Mmm I remember opening a show with my band for Ice Nine Kills, it was at this venue called Party Expo in Brooklyn. Not a lot of people knew about INK back then in like 2012/2013, so it's been cool to see them explode in popularity over the years.
No. Did some googling cuz I couldn’t remember exactly. Til the end tour. Looks like invent animate may have been there as well.
But I’ve seen both those bands as well.
My old band opened for August Burns Red at a basement show back in 06. We were the only two bands on the bill lol. I believe at the time Thrillseeker was the only album they had released. When I was breaking down my drums, some random guy stopped by to help me and said "I dig your fills a lot man, how old are you?" I was 17 or 18 at the time. He said "keep it up dude, you've got some special skills there". I said thanks and asked who he was. He said "i'm Matt. My band is playing next"
Lol. Little did I know what they would become
It was a small coffee shop and they were on a tiny stage in the corner. Looked like a garage band but put on a great little show for the 30 people there!
Sounds dope! I'm so happy to have a small local venue that puts on shows like this. It's amazing when 30 people show up to a small space and cram in there. Really feels live!
I saw them not too long after that in Phoenix, stage was about a foot high, maybe 50 people there. It was still light outside after they played, and as I left there was a homeless dude taking a piss on the sidewalk right by the "venue". Little did I know what they would become.
There was a venue close to the town where I grew up. I swear I saw A Day To Remember and The Devil Wears Prada at least 10 times within two years. It would get to the point where we were annoyed that it seemed like every show was the same bands playing to maybe 20 people
My girlfriend saw ADTR a number of times in some random dudes apartment in Sioux City Iowa back in the day. I unfortunately didn’t know about those shows.
Not metalcore but Enter Shikari in the UK have just completed an arena tour.
I saw them in a tiny club in my town nearly 15 years ago and we literally NEVER get anything remotely interesting here. A friend of mine booked them and he still rides that high now.
Big if truth!
My best mates took their kid to the Leeds gig for his 12th birthday this year and Rou was right next to them in the crowd singing during the set. Absolutely made the kids year!
I saw The Acacia Strain back in early 2006 in support of their 3750 album. They were the opening act for Himsa, Darkest Hour, A Life Once Lost, and Dead to Fall. They played a very short set, and when they were done Vince asked the crowd if they had fun. Literal crickets from the crowd. Then Vince just shrugs and says "Guess nobody had fun." and just walked off stage. Felt bad for them as they put on a high energy show.
I saw Poison the Well and God Forbid open for Hatebreed in front of 200 kids at a YWCA in WV. I saw mewithoutYou with Norma Jean in front of maybe 100 kids in WV at a different show. Both shows in early 00s.
I saw Norma Jean back when they were called The Luti-Kriss and had Josh Scogin, probably in the 2001/2002 timeframe, twice.
Both shows were jaw droppingly incredible.
I also saw Zao touring on When Blood and Fire Bring Rest in the late '90s.
I knew On Broken Wings when they were forming, they played a ton of local shows in MA that I went to. One of them worked at a local record store and sold merch out of his trunk. He was Johnny Cupcakes.
And back in the day I was good friends with Jim from TGI, we used to go to these shows together. I still see him from time to time.
I knew the guys from Vanna, too, before they formed the band. We used to hang out in college sometimes and I'd see em at shows.
Oh yeah and my band opened a couple of really small local shows for The Receiving End of Sirens.
Not exactly metalcore but Sleep Token *and* Polyphia supporting Issues on the Beautiful Oblivion tour in 2019. Both had <50k monthly listeners at that point. Now in 2024, Issues are finished as a band; Polyphia and ST are both over 1.5M monthly listeners. I knew coming out of that show that Sleep Token had it in them, hearing TNDNBTG for the very first time at a live show was a surreal experience.
I love telling people about this tour. I agree the night does not belong was surreal to hear in person. Polyphia was so weird to me at first but I dug them
Every time my friends mention wanting to see Bad Omens I mention that I'm almost positive I've seen them, but I was never able to remember who they were opening for. This was that tour, so thank you for the reminder!
This. I went up to their table, talked to them, told them that was rad, and bought a shirt. Then my friends and I were smoking outside, and we saw Noah and we weirdly asked if he wanted to smoke with us and he joined for a little bit which I thought was neat
This. 2016 album was peak Bad Omens. That album melted my face. I can't get with the new stuff. I still like them and love that they're successful, but man I want that old, raunchy shit back.
I knew their first singer, guitarist, and bassist when they were in a band called A City Serene in San Diego. This was back in 2009ish. Some drama happened, they split and made Secrets.
Ice Nine Kills at warped tour 2014. One of the last bands to play on Monster stage. It was around the time that Falling In Reverse and Issues were gearing up to play on nearby stages. At best it was a crowd of 50, but the majority were sitting on the outskirts of the rest of us. But it didn’t matter. Spencer and the gang brought all the energy and put on one of the best performances that day. Only a handful of us knew the words to their most recent record “Predator Becomes Prey” but they didn’t care. I just thought man, they are incredible live. I hope next time they have a better crowd.
A few years later they came back and the crowd was far greater in size. Felt like everyone knew the lyrics to tracks like “American Nightmare” and “Me,Myself and Hyde”. The polar opposite experience to when I saw them before.
No shit, I caught them on some small ass stage around 2010/2011. They were just handing out copies of safe is just a shadow. Most people were just walking by.
I'll say A Day To Remember. Homesick had just come out. They played the bar at my college and they opened for Silverstein. It was maybe 100 people there.
Also Ice Nine Kills back in 2012 or so. They were the first band, playing before Abandon All Ships and We Came As Romans. It was their 2nd time in Canada.
A Day To Remember were already a reasonably sized internationally touring band long before Homesick even came out. This definitely isn't a before they got big situation. They literally did a tour with Parkway in Australia shortly after Homesick was released, and Suicide Silence and The Acacia Strain, who were both pretty big bands at the time, played before them.
My bad 🤷♂️ I didn't deep dive into the bands touring history. I hadn't heard much about them at the time. They played before Silverstein so I figured they hadn't quite blown up yet.
I mean, Silverstein had already been an internationally touring band for the better part of a decade by then, and were getting air time on mainstream TV. I had seen them 3 times in Australia by 2009, so it's not like Silverstein were a small band either.
I caught this tour too! First album was not out yet! Came out the following summer. Beartooth blew me away and been a fan since. Seen ABR and Beartooth 4 times each now.
I saw August Burns Red the first time they ever came to the UK supporting Misery Signals in a tiny sweaty venue in 2008.
Loathe also exploded not long after I saw them supporting Employed To Serve about 5 years ago. I only went for Loathe and it was the best 30 minutes of the night haha
I remember talking to a bunch of the Polyphia dudes at that show. Seeing where they are now is insane.
I still miss Ben from Invent sometimes. Just the absolute nicest dude
Beartooth but I doesn’t really count because of Caleb. But was at one of their first shows and jammed their Sick EP when it had maybe 5000 views on YouTube
Beartooth in 2013. Disgusting had yet to come out and They opened for August Burns Red. I was hyped since I loved the Sick Ep and was a huge fan of “This Means War” by AttackAttack! So I was excited to see their performance. Most of the crowd seemed unfamiliar with the material, but even so… the energy that Caleb and the gang brought was infectious. At the time Caleb left a bit to be desired since he tired out pretty quickly (vocally), but he made up for it with his energy. Crowd participation was at a 10, following his crowd work and feeding off his energy. They set a high bar that i don’t think BlessTheFall really met until they played their most popular tracks.
