SHOW REVIEW: Dance Gavin Dance ‘Afterburner Tour’ In NYC

I was lucky enough to have been sent out to review‘The Afterburner Tour’  for the Hammerstein Ballroom date in New York City headlined by Dance Gavin Dance, alongside the incredible Polyphia, Veil of Maya, Eidola, and Wolf & Bear. Let me just start off by saying even if you haven’t heard of every single band on the lineup for this tour – it’s definitely worth getting there for all five sets because it is without exaggeration that every band is absolutely incredible from start to finish.

All five bands were able to showcase their incredible live performance skills, with every track sounding as if they were pulled straight from the studio. The show as a whole is an experience and I mean that in the best way possible. Even the order of the lineup was beneficial to the overall experience of the show, with each performance flowing perfectly into one another as each band was complimentary to the next in their varying styles all while still managing to show off their face paced riffs and overall heavy instrumentals. 

Aside from the overall stellar performance that Dance Gavin Dance put on (which we’ll dive into in a minute) perhaps one of the most highlighted bands on this lineup is Djent group Veil of Maya who put on a phenomenal performance. Veil of Maya’s lead vocalist, Lukas Magyar was able to showcase his incredible vocals, (both clean and screams) to their full extent at this date which deserves the honorable mention in itself. 

Dance Gavin Dance, the main event and star of ‘The Afterburner Tour’ without a doubt brought their A-game to The Hammerstein Ballroom. The band did their thing at this set, covering every single one of their hits with every performance of every track progressively getting better and better. The crowd was feeding into the band’s energy; it felt as if the guys barely took any breaks for the duration of their set as well, other than to shout out the other four bands on the lineup and say thank you to their NYC fans- (which is always a very classy move). The overall production of the tour itself also adds to the high energy of the crowd and band, with flashing lights and cool imagery adding to the overall experience as well. As always, lead vocalist Tilian Pearson proves his vocal skill to be amongst some of the best in the scene right now as well as Will Swan proving the same as a guitarist. 

Overall, between the bands included on the lineup and the energy all five of groups put into their set, you will without a doubt have a blast and not regret coming out. If you’re a Dance Gavin Dance fan, don’t miss out on seeing them this tine around because this is a very, very strong tour. 

Check out photos from the set below taken by tour photographer Matthue Cole.