Justin Nuoffer
CONCERT REVIEW + PHOTOS
THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA
w/ Silent Planet, Seeyouspacecowboy, Greyhaven
10/26 – The Rave – Milwaukee, WI
©Justin Nuoffer/Nuoffermedia.com
The Rave in Milwaukee, WI played host to The Devil Wears Prada on their The Devil Wears Prada is Eternal tour. The line to enter the building started behind The Rave early and built quickly to extend into the parking lot. The fans were ready to go. The line entering the venue moved rapidly through the security checkpoint and up the stairs into the main foyer and box office area. You could feel the anticipation. The Rave was decorated for Halloween and the fans in line were also dressed up. Spookiness was all around. Entering the bar room, the lights were dark but the merchandise tables were full and busy. Across the hall, the other bar room was filled with lines for drinks. The hallway wrapping around the back of the main floor was also packed. The main floor in front of the classic wood decor-looking stage was becoming quite busy. Upstairs the VIP balcony was already lined up with folks getting the prime viewing location.
The Louisville, KY quartet Greyhaven signed to Solid State Records was the opening act of the evening. Instantly they injected a rush of energy and brutal breakdowns. Vocalist Brent Mills paced the front of the stage with his hat brim pulled over his eyes and his mic cord flipping around him. Greyhaven are up-and-comers who are touring on their recent EP release Stereogrief. Their quick thirty-minute set featured three tracks from the album: “Confined Collapse”, “Sick and Lavish”, and “The Welcome Party”.
Following Greyhaven, Like Moths To Flames are no strangers to those in the Midwest. They have toured the country for years and the fans had no problems singing or screaming the lyrics back. Frontman and lone founder Chris Roetter had eleven releases worth of material to pick from, but within only a thirty-minute time frame they managed to pack in six songs. The bodies were flying over the security barricade and the circle pit was shaking the floor. The Cycles of Trying To Cope is their newest release and the material is tight. The overall reaction to it felt insane. All sorts of craziness broke out during “Kintsugi,” one of the newest tracks, but closing with the 2015 face puncher “Bury Your Pain” might’ve been the best moment. Long-time fans were vocal and the lyrics rang out as the pit’s dust rose. They were clicking and it was wonderful.
Seeyouspacecowboy and their intensity landed smack dab in the middle of the touring bill. Their unrelenting metalcore/post-hardcore sound grabs you by the throat and shakes you into paying attention. Ethan Sgarbossa on guitar and Taylor Allen on bass provide the clean vocals however they are uncontrollably wild. With their vocals both offsetting each other and harsh vocalist Connie Sgarbossa who commands the front of the stage, Seeyouspacecowboy are sonically unique. Their newest album released in April of this year, Coup de Grâce, is the focus of tonight’s setlist. A backbreaker like “Chewing the Scenery” had the youthful energy that seems to be missing in some of the younger bands. SYSC is an absolute force to be reckoned with. The dim lighting with flashing strobes only enhanced the experience. The pure electricity during “Subtle Whispers to Take Your Breath Away” was undeniable. It was ferocious and the pure chaos spreading across the floor allowed that connection with the material to resonate further.
As direct support, Silent Planet brought their heavy drops and high-energy stage performance. Vocalist Garrett Russell proudly proclaimed it was their “first time playing this beautiful venue”. It was hard to believe since they’ve been touring for years and despite that, they looked like they were extremely comfortable and at home. Russell was all over the stage. He frequently leaned over and screamed on top of the monitors. Those in the front rows nearly could’ve reached out and touched him. Guitarist Mitchell Stark manned the left side of the stage. He bounced around and often head banged with one foot up on the metal grate next to his microphone. The pair have been creating and ripping through setlists, along with drummer Alex Camarena, since 2013. The cohesiveness they display was unquestionable. It was also quite apparent fans were there for them also. The room raged and crowd surfers flew over the top, with hands holding them up. As they ripped through seven songs from Superbloom, it was easy to notice the fan reactions from their radio singles “Antimatter”, “Anunnaki”, and “Collider”. “Collider,” though, was the table setter. By having it early on the impact was immediately felt. The familiarity was felt. All in all, the pure heaviness and showmanship were welcomed. Their live performance is well worth any sort of blind purchasing of albums. Soon enough Silent Planet will be headlining the famed Rave stage themselves.