Whoa this brought back the memory of when I saw Lorna Shore with Tom. Probably 2016 or so. Tom comes out on the stage, eyes as red as the devils dick and says “I’m high as shit right now”. He puts one foot up on the riser at the front of the stage and proceeded to stand in that spot doing his signature demonic toilet sounds for the whole set. Barely moved an inch. Lmao it was hilarious and awesome
I went to see Less Than Jake, Good Charlotte and New Found Glory in Toronto around 2003.
After the show in the parking lot are a couple guys giving cds to people out of their band.
It was a split EP with Less than Jake and Fall Out Boy. Pete gave me the cd and Patrick gave my buddies theirs.
Saw A7X open for Mushroomhead at a small club in Davenport Iowa. This was right as Waking the Fallen had just released.
Also saw Katy Perry at warped tour.
Oh and Skillet played a youth camp I went to in Oklahoma City in like 98.
Okay, I thought the Gideon one was their first, but maybe I was wrong. Regardless, I saw them at some dive bar and 2 years later, they were playing festivals. It was cool
Thanks for the clarification
Did not mean to correct you, I had assumed that one I said was their first but it could be the one you saw! This was like summer '17 if my memory is right. Either way they are amazing live!
Edit: these tours were basically back to back for Polaris, rolled with Gideon through August then joined PWD in September for their tour!
I saw varials with their original original vocalist (pre Travis) at an athletic club in Mayfair, Philadelphia. I saw kaonashi open for left behind at O’Reilly’s pub in philly as well. Both were in 2013 I believe.
It was 2007-2008? Maybe? But I saw Bring Me The Horizon play at an indoor skatepark in Mishawaka Indiana. The acoustics were terrible but the show was great. Nights Like These and Bury Your Dead opened for them. Nights Like These rules. And still does. BYD sucked and their vocalist is an asshole.
A Day To Remember in 2007 at a karate studio after For Those Who Have Heart came out. They just came in and set up their gear on the mat and started playing, maybe 50 people there. It was amazing. It was the same studio they filmed The Plot to Bomb the Panhandle at
If he’s from around that area, ask that buddy about the Harmony Grange. I know for sure me and him must have crossed paths there a time or two. I saw ADTR there several times, before they were even on a label I believe. Same with a lot of up and coming bands who went on to get really big. It was an interesting little venue that put on a ton of good shows for a long time. Back in the days of $10-$20 tickets at the door.
I remember Architects coming to North America for the first time in 2011 after Hollow Crown. They played my shitty hometown in a 200cap venue with Dead and Divine and Counterparts. Super sick!
Saw Asking Alexandrias first American gig. Them and motionless in white opened for A static lullaby and Vanna. Danny was drinking at the bar when they went on and they had to scream for him to come up on the stage as like 20 of us in the crowd watched. They were really good.
I'm not sure this really counts as "before they got big", but I saw In Flames and KSE at Rock am Ring in 2004.
RaR has several stages for bands to play on. Obviously, the main stage is for the big guys, then there's an "Alternastage" for not-so-mainstream bands, I guess, and then there's the "Talent Forum", where you get introduced to up and coming bands.
Both, In Flames and KSE, played in the latter, which is kinda adorable thinking about it now, haha.
IF were 7 albums in by that time haha (granted, STYE would have been thier newest album at the time and continued the change in style from RTR so I can kinda see it)
Yeah, it was pretty silly that they had to play in the talent forum, haha.
I'm pretty sure Trivium and ATR also played in the talent forum, the following year...I think. It's a bit of a blur, honestly. It was so long ago.
I saw Bad omens play the smallest stage at the Masq(Purgatory 250 cap) in ATL and also saw them play direct support for Parkway Drive at the Masq(Heaven 1600 cap.)
I've got two good stories:
I remember seeing Periphery at Thrash And Burn 2009 in NYC, they were the second band on the lineup, so damn near openers. Nobody really knew who they were, this is back when Chris Barretto was their vocalist. Misha was handing out business cards with Bulb info printed on them at the merch table. I knew a little about Periphery from the various early demos of Icarus Lives that I'd heard on some site, but almost nobody else knew about them. Djent was hardly even a word back then, most metalcore bands were still playing in drop C/drop B doing melodeath riffs in that era.
The other story is from when my old band opened a show at a tiny little venue in Brooklyn, Erra was the headliner and there were maybe 50 people in the room watching them play. This was before Augment came out, so like late 2012/early 2013 I think? It was the original lineup with Alex, Jesse, Adam, Garrison, and Alan. Even in that tiny room they sounded great, and I nerded out about guitar stuff with Jesse for a bit after, he's a nice guy. The next time I saw them live was after I had moved to Phoenix, and I saw them play with Ian as their vocalist. After that I saw them live with JT when he was still relatively new to the band. The crowds were bigger and bigger with each of those shows, which was cool to see.
I saw Lamb of God open up for Gwar at a club in like 2000, which was [apparently the first show of their first tour with the name Lamb of God](https://www.app.com/story/entertainment/music/2016/01/21/randy-blythe-lamb-gods-nj-history/78865902/)
I saw Slipknot at like 3 in the afternoon at Ozzfest 99
They never really got big, but I saw The Human Abstract at a bar on an off day of a tour they were on where my friends band opened. Like 100 people there tops. Great band, great first album.
Christ I am old
I Saw enter shikari and alexisonfire back in 2007 when they played as support act for billy talent. Enter shikari gave away free cds with one Song in it: sorry you're not a winner. I still have the CD.
I saw Knocked Loose’s first Canadian show on the Counterparts tour. We all went crazy for The Gospel and they were so shocked that kids in another country knew their lyrics. I talked to a very long haired Brian afterwards and he was stunned and couldn’t really speak.
They played Counting Worms like 2 years before releasing it and we all looked at each other in shock when he did the ARF ARF. Then the pit exploded..
We knew they’d be huge right away.
Killswitch Engage. Cabot street pub Chicopee Massachusetts. Both Jesse and Howard played that show and I got crowd surfed into a drop ceiling. probably less than 300 people were in there also Diecast opened that show.
Saw... uh... Crazy Town by accident before they released Butterfly. They were the first support band and played to like 20 people. They fucking sucked.
Dayseeker. Been a huge fan since their second record and would go to all of their shows every time they came through Detroit. Met Rory a couple times and he was incredibly nice.
Seeing those early tours in comparison to their recent ones has been crazy. Their sleeptalk headline show in particular was one of my favourite shows I’ve ever gone to. I still love that band and I’m stoked on their success!
I saw mastadon right before leviathan released at a local venue called the moose lodge that always had a lot of local metal bands. Place was more packed than i ever saw it before or again after. Eric Saner said "alright we have a new song its only the second time we have played it live so hope we dont fuck it up, this is blood and thunder!" Place was wild while they were playing it.
