Catch Your Breath at TheNeighborhood Theater- Charlotte, NC

For those not familiar, The Neighborhood Theater in Charlotte is a deceiving venue. The stage and viewing area are separated from the bar and merch areas with a small viewing area with seating area that overlooks stage right. Realistically, to see the show you need to be on the rails in the seated area or you need to be in the viewing area. Walking up to the venue, even half an hour after doors were open, the line to entry was still wrapped around the block- leaving me question what a truly sold old show would be like for such a great line up.

If Not For Me opened the night and I wasn't surprised to hear people wonder why they weren't higher on the bill. But with such a stacked line up, there are no losers here. If you're new to the If Not For Me fandom: welcome, we have amazing people and 5 lost shipments of merch. Lead vocalist, Patrick Glover took a moment during the show to comment that during this tour UPS had lost their merch 5 separate times- leaving them to create their own. Each day they would park, partially unpack, and get to work creating custom bleached shirts in order to have shirts for fans to take home. Their dedication to their shows, and their fans, is absolutely evident.

With their most recent album, 'Everything You Wanted,' still being on repeat for me, I can attest that their music is amazing and it translates to live performances so well. From an energetic drummer, passionate guitarists, and a dancing vocalist, they perfectly encapsulate the metalcore genre. And their setlist for the night summarized their music so well. 'Demons,' 'Everything You Wanted,' 'Alone,' 'Say It To My Face,' 'Tragedy,' 'Blameless,' 'No Thanks to You,' and 'Feel Me Now' are all genuinely such good songs and show off If Not For Me's range so well. If you haven't yet, now's the best time to start listening to them.

The Funeral Portrait stepped up next with a stunning performance that had people talking the rest of the night. Starting with 'Generation Psycho,' they set the ground for their absolute theatrical performance. I've said it before: their shows are the absolute best shows I've ever seen. Each show they play, no matter if it's a small or large venue, crowd, rain, or shine, you're going to get a 10/10 theatrical performance.

Although each performance varies, the members move about the stage, and amongst each, other with such practiced movements you'd almost say it was choreographed. From interactions with each other to lead vocalist's, Lee Jennings, interactions with the crowd, everything is precise and speaks to their presence. If you're just tuning into The Funeral Portrait, there's a fair bit of lore you'll learn through the performance but even more you can learn at your leisure. Each show is like a state of the city address, with Jennings as the mayor or guide through "Suffocate City," which is conveniently the song they tie off their setlist with. This night did not go without stand outs either- from the crowd laughing after hearing "You're So Ugly When You Cry" for the first time, or If Not For Me vocalist, Patrick Glover, joining Jennings on stage, to the joy of the crowd.

Ending with Jennings telling the crowd to come say "hi" to him at the merch table, the crowd absolutely listened. Easily half the crowd left the viewing area and made a line that lasted the entire night and never wavered. When I talk about fan treatment and how to make a community with your music, I point people to The Funeral Portrait- and they never disappoint.

Archers have grown quite a lot since their first feature on 2470. From the opening slot crowd voted slot at Blueridge and playing the Milestone in Charlotte (a venue masquerading as a house-potentially inversely- with no air conditioning yet plenty of charm and history) to several UK dates and festivals, they've certainly earned their spot amongst the big names in this line up.

Entering on stage, they certainly received quite the reception from the crowd- deservingly, as they opened the night with one of their newest singles "Perfect Strangers." Throughout their setlist they hit on some of their most recent popular songs that I was happy to see so many people know the words to. I was also very happy to hear "Blackmarketmonkeymagic" on their setlist. I know they're known for lighter metalcore songs, I'll stand by the fact that their heavy songs are criminally underrated. While I miss the days of "Blanket Fort," it's rewarding to see people succeed and have crowds singing along with them all while it's obvious they're having fun while playing. From both guitarist seemingly having the time of their lives; Oscar Porter, on bass, even jumping off the drum stage more than once, see pictures, and drummer, Greyson Mesarosh, getting out of his seat more than once, albeit not necessarily new for him, it's obvious they're loving every second of their show.

And the fans are there to back it up. It's hard to beat Jennings' long line, but Archers had a constant stream of fans at their merch table and such a wide range of fans looking for signatures on items. From the standard drum head to a prosthetic leg, their fans are dedicated to showing up and letting it be known they're not playing around.

Closing out the night was Catch Your Breath. After their debut single, "Shame on Me," and "Dial Tone" had such a huge impact, even hitting 7th on Billboard, it's no surprise this band has had such big year last year and have a big year this year. With this giant US tour, and another UK tour following, they're having quite the reception where ever they go.

With the original band members united again for this tour, it was bound to be good. All members owned the stage in their own right. While they weren't the most athletic of the night, there's no arguing who owned the stage. Working through their 2023 album, 'Shame on Me,' their setlist covered all their bases. Picking up the pace about halfway through with "21 Gun Salute," "Savages," "Dial Tone," and "Shame On Me," they definitely ended their show with a bang. And those still in the viewing area were not playing. With most of the crowd singing along with vocalist, Josh Mowery, there was more than one time they sang for him with ease. With such ground breaking years behind them, I'm excited to see what they have in the pocket for the future.