The Devil Wears Prada arrived at The Rave for the thirteenth time in their lengthy history. Every single time has felt like a homecoming show. In fact, vocalist Mike Hranica moved to, and lives in, the area so it makes plenty of sense. The band originally formed in Dayton, Ohio and produced their first album in 2006. Since then they have relentlessly stretched their musical style and stage production. The stage was split into two halves. The front simply had a metal catwalk running the length of the entire stage and on the back half a large riser about five feet higher. That riser had drummer Giuseppe Capolupo’s kit off to the left. On the right side, Jonathan Gering had synthesizers and keyboards wrapped around the far end. In the middle, the classic TDWP triangle was illuminated through fog and darkness.
The strobes and stage lights randomly lit and flashed. Fog rolled over the edge of the stage and the anticipation rose while the ambient sound became deafening. As the feedback started to push through the monitors The Devil Wears Prada took the stage. They launched into the mean intro to “Mammoth” from Dead Throne. Frontman Hranica looked fresh and well-rested for the task at hand. He flung his body across the stage and unleashed brutal harsh vocals. Every breakdown shook the ninety-eight-year-old floor boards. Guitarist and clean vocalist, Jeremy DePoyster, manned the right side of the stage. The pair have been intertwined since 2005 and are the lone founders left. Vocally they mixed well and the vicious chest-pounding song “Danger: Wildman” proved it. The long-time fan favorite set the room off even more. Security worked feverishly to catch the crowd surfers that kept coming and coming over the barricade. DePoyster’s riffs were only enhanced by lead guitarist Kyle Sipress’ in-your-face intensity. Both shared glances often with smirks.
The enthusiasm for their material was addictive. In 2022 they released Color Decay. That album was the meat and bones of the setlist and six of its songs were spread across the middle. The big album singles, “Watchtower” and “Time,” are destined to become one of the band’s anchors. The sound was so refined and precise that it was unmistakable the amount of love that the band has for them. Mixed in between were various favorites that have become staples of their live performance. The face-punching and bone-rattling beloved tracks “Dez Moinez”, “Escape”, and “Termination” garnered some of the most visceral reactions.
Headbangers whipped their hair and those on the security rail shook it out of place at one point. The Excision cover “Reasons” was unexpected. The announcement was met with a roar. The digital and dubstep elements were executed to perfection. It was one of those junctures in time where the gravity of the band’s creativity was on display. One of the lighter moments came when the crowd had the opportunity to select a song by crowd noise. “HTML Rulez d00d” won so overwhelmingly that it was hard to even hear the second choice being announced. Plagues is one of those albums as a TDWP fan you must own, so the fact it was selected wasn’t much of a surprise to the band either.
If you’ve been a fan for over fifteen years then the post encore was for you. The Devil Wear Prada are no fools to the fact that their fan base is diverse, but they always pay homage to their roots. The track “Dogs Can Grow Beards All Over” is from their very first full-length Dear John: A Beautiful Discourse back in 2006, and “Hey John, What’s Your Name Again?” is from their 2007 release Plagues. The Rave room was misty with heat and condensation. Every last ounce of energy was dispensed. Looking down from the VIP balcony the general admission floor appeared to move like a wave of arms and in the middle a spinning circle of madness. Once that last note rang out the stage darkened and the room slowly brightened. The band stood on the catwalk clapping and handing out the setlist, picks, and drumsticks. The bar room became full of people waiting in line for merch.
The foyer emptied quickly into the cool Milwaukee night. The Devil Wears Prada decimated their fan base and the reactions as folks left was an overwhelming one. The amount of fun and joy was noted. For eighteen years they’ve done things their way and released the music they felt like releasing. Their stage show is second to none. Without a doubt, they will continue to have a great career and will also return to a venue and city that absolutely loves them.
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