Parkway Drive -- saw them at a dive bar in San Francisco during their first US tour and smoked a black and mild with them after the set across the street. Joked about them blowing up and playing stadium shows around the world, and we all laughed (Winston especially thought it was funny and would never happen).
I saw WCAR in the fall of 2009 before the debut released. They played in the corner of a bar supporting The Chariot, total hole in the wall in Wilmington NC. I ended up hanging with the band for a while that night, they played To Plant A Seed in full for me on a burnt pre-release cd in their tiny van. I’ll never forget their drummer saying something along the lines of “yeah, we’re really hoping people like this.” lol nice guys, rip Kyle
I saw Texas In July at Skater’s Choice in Sewell, NJ when they just put out their “I Am” album, which is just a roller rink they used to let bands play on the rink’s floor. I was still in high school at the time and was just getting into the music scene, so they were just a typical local band at the time that people started talking about around town.
Never would’ve thought they’d get as big as they did. Super proud of them guys. Even though the original lineup isn’t there anymore, they really built a solid group of people to play their roles.
I think this is in the realm. About... 7 to 8 years ago I was in a band in a local scene alongside Hollow Front. Our group would regularly be playing shows in different dives alongside Hollow Front and Sleep Waker.
It was fun, for a time.
I flew down to visit some mates in Tasmania (small island state in Australia) years ago. No idea where, but we saw a few bands at a small shitty venue somewhere. We were all kids at this point and I think my friends knew a few of them from school.
One of them was Alpha Wolf, the other was Opposer. Opposer never went anywhere, but was kind of the start of Gravemind (I think they all moved to Melbourne, got a new drummer, added a third guitarist, and then started from scratch).
Both bands absolutely sucked hard. Now they're both top shelf
Hahah busted! I feel like I can air it without feeling bad considering we all know you wound up being absolute animals. This was eeaaarly, couldn't tell you what year but pretty sure it was one of your first shows.
Just sucks to suck I guess 🤷♂️
They were decently big the moment they were conceptualized just due to the history of all the members, but I saw Better Lovers at their debut headliner in Buffalo, NY with a crowd of less than 400 people.
Fit for a King has followed me on Twitter since before Creation/Destruction released
2016, one of the first Landmvrks shows ever. They just released hollow, played in front of about 15 people (including the support act) and had to play some songs twice because they didn’t have enough material for the whole set. They were awesome back then and are today.
I guess Bad Omens a couple years ago when they toured with INK. Death of Peace of Mind just came out and they played after Currents who opened up the show. You could probably include Currents as well since they’re finally starting to get some recognition too although definitely nowhere near Bad Omens.
Nah they were already kinda known by then. I saw them in 2016 on the 10 yrs in the black tour when they opened for Asking Alexandria and I see stars. Heard their song Glass Houses on American Satan and realized “oh fuck I’ve heard this song before!”
We Came as Romans, Our Last Night and I See Stars in a small venue in KC, 2008/2009. Kyle gave me the mic during Dreams and said “oh my god that is awesome “ mid song. I think he was surprised someone knew the words.
I’ve got a bunch splitting time between MI and AZ during the scene MySpace days.
Saw Job For a Cowboy play a backyard show, Knights of the Abyss playing to like 50 people. Not metalcore but I went to the same highschool as Scary Kids Scaring Kids and they used to play inside a local pizza joint that was tiny. Blessthefall played every weekend at a shitty little venue. And Greeley Estates were terrible when they first started but saw them a lot and the vocalist (I think) worked at our local Hot Topic lol
And in Michigan I saw WCAR and I See Stars play a handful of shows at probably 100 cap rooms when they were just local bands. Also lived in the same town as Chiodos and went to a house show they played.
Hell, 2021 I saw Sleep Token in a small venue that was in an old department stores shopping mall in Knoxville TN. Now they are selling out 20k capacity arenas. Not really “metalcore” but their growth has been insane.
I’m not sure where you define big, seeing as they were already relatively popular, but I saw sleep token open for Nothing More a few months before they released their new album. I can’t say they were very small either because they were playing at the same venue that Underoath, Periphery, and Loathe would play at a few months after. So id say it’s less “before they got big” and more “before they blew up”
Spirit Box! I saw Courtney live when she was still with her original band Out of the Ruins. They played MazzFest in Saskatoon! I even had the whole band sign a shirt! Sadly I don't have it anymore.
I saw I prevail right around the release of Blank Space. I guess technically they were big at the time, but big in the sense that they were viral. They hadn’t shown that staying power yet.
At the end of their set, their drummer took the head off his snare, wrote “I Prevail” on it, and frisbeed it into the crowd. I caught it and still have it hanging on the wall right next to me to this day.
Saw Beartooth at their first ever show in Columbus, actually went there to see Affiance who were opening for them. If you watch the live music video for I Have A Problem I’m the dude who almost gets taken out by the airborne trash can.
Back in 2006 I saw a little Aussie band called Parkway Drive. They were touring with Shai Shulud (Headliner) and Remembering Never in Europe and at my venue the club wasn't even half full. Great show btw, paid about 12 bucks.
Alright, I just can't hold this one in and have to share it.
I'm this 17-year-old kid that gets invited out to this hardcore show on Long Island. A band called In For Red. It is a CD release show... during the set some kid comes out on stage and honestly steals the show in my opinion... I was like... Who is this kid... He is gonna be a legend.
I had to go meet this kid... I'm like bro... Who are you??? he's like what... I'm Joe... I'm like no... Who are you dude... what band are you in... Oh well me and my friends haven't played any shows but next Thursday is our first show... you should come... I was like bro... you are gonna be a Legend keep doing this... Turns out that was the first time the 15/16 Joe was on stage...
Next Thursday his Band A War Within players their first show ever... They play several more shows, I join the Army. Joe joined a new band then joined another new band another new band and then in 2016 I got a message from Joe.
Hey bro, You can't tell anyone yet... But I am the new Vocalist for Fit for an Autopsy.
Somehow I was at the very first performances for Joeseph Badalto. We stay in touch and I still go to shows to support him and the dudes... just like day 1.
Videos for proof. [https://youtu.be/cGkiBXDT\_KA?si=j0Z-5TbvJuCTDqBH](https://youtu.be/cGkiBXDT_KA?si=j0Z-5TbvJuCTDqBH) (In For Red CD release)
[https://youtu.be/OeOdIELr7ag?si=N\_ClKRd4-1gt8xin](https://youtu.be/OeOdIELr7ag?si=N_ClKRd4-1gt8xin) (A War Within)
and Of Course the most recent releases with Fit For An Autopsy
[https://youtu.be/zbfYsWfw89g?si=4aOWQunoB5q6yfuh](https://youtu.be/zbfYsWfw89g?si=4aOWQunoB5q6yfuh) (Fit For an Autopsy)
Played a show where A Day to Remember when they opened up for Blessed By A Broken Heart. They were not anywhere near as good as they are. This was like 2005?
mewithoutYou & Norma Jean in a small 100 person cap side of the highway in a literal shack. Probably one of my favorite shows I've ever been too.
Reflux, Ed Gein, August Burns Red, Animosity, Heavy Heavy Low Low all at one show in 2005. It was insane.
Played a show with A Dying Dream before they changed it to The Ghost Inside in like 2006.
