Atreyu came to House of Blues San Diego as part of their “Hope of a Spark” tour with special guest LVLYC, Within Destruction, and Point North. We unfortunately missed the first two openers but we made it just in time to see Point North. When we got into they venue, the in house music was playing “El Sonidito.” I’ve been to a lot of concerts but playing Spanish music in between sets was something I’d never heard before and definitely an interesting vibe at a rock show.
Los Angeles-based trio Point North kicked things off with their pop-punk song, “Dark Days.” Point North’s drummer, Sage Weeber, was leaving for a different tour in Europe after this show so he was not playing with them. That didn’t stop him from playing some pranks on the band though. He crossed out their setlist so they didn’t know what was coming next or what was left. Towards the end of their set they played “Safe and Sound,” which is their latest released single that is recorded with The Ghost Inside. The song was definitely the heaviest song of the night and saw guitarist Andy Hershey and vocalist Jon Lunden switch roles during the track’s breakdown. At the end of the song, Point North announced that they have a new album recorded and that the fans can expect it to have a lot of songs that sound like “Safe and Sound.” They closed out their set with “Into The Dark”
During the break, In house was playing a lot of early 2000’s hits that got everyone in the crowd singing. Then Darude’s “Sandstorm” came on, which I think Atreyu totally got this “walkout song” from Motionless In White on Leg 3 of Trinity of Terror, which ment it was time for Atreyu! They opened the night with “Drowning,” which is the first single off their latest E.P, “The Hope of A Spark.” It set the tone for the night as they continued to play songs across their entire discography spanning across the past two decades. The Hope Of A Spark, a four-song EP that was released in early April, brings together everything that has made the band who they are today over their 25-year career. This release stepped into creative territory they had yet to explore while diving into some heavy-hitting subjects with the hope of coming out the other side stronger than before.
During “Bleeding Mascara,” from their 2004 album, The Curse, the band sort of played musical chairs. Brandon Saller stepped behind the drumkit, drummer Kyle Rosa moved to bass, and bassist Porter McKnight took on vocals. Brandon was actually the drummer of Atreyu until Kyle joined the band in 2020 so I think it’s cool this still gets highlighted in their shows! The release of their album two years ago, Baptize, marked a significant milestone in the band’s career because it was their first without former vocalist Alex Varkatzas. For nearly two decades, Saller and Varktazas would trade clean and unclean vocals, with Saller taking on the duties of both drummer and singer. With Varkatzas out, Brandon stepped up to the mic, with dirty vocals now taken over by bassist Porter McKnight and Kyle Rosa behind the kit.
“Battle Drums” is such an insane song to here live!
The first time I heard it live was last year during Trinity of Terror and I was just blown away by the sound of it. It was my first ever exposure to an EDM song live so I blamed Atreyu for getting me into Raves. They actually got to play “Battle Drums” live with Kayzo the night before this show at the Forum! Since the tour is called Hope of a Spark and the album is only 4 songs long, it was only right if they played the EP in it’s entirety. Because Southern California shows are basically hometown shows for Brandon Saller, his family was able to come out to the show! Throughout the show, he kept pointing out his kids up on the balcony and it was the cutest thing ever seeing them headbang and dance around! His kids are really little too like under 6! He also pointed out other little kids around the venue saying how cool it was to see the younger generation being raised on good music! For their Encore, Dan Jacobs came out with a saxophone and played “Tequila!” Brandon Saller said, “I thought San Diego would enjoy that one.” They then closed out their set with my personal favorite, “Blow!”
What I love about Atreyu shows is they’re up their having the time of their lives! The band has such tight musicianship, high-energy stage presence, dedication to their craft, and pull countless pranks on each other throughout the night! If you have the chance to catch them on tour, don’t miss out!
Remaining Dates on “The Hope of a Spark” Tour:
05/16/23 – Belvedere, IL @ The Apollo
05/18/23 – Oklahoma City, OK @ Diamond Ballroom
05/19/23 – Lawrence, KS @ Granada Theater
05/20/23 – Colorado Springs, CO @ Sunshine Studios Live **
05/21/23 – Denver, CO @ Gothic Theatre **
** Without Point North
Listen to Hope of a Spark here:
Photos by Heather Vandemark
Written by Kaiya Vandemark
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