The crowd went wild for Beartooth’s energetic performance.

An incredible lineup of metal, Nevertel, Boundaries, Currents, and Beartooth brought the energy to Worcester for this show. With the venue boasting a capacity upwards of 8,000, it was no surprise to hear that this was Beartooth’s largest Massachuessetts headline show.

Check out Worcester Palladium Outdoors for more details on the Palladium Outdoors experience.

First on the roster was Tampa, Florida-based Nevertel. Citing bands such as Linkin Park and Bring Me the Horizon as influences, this band blew me away with their non-conforming sound and exciting performance. With the rap-based verses, melodic choruses, and heavy electronic breakdowns, you feel those inspirations come through and a breath of fresh air for something different from the metal scene.

Being the opener for a relatively lengthy lineup is tough, especially with the crowd still funneling into the venue, but Nevertel killed it. They engaged the crowd regularly and got everyone pumped for the subsequent acts. What surprised me the most as my first time attending the Palladium Outdoors was the sound quality too, especially when it comes to metal bands that incorporate both clean and harsh sounds. The sound was incredible – every note was clear and the clean vocals were not lost within the heavy riffs. Towards the end of their set, two pits had already taken form and the crowd was jumping to the beat. Fantastic start to a long night!

Next up was Boundaries, hailing from Hartford, Connecticut. This metalcore band has been making recent waves in the scene as they continue to grow in popularity. Some would call Boundaries the true definition of a metalcore band where you see the hardcore and punk influences shine through the music, balancing with the metal. Their almost non-stop intensity offers only a few respites to clean vocals before swinging back with powerful breakdowns.

Once Boundaries hit the stage, the intensity of the atmosphere dialed up. Their fast and heavy-hitting riffs had the crowd immediately jumping in rhythm and crowd surfers were being launched towards the stage one after another. After playing a couple of songs, the crowd surfing became non-stop, and several pits formed throughout the crowd matching the aggression of the vocals. With all the ongoing action it was almost startling to see the band completely halt their show due to a fan getting hurt in the crowd. Everyone was okay, but the attention to the fans and the consideration to stop to ensure medical personnel reached the person was very admirable. A great performance all around and a band I will be looking to catch on their next run through New England.

The penultimate act of the night was Currents, another Connecticut-based metalcore band who have stood out in the genre with their emotional lyrics and complex melodies partnered with harsh vocals and explosive breakdowns. The cadence of the lyrics in which their vocalist performs, on top of the mix of heavy guitar chugs and beautiful melodies, accompanied by that deep bass sound and fast drumming make for an excellent combination to stand out from the rest of the genre.

This was the best show that I have seen Currents perform. The lighting was perfectly timed to their setlist, the LCD screens with their logos were stunning, and you could see the passion in each band member as they played their hearts out. From the emotion pouring out of the singer into each word to the bassist spinning in time with the heavy chugs. The sound was spectacular too, with every note coming through and the clean vocals not getting lost in the noise. This is a problem they have had at smaller indoor shows so I am glad they avoided it for this massive show.

For anyone familiar with Currents shows, you know that crowd surfers are non-stop. In the New England region, there is one fan who attends every single show and seems to be dedicated to lifting people to surf. With each band performing, it felt like the crowd surfing doubled. I struggled to get a lot of clean shots from my phone due to the autofocus sitting on the crowd surfers or because they were blocking the artists! It was such a fun set. At this point, I am genuinely surprised anyone in the crowd has any stamina left.

There was one person who seemed to hate the show (photographed below) – but I am sure he was just tired by this point in the evening!

Finally, we have the act that everyone was waiting to see. Led by the super talented Caleb Shomo we have Beartooth from Columbus, Ohio ready to get this crowd jumping. I am not sure where I would categorize this band, as they fall within the metalcore space but have such a positive and uplifting spin that you do not hear often from the genre. The first time I saw Beartooth, not only did they knock me over with their energetic performance and inspirational anthems, I was amazed to learn that Caleb wrote all the music himself.

The second that Beartooth took the stage things literally exploded. Confetti canons blasted above the crowd as they opened up with “The Surface” and by their second song “The Past is Dead” this once stamina-drained crowd was jumping in unison and singing along to every single word. On top of the confetti canons, there were smoke canons as well as pyrotechnics in the back of the stage dancing along to the peaks of each chorus. Not to mention an even better light show than Currents. As a photographer myself, I was incredibly envious of those who scored photo passes as this would have been such a pleasure to shoot from the pit. I cannot wait to see those shots!

This felt like an emotional show for Beartooth, more so than the first time I saw them. From the joy that Caleb exuded into the crowd as he danced on stage, to the deep messages he shared of inclusion and being yourself between songs. Caleb’s passion was so clear and that is important when it comes to live performances. Halfway through the set, Caleb opened up to the Massachusetts crowd as he moved in front of the sound booth in the middle of the venue, recalling past performances, his musical journey, and being so amazed at the thousands of fans that turned out. This segued into a heartfelt acoustic cover of “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers and Beartooth’s “Look the Other Way”. The quick change of pace from heavy riffs and uplifting anthems leading up to acoustic covers and emotional stories almost made me think this was a farewell tour!

I cannot express enough how engaged the crowd was throughout the set. The acoustic covers were the only few minutes that people stood still. The biggest surprise of the night was that Beartooth seemed to open the biggest circle pit of all four bands that played. All in all, an outstanding show that thousands of fans are bound to remember.