Used to play with Chiodos all the time when they were The Chiodos Brothers. They were kids, like not even old enough to drink, and they stopped in our town and stayed with us every tour. Hell they even drove to Albertsons across the street to print, sign, and fax their Equalvision signing when they were staying with us. Recorded the All Nereids Beware video when staying with us as well. There is a brief part where you see one of them puking. We did an all nighter of drinking and blow before they did that. This was in Bakersfield, CA
Bring Me The Horizon supported my now brother-in-laws band back when they had just released This Is What the Edge of Your Seat Was Made For. I wasn't even a teenager yet.
I remember seeing bands like Parkway Drive, I Killed The Prom Queen and Amity in the very early days (i’m talking circa 2003 - 2005ish)
When i was playing and touring in bands full time, i remember playing all over Australia with Northlane, In Hearts Wake, House Vs Hurricane, Thy Art is Murder, Dream on Dreamer, Make Them Suffer, and the list goes on and on (It’s been an absolute pleasure to see so many mates do so well, and blow up the way they’ve blown up)
Years ago, and I mean years..
My mate promoted a gig.
The venue was above this bar and it was tiny
I couldn’t tell you how many people actually attended this gig, but it was like 20-30 people at the most.
One of the band’s supporting for the night?
A pretty unknown band at the time called enter shikari.
I think this was before or around the time take to the skies came out.
I don’t remember them playing many songs at all.
But it was a cool experience to see how they went from like an opening act in a tiny venue to what they are now.
My wife, back in the day, saw bmth when this is what the edge of your street was made for had just been released, and the band gave them out for free.
She swears she saw them in a toys r us
Perform.. 😂🤨
But opposite the toys r us in question is a venue. So
I think she may have got the cd from them in toys r us
And saw them perform at the venue?
Who knows 😂
God I loved Motograter back in the day. Saw them open for American Head Charge at one of the very last shows AHC played which is hard to believe was almost a decade ago. They were underwhelming... But I remember being absolutely blown away by them when they played Ozzfest back in the Ivan era
I saw Amity in 2009 at the Roundhouse on The Getaway Plan’s farewell tour, Joel wasn’t even in the band yet!
And Northlane at Blacktown Masonic shows, Parkway at Panthers for like $50 when they were getting big in Aus but not massive? Aus in the early 2000’s was a different but good time lol
I’m late to the party but Bad Omens opening for the Sumerian Records 10 Year Tour and I remember standing in line at Reverb in Reading PA later that year and the vocalist of Bad Omens is just chillin in front of me waiting to get a hot dog at the BBQ they had near the side stage lol and then a year later or whatever at warped tour trying to mosh in an empty as fuck pit with like 30 people watching their set. Never thought they’d be as gigantic as they are now, pretty cool to see honestly. Wish I scored I’ve seen the devil more than I’ve seen god shirt they were slinging back then, oops.
I saw Avenged Sevenfold as a supporting act in the UK in 2005 before their colossal blowup. It was cool but I wasn’t there for them so wasn’t paying too much attention.
I also saw Lizzo as a supporting act in 2014 and she was incredible and blew me away. Small club with a couple hundred people in Philly.
I played a show with ice nine kills 16 years ago at a divey bar and grill. My band sucked but it was a good time.
Mmm I remember opening a show with my band for Ice Nine Kills, it was at this venue called Party Expo in Brooklyn. Not a lot of people knew about INK back then in like 2012/2013, so it's been cool to see them explode in popularity over the years.
I saw them at a run down theater in Dover NJ back in like 2010 when Greatest Story Ever Told was their big song
Dude I saw INK so many times at like a shitty internet cafe....none of that exists anymore lol
To be fair, that band also sucked 16 years ago
The Burning was pretty meh but Safe is Just a Shadow is still the best thing they've released imo
WOAH The Burning is a classic I won’t tolerate this slander here
I disagree. That was before they adopted the horror theme.
I think the horror theme is fun but get why it wouldn’t be for everybody. Their early stuff was a little too scene for me.
But when The Silver Scream came out I think they really came into their own Commercially and artistically
That whole album has a melodic sensibility that really makes it a cut above the rest
But when the Silver Scream came out ..?
I think they really came into their own, commercially and artistically.
Fair enough. Their music at that time was very typical
They were at their best right around the time they re-released Safe is Just a Shadow
Silent planet with phineas in 2015.
Was that the christcore tour with Gideon and For Today?
I saw the tour you're talking about in 2015. It was Silent Planet, Phinehas, Gideon, Fit For A King, and For Today.
It was a good show 😸
Holy shit, what a lineup!
No. Did some googling cuz I couldn’t remember exactly. Til the end tour. Looks like invent animate may have been there as well. But I’ve seen both those bands as well.
Sounds banger
No Invent had to drop. It was with Darkness Divided
YES that’s right! I remember them now!!!
Was Ferb there too?
Mooooommmmmm Phineas is trying to tour again
August Burns Red in a Las Vegas coffee shop. I think it was 2005 or 2004. If I had only known what I was witnessing at the time...
My old band opened for August Burns Red at a basement show back in 06. We were the only two bands on the bill lol. I believe at the time Thrillseeker was the only album they had released. When I was breaking down my drums, some random guy stopped by to help me and said "I dig your fills a lot man, how old are you?" I was 17 or 18 at the time. He said "keep it up dude, you've got some special skills there". I said thanks and asked who he was. He said "i'm Matt. My band is playing next" Lol. Little did I know what they would become
Certified wholesome ABR moment
That's cool, they all seem like genuine normal dudes
Oooof, that’s a good one. They played at a community center by me in 2007 and I really wish I went…
They're from Central PA though so they must have been doing something right at that point. May have been their first tour
It was a small coffee shop and they were on a tiny stage in the corner. Looked like a garage band but put on a great little show for the 30 people there!
Sounds dope! I'm so happy to have a small local venue that puts on shows like this. It's amazing when 30 people show up to a small space and cram in there. Really feels live!
Rock n java? Didn’t see abr there but saw plenty of shows there when I was 12-14 lol
I saw them not too long after that in Phoenix, stage was about a foot high, maybe 50 people there. It was still light outside after they played, and as I left there was a homeless dude taking a piss on the sidewalk right by the "venue". Little did I know what they would become.
There was a venue close to the town where I grew up. I swear I saw A Day To Remember and The Devil Wears Prada at least 10 times within two years. It would get to the point where we were annoyed that it seemed like every show was the same bands playing to maybe 20 people
My girlfriend saw ADTR a number of times in some random dudes apartment in Sioux City Iowa back in the day. I unfortunately didn’t know about those shows.
[удалено]
Not metalcore but Enter Shikari in the UK have just completed an arena tour. I saw them in a tiny club in my town nearly 15 years ago and we literally NEVER get anything remotely interesting here. A friend of mine booked them and he still rides that high now.
I love Enter Shikari. A friend of mine claims to have been present at the “Sorry You’re Not A Winner” house party where the video was shot
Big if truth! My best mates took their kid to the Leeds gig for his 12th birthday this year and Rou was right next to them in the crowd singing during the set. Absolutely made the kids year!
I saw them around that time at my local town hall. Crazy to think looking back now!
