Aug 31

Aug 31 Show Review: Silverstein, The Amity Affliction Bring Epic Sold Out Show To Sacramento

Silverstein
The Amity Affliction
w/ Holding Absence, UnityTX
Ace of Spades
Sacramento, CA
August 28th, 2022

Photos and Review by Jared Stossel

Earlier this year, I got see Silverstein open up for Beartooth on the ‘Below’ tour in San Jose. I thought they gave one of the finest performances of their career at this show. The performance they gave on Sunday night during a co-headlining bill with Australia’s The Amity Affliction was just as good as their set back in April, proving to me that they’re a band that has mastered their craft. Silverstein is a band that has consistently been releasing albums since the release of 2003’s When Broken Is Easily Fixed, and they haven’t lost their step for even a second. Even looking at the touring section on their Wikipedia page is insane; they’ve done it all. Both Amity Affliction and Silverstein brought forth tremendously capable performances on Sunday to a sold-out crowd at Sacramento’s Ace of Spades.

The show was opened by the fierce and powerful UnityTX. They’ve been around for a bit, having been signed to Pure Noise Records back in 2019. With two EPs and a handful of singles under their belt (including this year’s “BURNOUT”), the four-piece act seamlessly blended the erratic nature of punk, the punch of metalcore breakdowns, and the powerful lyricism of hip-hop into one package. Holding Absence took the stage for a dynamic and engaging set, one of the evening’s best performance. You can tell from the way that they perform, particularly vocalist Lucas Woodland, that they’re poised for greatness. They performed for barely thrity minutes, yet it felt like the entire venue was abuzz after they stepped off the stage.

The Amity Affliction have always been a commanding act within the metalcore/post-hardcore community, but their songs are heavily rooted in sadness. On the surface, there is a melancholiac aspect about their music, while also managing to retain a sense of hopefulness. They’ve never been one to skirt away from the topics of death, suicide, and depression; they’ve embraced talking about it in their music, often using their albums and live shows as a way to present hope to those that need it. The Australian act took the stage for a heavy-hitting set, delving through these intense songs with a concentrated rage. This wasn’t just a show for those in attendance; this was a therapy session, a release for all of the sadness that has consumed the world these last few years. In brilliant fashion, The Amity Affliction proved to those in attendance why their music matters more than ever.

After a brief changeover, Silverstein took the stage for a beautifully performed set that really only scratched the surface of their discography. Thematically, Silverstein have written about the aforementioned topics that acts like The Amity Affliction write about, but there’s more of a lightheartedness about a Silverstein set than other post-hardcore acts. They’ve never been one to take themselves too seriously, even though they put on masterful performances. Hits like “Smashed To Pieces”, “Bad Habits”, “Vices”, and “Smile In Your Sleep” all made appearances in the set, the crowd getting more reactive with each passing song. To make things a little more interesting, the Canadian post-hardcore act brought out an item they’ve dubbed “The Wheel of Songs”. Each night of this tour, they’ve been spinning a wheel (complete with game show music) to determine three songs at random, from any point in their career, that they’ll then perform on the spot. For the Sacramento show, fans were treated to renditions of “Broken Stars”, “Already Dead”, and “Stand Amid The Roar”. This added a level of spontaneity to the show that I thought was unique, and it was placed at just the right location in the set.

Throughout this year, I’ve noted at various shows the phrase “there is no better moment than hearing…” and then naming a band and a song they play live. There is nothing quite like hearing Silverstein perform “My Heroine”, one of their longest running hits, in a live setting. Specifically, there’s nothing quite like hearing the last chorus of the song, because the band will stop playing. The crowd screams every word back, as if their live depended on it. This is church.

Silverstein and The Amity Affliction are two of the best bands in the scene right now, and they’ve been building to this level for the last several decades. I’d be happy to see them on any tour in the coming years. I always know that one of their performances will be something special.

Silverstein Set List
Infinite
It’s Over
Smile In Your Sleep
Smashed Into Pieces
Bad Habits
Vices
Whiplash
Die Alone
Ultraviolet
Broken Stars
Already Dead
Stand Amid The Floor
The Altar/Mary
My Heroine
The Afterglow

The Amity Affliction Set List
Coffin
All My Friends Are Dead
Don’t Lean on Me
Ivy (Doomsday)
Like Love
Drag The Lake
Chasing Ghosts
I Bring The Weather With Me
All Fucked Up
Pittsburgh
D.I.E.
Feels Like I’m Dying
Shine On
Death’s Hand
Soak Me In Bleach