Knocked Loose & Denzel Curry Bring the Heat to The Myth
It wouldn’t be a taper for a marathon for me without a show sprinkled in. Before I make my way to Chicago next week for the Chicago Marathon, there was one show I had to sneak into my calendar, and going into it, it was one of my most anticipated of the year. The Myth was set to host co-headliners Knocked Loose & Denzel Curry and even though this is not my first choice for a venue, I appreciate that it wasn’t far from both work and home. I made my way to The Myth in the rain ready for this massive show, and interestingly enough, remembered the last time I caught Knocked Loose in the Twin Cities at The Armory, it had also been a rainy day.
The gloominess of the rain was only temporarily felt during the travel to the venue; not too long after doors the first band of the night kicked things off. Boundaries took the stage right at 7 to a crowd that was ready to get moving. The band had no trouble commanding the stage, getting circle pits (and even a wall of death) started early, along with the first wave of crowdsurfers flowing. The metalcore Connecticut band released a new album this year (“Yearning: The Unbeautiful After”), showcasing a variety of tracks off of that record with a dash of older material during their set. One thing for certain about Boundaries was the band came out full force, getting the crowd absolutely amped for the rest of the night, relentless with their energy.
Next up for the night was alternative rock band Superheaven. The band brought a different sonic experience to the crowd, bringing their flair of grungy rock to the stage. While there wasn’t a constant wave of crowdsurfers or fans jumping into circle pits during their set, energy wise, Superheaven picked up where Boundaries left off. The band wasted no time getting right into the groove, their set absolutely flew by. Even though a lot of their songs seemed to run together to my ears, it looked like most of the crowd was locked in to the moment. Superheaven’s live performance for me was sonically a vibes experience; like many in the crowd, I had fun just being in the moment with the music.
The penultimate act of the night was co-headliner Denzel Curry. Although I have been exposed to Curry through collabs with a couple of my favorites (Glass Animals & Knocked Loose for example), I have yet to take the plunge to dive into his catalog and was excited to hear some originals live. Curry brought his DJ along with him for his set, which featured a mix of originals and some covers thrown in (my personal favorite was the inclusion of a “Victory Lap” remix and the Rage Against the Machine medley to wrap up the set). The crowd was into Curry’s set from the start, not minding yet another sonic shift, singing along to almost every song and vibing to the beats. Curry put on an impressive set; between the impressive rapping and crowd hype and the beats and energetic stage presence, it was a fun set to be in the crowd for. Personally I’m glad to finally have had the chance to catch Curry live and as his set ended, I was hoping for a special appearance during Knocked Loose’s set.
Last but certainly not least was Kentucky’s own Knocked Loose. I remember one of the first times I was able to catch this band back at Warped Tour nearly ten years ago now, and was so excited to see how much the band has grown since then. Even though they did not make a return to The Armory on the Hive Mind Tour, I was happy to be in a little bit more of an intimate setting this time around.
The band played what had to be nearly 20 songs and their set absolutely flew by in the best way. From opening with a heavy riff before charging into “Deep in the Willow” to cranking out almost all of their latest album “You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To,” to a nice selection of singles and tracks off of their prior albums, Knocked Loose brought the heat from beginning to end. The imagery from their current album cycle made its way back onto the stage, setting an eerie tone that was overshadowed by the relentless riffs and breakdowns in Knocked Loose’s songs. It didn’t seem like the crowd slowed down one bit during their set; the circle pits and crowdsurfers felt endless. To escape the heat the crowd was generating, I had to hang out in the back of the venue and catch the show from the sidelines.
I had a feeling, given the name of the tour, that we would get to see the collaboration between Knocked Loose & Denzel Curry live, and was so happy when “Hive Mind” started and Curry stormed the stage. Of course, the night would not be complete without one of the most iconic tracks Knocked Loose has in their catalog: “Counting Worms.” Even though the tired part of me disliked that the band saved this one for basically last in their set, there was nothing like hearing the entire venue scream “ARF ARF!” all together with the band to end the night. Just like at the end of the last show, I’ll be anxiously awaiting the next time Knocked Loose rolls into town.