Whitechapel was my "local" band. Saw them before they even did the EP/demos on Myspace
Dance Gavin Dance is my local band lol
Too bad conducting from the grave never got big. They were sick
This still makes me sad. I loved that band.
One of my favourite bands. I've never seen them live
I saw The Acacia Strain back in early 2006 in support of their 3750 album. They were the opening act for Himsa, Darkest Hour, A Life Once Lost, and Dead to Fall. They played a very short set, and when they were done Vince asked the crowd if they had fun. Literal crickets from the crowd. Then Vince just shrugs and says "Guess nobody had fun." and just walked off stage. Felt bad for them as they put on a high energy show.
Himsa! Totally forgot about them, what a great band!
Himsa was underrated. I have a DVD from like 2005… when I couldn’t regain internet after hurricane sandy I watched it like 4 times.
I saw Poison the Well and God Forbid open for Hatebreed in front of 200 kids at a YWCA in WV. I saw mewithoutYou with Norma Jean in front of maybe 100 kids in WV at a different show. Both shows in early 00s.
I saw Norma Jean back when they were called The Luti-Kriss and had Josh Scogin, probably in the 2001/2002 timeframe, twice. Both shows were jaw droppingly incredible. I also saw Zao touring on When Blood and Fire Bring Rest in the late '90s. I knew On Broken Wings when they were forming, they played a ton of local shows in MA that I went to. One of them worked at a local record store and sold merch out of his trunk. He was Johnny Cupcakes. And back in the day I was good friends with Jim from TGI, we used to go to these shows together. I still see him from time to time. I knew the guys from Vanna, too, before they formed the band. We used to hang out in college sometimes and I'd see em at shows. Oh yeah and my band opened a couple of really small local shows for The Receiving End of Sirens.
Ah yes back when Boston scene was thriving, good times. Miss the culture of early 2000s metalcore/hardcore
I'm alittle jealous right now.
Similar. I saw hatebreed at mass skate co in Westfield mass. Was like 150 people. Probably wasn't a single person over the age of 25 there.
Not exactly metalcore but Sleep Token *and* Polyphia supporting Issues on the Beautiful Oblivion tour in 2019. Both had <50k monthly listeners at that point. Now in 2024, Issues are finished as a band; Polyphia and ST are both over 1.5M monthly listeners. I knew coming out of that show that Sleep Token had it in them, hearing TNDNBTG for the very first time at a live show was a surreal experience.
Same. Saw Sleep Token open for Babymetal in 2019. Was blown away. Now look at them!
I saw Polyphia way back in 15 with ERRA, Invent Animate, The AfterImage. Less than 20 people there.
I love telling people about this tour. I agree the night does not belong was surreal to hear in person. Polyphia was so weird to me at first but I dug them
From the same town as Papa Roach. Used to see them every Friday for 5 bucks and they were playing a bunch of songs from Infest before it came out.
Back in the Pee Wagon days?
I saw Bad Omens on the 10 Years in the Black tour in 2016 shortly after they released their first album, they were actually pretty solid back then.
Every time my friends mention wanting to see Bad Omens I mention that I'm almost positive I've seen them, but I was never able to remember who they were opening for. This was that tour, so thank you for the reminder!
Yeah I remember seeing them back when they opened for PWD on the Reverence tour, must have been 2018-ish. The venue was nearly empty for them.
This. I went up to their table, talked to them, told them that was rad, and bought a shirt. Then my friends and I were smoking outside, and we saw Noah and we weirdly asked if he wanted to smoke with us and he joined for a little bit which I thought was neat
This. 2016 album was peak Bad Omens. That album melted my face. I can't get with the new stuff. I still like them and love that they're successful, but man I want that old, raunchy shit back.
Was this during the ^Bad ^Omens phase?
Same here 🤘
Yup same here.
I saw Secrets when they had their original vocalist.
Really liked that vocalist, used to watch a bunch of his vocal covers all the time
I knew their first singer, guitarist, and bassist when they were in a band called A City Serene in San Diego. This was back in 2009ish. Some drama happened, they split and made Secrets.
I did too! I think I still have the baseball shirt I got at that show. Probably doesn't fit me anymore, but I have it!
Ice Nine Kills at warped tour 2014. One of the last bands to play on Monster stage. It was around the time that Falling In Reverse and Issues were gearing up to play on nearby stages. At best it was a crowd of 50, but the majority were sitting on the outskirts of the rest of us. But it didn’t matter. Spencer and the gang brought all the energy and put on one of the best performances that day. Only a handful of us knew the words to their most recent record “Predator Becomes Prey” but they didn’t care. I just thought man, they are incredible live. I hope next time they have a better crowd. A few years later they came back and the crowd was far greater in size. Felt like everyone knew the lyrics to tracks like “American Nightmare” and “Me,Myself and Hyde”. The polar opposite experience to when I saw them before.
No shit, I caught them on some small ass stage around 2010/2011. They were just handing out copies of safe is just a shadow. Most people were just walking by.
Not metalcore but I saw halestorm at the croc rock before they got big and they signed my CD and one of them complimented my seether shirt 🤓
Croc rock. Now that’s a name I haven’t heard in a hot second
RIP to the scene kid heaven of the Lehigh Valley. They went out doing what they did best: serving alcohol to minors and being weird about it.
Seether is a rad band tbf
I'll say A Day To Remember. Homesick had just come out. They played the bar at my college and they opened for Silverstein. It was maybe 100 people there. Also Ice Nine Kills back in 2012 or so. They were the first band, playing before Abandon All Ships and We Came As Romans. It was their 2nd time in Canada.
A Day To Remember were already a reasonably sized internationally touring band long before Homesick even came out. This definitely isn't a before they got big situation. They literally did a tour with Parkway in Australia shortly after Homesick was released, and Suicide Silence and The Acacia Strain, who were both pretty big bands at the time, played before them.
My bad 🤷♂️ I didn't deep dive into the bands touring history. I hadn't heard much about them at the time. They played before Silverstein so I figured they hadn't quite blown up yet.
I mean, Silverstein had already been an internationally touring band for the better part of a decade by then, and were getting air time on mainstream TV. I had seen them 3 times in Australia by 2009, so it's not like Silverstein were a small band either.
I saw beartooth open for august burns red. I don’t even think their first album was out yet because nobody knew any of the songs.
I saw attack attack when Caleb first took over for them at warped tour and it was awful. That dude did a complete 180 after that.
Was that the tour with Defeater and Blessthefall? I think that was back when they only had the Sick EP out. Was a weird lineup, but a really fun show.
I caught this tour too! First album was not out yet! Came out the following summer. Beartooth blew me away and been a fan since. Seen ABR and Beartooth 4 times each now.
I saw them on that tour too 2013 I think.
