they came out on stage they immediately launched into “No Ordinary Love” followed by “Alive In the Lights.

Half way in between their set, MMF decided it was time to slow things down and play “Miles Away”. This allowed the whole crowd to truly see the musical talent that MMF has to offer. Also kudos to Kellen Mcgregor (lead guitar, backing vocals) for doing an awesome job singing Kellin Quinn’s part in the song.  MMF ended the set with fan favourite “Legacy”. Playing a mixture of both new and old songs, overall there was nothing I had to complain about. It was just an awesome set!

The very first time I saw Memphis May Fire (MMF) I remember becoming obsessed with them because of their stage presences and the fact that they sounded just as good live as they did on their CD. This show was no exception, and truth be told I think I might have fallen in love all over again.

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Andy Biersack from Black Veil Brides

Black Veil Brides.

After such a good set by MMF I was curious to see how Black Veil Brides (BVB) would compare. While MMF’s set was amazing, BVB’s set BLEW ME AWAY. Truth be told I never really listened to BVB nor was much of a fan before this show, but after this set I think I just now might be.

The lights went out and as soon as BVB came out there was an ear-deafening roar from the crowd one could only compare to the screams of those attending a stadium concert.  BVB played a good mixture of both old and new songs such as “Heart of Fire”, “Knives and Pens” and “Rebel Love Song”. Half way throughout the set BVB covered Motley Crue’s “Kickstart My Heart”, which was then followed by “Last Rites”. Just like any rock show, this show wouldn’t be complete without a drum solo. CC also known as Christian Coma did a phenomenal drum solo to the star wars theme song that than directly went into Krewella’sLive for the night”.  BVB ended the set with “Fallen Angels”. As fans cheered for an Encore BVB ended up coming out except instead of Andy (Lead Vocals) wearing his Misfits shirt he came out wearing a Toronto Maple Leafs Jersey. The last song of the night was “In The End”.
The stage set up was amazing, the lights, and the smoke made the live show even better.

The biggest surprise of the night was that there wasn’t much (if any) moshing or crowd surfing happening. The only time I saw people crowd surfing was after the band called out the crowd for not doing so. They even offered up a pair of drumsticks to the first person that made it over the barricade. With that being said even though there was not much crowding surfing going on, it was easy to tell from the cheers after the set was finished that everyone had an amazing time.

[Review and photography by Stephanie Puccinelli]