This past week, the Blind Obedience tour made its way to Pittsburgh PA. This stop of the tour was at the Roxian Theater in McKees Rocks. I was very excited to attend this show, as Underoath was a band I had grown up listening to. The band put out a new album early last year titled Voyeurist, their SEVENTH full length album and their second with Fearless Records. Supporting Underoath on this tour is Periphery from Washington DC, and Loathe all the way from Liverpool.
The night was kicked off with an absolutely incredible set from Loathe. This was the only band I was unfamiliar with going into the show. It only took this band one song to reel me in. Loathe played a few different songs spanning over multiple releases. The songs that stood out to me the most were the ones from their 2020 release I Let It In and It Took Everything. Loathe closed there set with their songs “Is It Really You?” into “Gored.” I definitely plan on giving this band more attention in the future!
The second set of the night was from Washington DC’s Periphery. I have only heard a handful of Periphery tracks leading into the night, but I knew exactly what I was in for. This band was a lot of fun live. The crowd erupted when they came on stage, and I spent my time in the photo pit avoiding crowd surfers. Before the band kicked off the track “Reptile” from their 2019 album Periphery IV: HAIL STAN, lead singer Spencer Sotelo made the joke “We have to switch it up sometimes, I know you guys are looking up the setlist before the show.” Which got a good laugh from the crowd. This set was great, the vocals were crisp and all band members brought great energy.
Last, but certainly not least, was Underoath from Tampa. This is a band I would have never expected to be taking photos of, so this was an awesome experience. I grew up listening to Underoath, their 2004 album They’re Only Chasing Safety, was an album I adored at a young age. The band kicked off their set with the song “It’s Dangerous Business Walking Out Your Front Door” from that 2004 release. This immediately set the tone for the night. Underoath crushed through more tracks, spanning throughout different eras of the band. Underoath also had some incredible stage lighting, which really tied the performance together. The band closed the night with their two most well known tracks: “A Boy Brushed Red Living In Black And White” and “Writing On The Walls.” This was an absolutely perfect ending to an incredible night.
The Blind Obedience Tour continues for another few weeks before its final stop in Nashville on April 2nd.
Words and photos by Tom Randall (@trandallphoto)
Live from the Pitt 