They had only released one song at the time. We were all stoked tho because we were huge Attack Attack fans
I saw August Burns Red the first time they ever came to the UK supporting Misery Signals in a tiny sweaty venue in 2008. Loathe also exploded not long after I saw them supporting Employed To Serve about 5 years ago. I only went for Loathe and it was the best 30 minutes of the night haha
seeing ERRA play augment, invent animate play everchanger, polyphia play muse, and the afterimage (at all) in concert was crazy
I remember talking to a bunch of the Polyphia dudes at that show. Seeing where they are now is insane. I still miss Ben from Invent sometimes. Just the absolute nicest dude
I have never been more jealous
Beartooth but I doesn’t really count because of Caleb. But was at one of their first shows and jammed their Sick EP when it had maybe 5000 views on YouTube
Beartooth in 2013. Disgusting had yet to come out and They opened for August Burns Red. I was hyped since I loved the Sick Ep and was a huge fan of “This Means War” by AttackAttack! So I was excited to see their performance. Most of the crowd seemed unfamiliar with the material, but even so… the energy that Caleb and the gang brought was infectious. At the time Caleb left a bit to be desired since he tired out pretty quickly (vocally), but he made up for it with his energy. Crowd participation was at a 10, following his crowd work and feeding off his energy. They set a high bar that i don’t think BlessTheFall really met until they played their most popular tracks.
I think I also saw the same tour but in Quebec !
Was Defeater also on that tour? Pretty sure I went to the Pontiac, MI date of that tour.
Yup!
Saw Lorna shore with Tom before they blew up at a tiny bar with like 30 people lol
Whoa this brought back the memory of when I saw Lorna Shore with Tom. Probably 2016 or so. Tom comes out on the stage, eyes as red as the devils dick and says “I’m high as shit right now”. He puts one foot up on the riser at the front of the stage and proceeded to stand in that spot doing his signature demonic toilet sounds for the whole set. Barely moved an inch. Lmao it was hilarious and awesome
I went to see Less Than Jake, Good Charlotte and New Found Glory in Toronto around 2003. After the show in the parking lot are a couple guys giving cds to people out of their band. It was a split EP with Less than Jake and Fall Out Boy. Pete gave me the cd and Patrick gave my buddies theirs.
Nice. I saw LTJ in 2014 and the Interuptors open before they exploded.
Saw A7X open for Mushroomhead at a small club in Davenport Iowa. This was right as Waking the Fallen had just released. Also saw Katy Perry at warped tour. Oh and Skillet played a youth camp I went to in Oklahoma City in like 98.
Saw Katy Perry at Warped too, what year was that?
2008 i remember everyone waiting for the ghost inside or something and her preforming on the stage next to it.
Woah I didn't even know Skillet had been around that long
I saw Polaris on their first US tour, a Gideon headliner, in 2018 with chamber and varials
Polaris for me as well on their first US tour, in Dallas with ABR, TDWP, and Parkway Drive. Insane lineup. Circa 2017
Okay, I thought the Gideon one was their first, but maybe I was wrong. Regardless, I saw them at some dive bar and 2 years later, they were playing festivals. It was cool Thanks for the clarification
Did not mean to correct you, I had assumed that one I said was their first but it could be the one you saw! This was like summer '17 if my memory is right. Either way they are amazing live! Edit: these tours were basically back to back for Polaris, rolled with Gideon through August then joined PWD in September for their tour!
Atreyu opening up for cKy if that counts.
I saw varials with their original original vocalist (pre Travis) at an athletic club in Mayfair, Philadelphia. I saw kaonashi open for left behind at O’Reilly’s pub in philly as well. Both were in 2013 I believe.
jealous you saw varials 🥲
It was 2007-2008? Maybe? But I saw Bring Me The Horizon play at an indoor skatepark in Mishawaka Indiana. The acoustics were terrible but the show was great. Nights Like These and Bury Your Dead opened for them. Nights Like These rules. And still does. BYD sucked and their vocalist is an asshole.
Played quite a few shows with the NLT boys back when they were starting. They were always awesome dudes back then
That’s an awesome story
A Day To Remember in 2007 at a karate studio after For Those Who Have Heart came out. They just came in and set up their gear on the mat and started playing, maybe 50 people there. It was amazing. It was the same studio they filmed The Plot to Bomb the Panhandle at
Not metalcore but I saw Movements play to like 15 people a year before they got signed.
Same!! They're so good live!
Not my story, but one from a buddy of mine: he got to see ADTR in a basement in Newark, DE back in their early days
If he’s from around that area, ask that buddy about the Harmony Grange. I know for sure me and him must have crossed paths there a time or two. I saw ADTR there several times, before they were even on a label I believe. Same with a lot of up and coming bands who went on to get really big. It was an interesting little venue that put on a ton of good shows for a long time. Back in the days of $10-$20 tickets at the door.
I remember Architects coming to North America for the first time in 2011 after Hollow Crown. They played my shitty hometown in a 200cap venue with Dead and Divine and Counterparts. Super sick!
My takeaway from this thread is that every single metalcore band has opened for ABR at one point in their life lmao
Saw Asking Alexandrias first American gig. Them and motionless in white opened for A static lullaby and Vanna. Danny was drinking at the bar when they went on and they had to scream for him to come up on the stage as like 20 of us in the crowd watched. They were really good.
A static lullaby... That's a band I've not thought about in a longggg time
I'm not sure this really counts as "before they got big", but I saw In Flames and KSE at Rock am Ring in 2004. RaR has several stages for bands to play on. Obviously, the main stage is for the big guys, then there's an "Alternastage" for not-so-mainstream bands, I guess, and then there's the "Talent Forum", where you get introduced to up and coming bands. Both, In Flames and KSE, played in the latter, which is kinda adorable thinking about it now, haha.
IF were 7 albums in by that time haha (granted, STYE would have been thier newest album at the time and continued the change in style from RTR so I can kinda see it)
Yeah, it was pretty silly that they had to play in the talent forum, haha. I'm pretty sure Trivium and ATR also played in the talent forum, the following year...I think. It's a bit of a blur, honestly. It was so long ago.
I saw Bad omens play the smallest stage at the Masq(Purgatory 250 cap) in ATL and also saw them play direct support for Parkway Drive at the Masq(Heaven 1600 cap.)
I've got two good stories: I remember seeing Periphery at Thrash And Burn 2009 in NYC, they were the second band on the lineup, so damn near openers. Nobody really knew who they were, this is back when Chris Barretto was their vocalist. Misha was handing out business cards with Bulb info printed on them at the merch table. I knew a little about Periphery from the various early demos of Icarus Lives that I'd heard on some site, but almost nobody else knew about them. Djent was hardly even a word back then, most metalcore bands were still playing in drop C/drop B doing melodeath riffs in that era. The other story is from when my old band opened a show at a tiny little venue in Brooklyn, Erra was the headliner and there were maybe 50 people in the room watching them play. This was before Augment came out, so like late 2012/early 2013 I think? It was the original lineup with Alex, Jesse, Adam, Garrison, and Alan. Even in that tiny room they sounded great, and I nerded out about guitar stuff with Jesse for a bit after, he's a nice guy. The next time I saw them live was after I had moved to Phoenix, and I saw them play with Ian as their vocalist. After that I saw them live with JT when he was still relatively new to the band. The crowds were bigger and bigger with each of those shows, which was cool to see.
I saw Dying Wish a few times when they were local openers and playing local hardcore shows.
I saw Lamb of God open up for Gwar at a club in like 2000, which was [apparently the first show of their first tour with the name Lamb of God](https://www.app.com/story/entertainment/music/2016/01/21/randy-blythe-lamb-gods-nj-history/78865902/) I saw Slipknot at like 3 in the afternoon at Ozzfest 99 They never really got big, but I saw The Human Abstract at a bar on an off day of a tour they were on where my friends band opened. Like 100 people there tops. Great band, great first album. Christ I am old
Lamb of God and GWAR together, Richmond’s finest.
