Crystal Buchberger
CONCERT PHOTOS + REVIEW
From Ashes To New, Ekoh, Point North, Elijah
5/21/24 – The Sylvee – Madison, WI
© Crystal Buchberger
An overcast sky threatening rain loomed over The Sylvee. The weather made the bright red sign that read “From Ashes to New” glow even stronger. Security rushed the crowd that had formed to see the Blackout Tour Pt 2 through the doors and the antsy line shuffled forward, hoping to avoid getting pelted by the harsh onslaught of rain. Once inside, a massive sea of people were hyping themselves up for tonight’s headliner. A long line expanded all the way to the end of the room for people wanting to buy merch. A family with two small children rushed to the front row while holding a sign stating that today was their birthday.
Elijah started off the evening with “Easy to Drown.” His strong vocals filled the venue and many fans sang along. Though Elija’s set was only 6 songs long, the fans were pumped, primed, and ready for what was to come. Little did any of us know what that would entail…
Ekoh was next up and got the crowd energized by leaping into “Hurt Myself,” followed by “Ted Talk” and “numb.” But just four songs into his set, during “Good Things,” everything stopped and flood lights illuminated the venue. A tornado warning had been issued and the crowd was led into safe zones by security. The staff was extremely quick to respond and handled the situation very professionally. They handed out water to everyone and kept us all up to date on the state of the weather. After an hour of hiding out in the safe zone and killing time having good conversations with newly made concert friends, we were finally able to go back into the pit.
Even a tornado won’t stop a Wisconsinite from rocking out on a Tuesday night. Ekoh got the crowd’s energy level cranked back up to level 10 by playing “Freeverse 3.” Vans shoes went flying onto the stage and Ekoh enthusiastically signed them all for his fans.
Point North made their way to the stage and kicked things into high gear quickly with “Prepare for Despair.” “I swear I will give the first crowd surfer five dollars!” Jon Lundin yelled out mid-song. Multiple people took him up on his offer and crowd-surfed.
They ended their energetic set with “Psycho” and “Safe and Sound,” both off of 2023’s Prepare for Despair.
From the moment the Pennsylvania rockers From Ashes to New stepped on stage to “Armageddon,” the audience’s cheers intensified and the crowd-surfing increased tenfold.
Their set props included an elevated platform for drummer Mat Madiro and many strategically placed monitors with colorful graphics. Guitars Jimmy Bennett and Lance Dowdle jumped and spun around the stage for the duration of the show. Danny Case and Matt Brandyberry commanded center stage with vocal duties.
“Idk about you, but this is fucking my happy place,” Danny verbalized while giving a heartfelt speech about the internal struggles of feeling alone even in a room filled with people. “When you come to a From Ashes to New show, you are not alone. I promise you that.” Cheers filled the pit as they transitioned into their song “Hate Me Too” from the Blackout album.
Watch: Fan shot video of From Ashes to New performing at the Sylvee in Madison, WI:
Their last song of the night seemed fitting for what we had all just endured: “Through It All.” By the time the show ended, the storm was over. Tree branches and construction objects lined the roads of Madison. Everyone rushed to their cars, absorbing the experience of surviving a tornado at a rock show. Instead of spending a boring night night cooped up in our basements, we spent it in a room filled with like-minded individuals, alcohol, and killer music.
Check out the concert photo gallery for From Ashes to New below:
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