Trivium + Jinjer + Heriot = A Perfect Night At Uptown Theater
Oh, late November. Your 5pm midnight is always a tough coat to put on. Thank goodness for live music.
Missing the spring fog? Don’t worry, the smoke machines with paint a silky velveteen air for you. The warm soak of the sun? House lights will melt that icy heart of yours. And don’t get me started on warm breezes. Plenty of those to be had in the right spot while moshing on the floor. Twas about time for another delightful show at the Uptown Theater.
Was so elated to see that Trivium would be brining their Ascend Above The Ashes Tour to Minneapolis. Us folk in the Twin Cities always are ready and waiting to enjoy a good ol’ dose of American heavy metal. You may have seen the hiccup with their last round of touring. Just before the plethora of dates covering Latin America, Japan, and Australia, citing many reasons including writing a new album, Bullet For My Valentine cut the Poisoned Ascendancy Tour abruptly short. Interesting coincidence with the name. Trivium deciding they were not done quite yet is the sunny news fans needed. I definitely was not missing this show.
Got there about half an hour after doors. Was already nice and busy inside after a nippy but short walk from my meter. Pretty normal jovial metal crowd to be had. A mostly black shirt sea was swirling on the floor, anticipating the opener. Perused the merch tables, was quite tempted to snag a Trivium shirt. Great prices at all three bands’ tables, 40 bucks for a shirt and 85 for a nice hoodie. Having a slight touch of regret not waiting in line to buy one, but was too excited and ended up just heading into the audience to mingle and people-watch a bit more.
First time making the round in the United States, was not too familiar with British band Heriot before taking the stage. Had to look up what “heriot” meant. With German roots, it means “home ruler.” Vocalist and guitarist Debbie Gough joined the band in 2019, a few years after its foundation in 2012, and wow what a fantastic addition. Seeing it was my first time hearing them live and being a greenhorn to their catalog, was even more impressed with her commanding presence on stage. Not only is she a talented musician and can shred like any other well-practiced guitarist, but her voice is so powerful and commanding. If you want to get a good gander of how she melds perfectly with her fellow bandmates, check out the new music video for “Commander Of Pain” that was released on YouTube two weeks ago. A short and sweet half dozen songs to crack open the show, was hoping for a few more but understand limitations when hosting three bands on a weeknight.
North America is ready for more Heriot, and this was a fantastic tour for them to join in and get a new surge of fans. I have discovered so many of my favorite groups through opening support bands on bills that previously were unknown to me. It is critical for tours to make these creative choices. Having a few more weeks left till the end of their first dip into the states on December 14th so if you will be near any of those upcoming dates, I HIGHLY recommend seeing this metalcore marvel.
Took a walk around the venue and chatted with a few other photographers that were getting pumped up for Jinjer. Sipping on my Summit Saga IPA, watched the smoke machines putting in some good hard work going full-blast to keep the ambience a bit spooky during the changeover.
The staff are always the backbone of any good show, and Thursday night at Uptown Theater was a stellar example of that. Once Jinjer got started, the crowd got a bit fiery. It is almost impossible not to when “Duél” is the opening song. Though crowd surfing is not allowed at this venue, security handled the rascally rebels with ease. Making sure the space in the pit was clear after they made it to the front, scooting the player quick down left to make sure the area was ready for another as soon as possible. Also giving us a solid heads up, pun intended, when a wayward boot was coming in fast and furious. No concussed photographers, huzzah indeed.
These Ukrainians can blast. The lion’s share of the songs played were from their most recent studio album, the fifth in their catalog. An interesting and bold choice that paid off. Seeing that the majority of the audience moshing and dancing had older tour shirts, nice to hear some new songs when seeing your favorite band come to town. Relying on tried and true tunes that your fans can recite backwards is a solid go-to method, but being surprised by getting to experience a song for the first time live makes it a thrilling new journey with an old friend. Lead singer Tatiana Shmayluk…yowzers. Sometimes the universe gives with both hands, and then some. Clean vocals or brutal growls, she has it covered. Hypnotic is an understatement when witnessing her on stage. Making sure to play to the entire audience, made use of the entire space throughout the set. Her outfit also was chef’s kiss as they say. Billowing black fabric tails on her skirt revealed cheeky knee-high black lace tights, a black and white corset top and flowy white sleeves completed the look with the tiniest cute bows on her gloves. An honest perfect performance. Couldn’t find a flaw. From the guitar tone to the light choices, every box was checked.
After two 10 out of 10 performances, Trivium was about to make it a championship level three-peat.
“In Waves” is one of everyone and their metalhead neighbor’s favorite songs. Opening the show with it was the mood bringer of the night. I smiled immediately. Was impossible not to sing along as I snapped away with my camera, and heard the chorus of yell singing behind me from the crowd confirm my fangirling moment wasn’t a solo one. The crowd surfing got turned up to 11, but security didn’t blink an eye and kept everything safe and smooth. Matt Heafy was enjoying the view as he sang and strummed along, a huge genuine smile on his face whenever a respite was had between lyrics.
A magical concert movie moment was happening right before our eyes which couldn’t have been written better by any Hollywood script writer. A young girl was in the front row, maybe 10 or so. Over the ear headphones that were almost bigger than her bobbed as she headbanged along with the rest of us metalheads. Eyes wide, she was enamored with Trivium. Seeming almost in slow motion, she rested her tiny chin on the front row barricade and just smiled as she watched. Everyone was very mindful making sure she had space and was comfortable. Couldn’t have been more proud of the concert and metal community. Those experiences inspire and shape so profoundly. Making me emotional just typing this. The band members all had little grins paint their face when catching a look of her have a remarkable time.
“Ascendency” was the dominant album from the setlist, but they included songs from seven of their ten studio albums. Oodles of solid jams on each on of them, good to spread the love and serve a bit of everything. Though starting a little later for a Thursday at 9:45pm, didn’t cut any corners and still performed 14 songs. Feels like a strange warm blur of satisfaction when going to a show like that one was. No podium needed, everyone won gold.