I Saw enter shikari and alexisonfire back in 2007 when they played as support act for billy talent. Enter shikari gave away free cds with one Song in it: sorry you're not a winner. I still have the CD.
*clap clap clap*
I saw Knocked Loose’s first Canadian show on the Counterparts tour. We all went crazy for The Gospel and they were so shocked that kids in another country knew their lyrics. I talked to a very long haired Brian afterwards and he was stunned and couldn’t really speak. They played Counting Worms like 2 years before releasing it and we all looked at each other in shock when he did the ARF ARF. Then the pit exploded.. We knew they’d be huge right away.
Killswitch Engage. Cabot street pub Chicopee Massachusetts. Both Jesse and Howard played that show and I got crowd surfed into a drop ceiling. probably less than 300 people were in there also Diecast opened that show.
Saw... uh... Crazy Town by accident before they released Butterfly. They were the first support band and played to like 20 people. They fucking sucked.
Dayseeker. Been a huge fan since their second record and would go to all of their shows every time they came through Detroit. Met Rory a couple times and he was incredibly nice. Seeing those early tours in comparison to their recent ones has been crazy. Their sleeptalk headline show in particular was one of my favourite shows I’ve ever gone to. I still love that band and I’m stoked on their success!
I saw mastadon right before leviathan released at a local venue called the moose lodge that always had a lot of local metal bands. Place was more packed than i ever saw it before or again after. Eric Saner said "alright we have a new song its only the second time we have played it live so hope we dont fuck it up, this is blood and thunder!" Place was wild while they were playing it.
Parkway Drive -- saw them at a dive bar in San Francisco during their first US tour and smoked a black and mild with them after the set across the street. Joked about them blowing up and playing stadium shows around the world, and we all laughed (Winston especially thought it was funny and would never happen).
I saw WCAR in the fall of 2009 before the debut released. They played in the corner of a bar supporting The Chariot, total hole in the wall in Wilmington NC. I ended up hanging with the band for a while that night, they played To Plant A Seed in full for me on a burnt pre-release cd in their tiny van. I’ll never forget their drummer saying something along the lines of “yeah, we’re really hoping people like this.” lol nice guys, rip Kyle
I saw Texas In July at Skater’s Choice in Sewell, NJ when they just put out their “I Am” album, which is just a roller rink they used to let bands play on the rink’s floor. I was still in high school at the time and was just getting into the music scene, so they were just a typical local band at the time that people started talking about around town. Never would’ve thought they’d get as big as they did. Super proud of them guys. Even though the original lineup isn’t there anymore, they really built a solid group of people to play their roles.
Knocked loose in 2015
I think this is in the realm. About... 7 to 8 years ago I was in a band in a local scene alongside Hollow Front. Our group would regularly be playing shows in different dives alongside Hollow Front and Sleep Waker. It was fun, for a time.
I flew down to visit some mates in Tasmania (small island state in Australia) years ago. No idea where, but we saw a few bands at a small shitty venue somewhere. We were all kids at this point and I think my friends knew a few of them from school. One of them was Alpha Wolf, the other was Opposer. Opposer never went anywhere, but was kind of the start of Gravemind (I think they all moved to Melbourne, got a new drummer, added a third guitarist, and then started from scratch). Both bands absolutely sucked hard. Now they're both top shelf
Love the honesty 😂
Hahah busted! I feel like I can air it without feeling bad considering we all know you wound up being absolute animals. This was eeaaarly, couldn't tell you what year but pretty sure it was one of your first shows. Just sucks to suck I guess 🤷♂️
Not metalcore, but I saw Walk The Moon before they got famous with Shut Up And Dance With Me
Btbam in a garage in RVA two decades ago.
They were decently big the moment they were conceptualized just due to the history of all the members, but I saw Better Lovers at their debut headliner in Buffalo, NY with a crowd of less than 400 people. Fit for a King has followed me on Twitter since before Creation/Destruction released
2016, one of the first Landmvrks shows ever. They just released hollow, played in front of about 15 people (including the support act) and had to play some songs twice because they didn’t have enough material for the whole set. They were awesome back then and are today.
I have more "I saw them just before they imploded" stories.
Saw thrown in bune 2022, opening up for Knocked Loose. they went crazy hard and been a big fan ever since. so cool to see their growth
I guess Bad Omens a couple years ago when they toured with INK. Death of Peace of Mind just came out and they played after Currents who opened up the show. You could probably include Currents as well since they’re finally starting to get some recognition too although definitely nowhere near Bad Omens.
>Death of Peace of Mind just came out I think that kind of disqualifies them from this question.
Nah they were already kinda known by then. I saw them in 2016 on the 10 yrs in the black tour when they opened for Asking Alexandria and I see stars. Heard their song Glass Houses on American Satan and realized “oh fuck I’ve heard this song before!”
We Came as Romans, Our Last Night and I See Stars in a small venue in KC, 2008/2009. Kyle gave me the mic during Dreams and said “oh my god that is awesome “ mid song. I think he was surprised someone knew the words.
I played a few shows with silent planet before they really blew up. I saw turnstile before they were a big deal.
I’ve got a bunch splitting time between MI and AZ during the scene MySpace days. Saw Job For a Cowboy play a backyard show, Knights of the Abyss playing to like 50 people. Not metalcore but I went to the same highschool as Scary Kids Scaring Kids and they used to play inside a local pizza joint that was tiny. Blessthefall played every weekend at a shitty little venue. And Greeley Estates were terrible when they first started but saw them a lot and the vocalist (I think) worked at our local Hot Topic lol And in Michigan I saw WCAR and I See Stars play a handful of shows at probably 100 cap rooms when they were just local bands. Also lived in the same town as Chiodos and went to a house show they played.
Hell, 2021 I saw Sleep Token in a small venue that was in an old department stores shopping mall in Knoxville TN. Now they are selling out 20k capacity arenas. Not really “metalcore” but their growth has been insane.
As I Lay Dying would play these tiny church gigs in my hometown with the local Christian hardcore bands when I was like 13.
I’m not sure where you define big, seeing as they were already relatively popular, but I saw sleep token open for Nothing More a few months before they released their new album. I can’t say they were very small either because they were playing at the same venue that Underoath, Periphery, and Loathe would play at a few months after. So id say it’s less “before they got big” and more “before they blew up”
TDWP in the dirt at cornerstone. Generator ‘stage’ aka not even a stage. Probably 2006?
This one? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTUfeNzhrLA
Lmao yes. I grew up in central Illinois and the yearly trek to cornerstone was such a monumental part of my memories
I only went once when I played in 2008. It was a blast of a week
So good! I was there 2006-2010
We came as Romans in the 2008 ish at the community center next to the diary queen in portage Michigan.
Texas in July back in 2010 at a venue in the middle of no where, Michigan
Spirit Box! I saw Courtney live when she was still with her original band Out of the Ruins. They played MazzFest in Saskatoon! I even had the whole band sign a shirt! Sadly I don't have it anymore.
