Messengers 10 Year Anniversary Tour – Richmond, VA – 2.9.17

Celebrating 10 years after the release of Messengers, August Burns Red ventured out across the U.S. for this memorable tour playing the album in full and more.  Along for the tour are special guests Protest The Hero, In Hearts Wake, and ’68. Check out the gallery below as our photographer Luis Rosales was there to provide coverage.

’68 was up first as this duo provided their signature sound that was very interesting watch and listen.  Guitarist, Michael McClellen, and drummer, Josh Scogin, meshed together very well as you could tell they had a strong friendship and were able to comfortably showcase their crazy antics.  They put their all in the course of four songs for their set as they killed it for being only two of them.

In Hearts Wake made their way all the way from Australia for this tour as they brought the first metal sound of the night.  They started their set with Refuge and continued with Healer and Survival as mosh pits started almost immediately once the band hit the first breakdown.  The stage was heavily backlit for most of the time and had a few exceptions with strobes that fired up front.  As far as they sounded, the band was absolutely flawless with every note and it comes with no surprise why many fans love watching these guys perform.  

Protest The Hero, progressive metal band from North of the border found themselves on this tour to give their very own sound to the mix.  For years the band has been putting out music that includes crushing low guitars and bass, hypnotizing guitar riffs, and and the incredible range of vocalist Rody Walker.  But those aren’t the only qualities that make these guys fun to watch, it is the comedic aspect of it as well.  Rody Walker is very animated on stage when he talks in between songs, even mentioning every photographer at every show how they stayed for the whole three songs instead of leaving after one and a half.  He also recognized a friend in the audience which he ended up calling her out and having fun with her as he was on stage.  Protest The Hero is a band everyone needs to catch live if they have the chance, good music and entertaining the entire set.

Commemorating the Messengers release 10 years ago, August Burns Red takes the stage with their lighting rig which was set up in blocks on each side of the drum riser.  The production was very photographer friendly as there was an array of colors and plentiful lighting throughout the entire set. Jake Luhrs was extremely active on stage as he would throw and twirl his mic around for most of the show. It’s not common that a band plays an album from front to back live, but when they do, it is a very special occasion which any fans of August Burns Red definitely took advantage of watching.  After playing the album in full, August Burns Red came out for an encore which consisted of a drum solo to start it off then continued with Empire, Fault line, Martyr, Ghosts and White Washed.  Fans got the August Burns Red experience in one of the best ways possible playing old favorites and it seems like every tour, they just get better each time.