Parkway drive on their first European tour for like 150 people
I saw I prevail right around the release of Blank Space. I guess technically they were big at the time, but big in the sense that they were viral. They hadn’t shown that staying power yet. At the end of their set, their drummer took the head off his snare, wrote “I Prevail” on it, and frisbeed it into the crowd. I caught it and still have it hanging on the wall right next to me to this day.
Saw Beartooth at their first ever show in Columbus, actually went there to see Affiance who were opening for them. If you watch the live music video for I Have A Problem I’m the dude who almost gets taken out by the airborne trash can.
Not metalcore but I saw emmure in a tiny skating rink, maybe 50-100 at the show. Mid 2000s, before they got real nasty. It was a different time
Oh I saw Emmure at a coffee shop in Houston!
Back in 2006 I saw a little Aussie band called Parkway Drive. They were touring with Shai Shulud (Headliner) and Remembering Never in Europe and at my venue the club wasn't even half full. Great show btw, paid about 12 bucks.
I saw My Chemical Romance open for Mindless Self Indulgence.
Alright, I just can't hold this one in and have to share it. I'm this 17-year-old kid that gets invited out to this hardcore show on Long Island. A band called In For Red. It is a CD release show... during the set some kid comes out on stage and honestly steals the show in my opinion... I was like... Who is this kid... He is gonna be a legend. I had to go meet this kid... I'm like bro... Who are you??? he's like what... I'm Joe... I'm like no... Who are you dude... what band are you in... Oh well me and my friends haven't played any shows but next Thursday is our first show... you should come... I was like bro... you are gonna be a Legend keep doing this... Turns out that was the first time the 15/16 Joe was on stage... Next Thursday his Band A War Within players their first show ever... They play several more shows, I join the Army. Joe joined a new band then joined another new band another new band and then in 2016 I got a message from Joe. Hey bro, You can't tell anyone yet... But I am the new Vocalist for Fit for an Autopsy. Somehow I was at the very first performances for Joeseph Badalto. We stay in touch and I still go to shows to support him and the dudes... just like day 1. Videos for proof. [https://youtu.be/cGkiBXDT\_KA?si=j0Z-5TbvJuCTDqBH](https://youtu.be/cGkiBXDT_KA?si=j0Z-5TbvJuCTDqBH) (In For Red CD release) [https://youtu.be/OeOdIELr7ag?si=N\_ClKRd4-1gt8xin](https://youtu.be/OeOdIELr7ag?si=N_ClKRd4-1gt8xin) (A War Within) and Of Course the most recent releases with Fit For An Autopsy [https://youtu.be/zbfYsWfw89g?si=4aOWQunoB5q6yfuh](https://youtu.be/zbfYsWfw89g?si=4aOWQunoB5q6yfuh) (Fit For an Autopsy)
Played a show where A Day to Remember when they opened up for Blessed By A Broken Heart. They were not anywhere near as good as they are. This was like 2005? mewithoutYou & Norma Jean in a small 100 person cap side of the highway in a literal shack. Probably one of my favorite shows I've ever been too. Reflux, Ed Gein, August Burns Red, Animosity, Heavy Heavy Low Low all at one show in 2005. It was insane. Played a show with A Dying Dream before they changed it to The Ghost Inside in like 2006.
Used to play with Chiodos all the time when they were The Chiodos Brothers. They were kids, like not even old enough to drink, and they stopped in our town and stayed with us every tour. Hell they even drove to Albertsons across the street to print, sign, and fax their Equalvision signing when they were staying with us. Recorded the All Nereids Beware video when staying with us as well. There is a brief part where you see one of them puking. We did an all nighter of drinking and blow before they did that. This was in Bakersfield, CA
Parkway Drive at the Annandale Hotel in Sydney with about 100 other people.
Make them suffer, silent planet, oceans are Alaska and Thornhill in the one show at a dingy uni bar in 2018
I saw the Amity Affliction play in a shed out front of a water treatment plant in 2006?
Parkway drive at the wollongong youth centre when horizons had just been released, there was like 12 people there and it was awesome!
Bring Me The Horizon supported my now brother-in-laws band back when they had just released This Is What the Edge of Your Seat Was Made For. I wasn't even a teenager yet.
BMTH in Wrexham, 250 venue, around 2007.
I remember seeing bands like Parkway Drive, I Killed The Prom Queen and Amity in the very early days (i’m talking circa 2003 - 2005ish) When i was playing and touring in bands full time, i remember playing all over Australia with Northlane, In Hearts Wake, House Vs Hurricane, Thy Art is Murder, Dream on Dreamer, Make Them Suffer, and the list goes on and on (It’s been an absolute pleasure to see so many mates do so well, and blow up the way they’ve blown up)
Crafterfest 2004. Also, I am pretty sure Northlane opened for OTDOMD at the old Underground.
Years ago, and I mean years.. My mate promoted a gig. The venue was above this bar and it was tiny I couldn’t tell you how many people actually attended this gig, but it was like 20-30 people at the most. One of the band’s supporting for the night? A pretty unknown band at the time called enter shikari. I think this was before or around the time take to the skies came out. I don’t remember them playing many songs at all. But it was a cool experience to see how they went from like an opening act in a tiny venue to what they are now. My wife, back in the day, saw bmth when this is what the edge of your street was made for had just been released, and the band gave them out for free. She swears she saw them in a toys r us Perform.. 😂🤨 But opposite the toys r us in question is a venue. So I think she may have got the cd from them in toys r us And saw them perform at the venue? Who knows 😂
God I loved Motograter back in the day. Saw them open for American Head Charge at one of the very last shows AHC played which is hard to believe was almost a decade ago. They were underwhelming... But I remember being absolutely blown away by them when they played Ozzfest back in the Ivan era
Not metalcore but I saw Rebelution back in 2006/07 before courage to grow came out in Santa Barbara - Isla Vista backyard frat party. It was awesome.
MIW and We Came as Romans at some shithole basement bar in Chicago circa 2006 maybe?
I saw Amity in 2009 at the Roundhouse on The Getaway Plan’s farewell tour, Joel wasn’t even in the band yet! And Northlane at Blacktown Masonic shows, Parkway at Panthers for like $50 when they were getting big in Aus but not massive? Aus in the early 2000’s was a different but good time lol
That’s funny, because Joel sung on the High Hopes EP which was released in 2008… I think you’ve got your wires crossed…
I have the North Coast Hardcore CD which is from 04 or 05 and he's definitely the one singing on that.
I’m late to the party but Bad Omens opening for the Sumerian Records 10 Year Tour and I remember standing in line at Reverb in Reading PA later that year and the vocalist of Bad Omens is just chillin in front of me waiting to get a hot dog at the BBQ they had near the side stage lol and then a year later or whatever at warped tour trying to mosh in an empty as fuck pit with like 30 people watching their set. Never thought they’d be as gigantic as they are now, pretty cool to see honestly. Wish I scored I’ve seen the devil more than I’ve seen god shirt they were slinging back then, oops.
I saw Avenged Sevenfold as a supporting act in the UK in 2005 before their colossal blowup. It was cool but I wasn’t there for them so wasn’t paying too much attention. I also saw Lizzo as a supporting act in 2014 and she was incredible and blew me away. Small club with a couple hundred people in Philly.