Ice Nine Kills brought their highly anticipated second leg of the Silver Scream 2: Welcome To Horrorwood Tour to Rochester for a sold-out show. The tour included Fame on Fire, Currents, and Bad Omens which fans lined well over a block in downtown Rochester waiting to get into Anthology for the show.
Opening the night was Fame on Fire, who quickly brought a bunch of fans down into the standing area and in front of the stage. While only performing five songs, the band was an instant crowd pleaser with a cover of Linkin Parks “Numb” that had the audience singing along. Their set was high energy and engaging, while using their allotted timeframe to perform as much as possible. Closing out their set with a cover of XO TOUR Llif3 by Lil Uzi Vert, Fame on Fire opened the night in fine fashion.
Currents, based out of Connecticut was up next and anticipation in the crowd was certainly growing as they were waiting to take the stage. Currents has performed in CNY/WNY recently over the past several years, and each time drawing a bigger crowd. With the release of their latest album “This Is How It Ends”, much of their setlist was taken from here which was very welcoming to hear new material performed live. With a seven song setlist, the crowd was very receptive to favorites like “The Rope”, “A Flag To Wave”, and “Monsters”. Each time Currents performs they seem to just be getting better and more polished. Opening for Ice Nine Kills has been one of the bigger bands they have toured with recently, and they will hopefully continue to keep growing and be headlining their own US Tours in the near future.
Next up was Bad Omens, and people were really starting to fill the club in now. The energy in the atmosphere was building as the band walks onto the stage to their latest release “THE DEATH OF PIECE OF MIND”. Their eight-song set was nonstop energy and some of the best metalcore I have heard live recently. Flowing seamlessly through “Glass Houses” and “The Hell I Overcame”, Bad Omens had Anthology rocking. When “Mercy” began to play, fans started crowd surfing nonstop through the entirety of the song and into their final song “Dethrone”. This was the first time of the evening that a mosh pit had really opened up, and the band only fed off of that to close out their set with as much power and energy as possible. Bad Omens was a phenomenal choice as part of the tour package, and really set the bar for Ice Nine Kills to take the stage.
As the stage crew began working on the Ice Nine Kills set, the Michael Myers theme music plays over the PA system which creates an almost small level of anxiety mixed with anticipation. The stage featured a couple LED panels which began by playing the intro off their latest album “Opening Night”, which is a mini narration about the content of the album. Leading right into “Welcome To Horrorwood” Spencer Charnas, the vocalist takes to the stage with only a spotlight on him as he sings the soft intro to the song. Immediately going from zero to 100 as the song progresses, Spencer doesn’t stop moving for what it seems like the rest of the night.
Like their last album The Silver Scream, the Welcome To Horrorwood tracks are based off of various different horror movies throughout pop culture. With the massive success of the predecessor, it was exciting to see how their new material would be live. They definitely did not disappoint, and fans new every single word to every song they performed. The crowd participation at an Ice Nine Kills show is not like any others I have really seen. The amount of pure energy and excitement the audience has during every single song is not something you see at every show. There are certain parts throughout the night when Spencer would stop singing for a second and without missing a beat the audience is screaming the exact words or lyrics that are supposed to be said.
Ice Nine Kills is not just a concert you go and see, it’s a unique theatrical music experience that puts you right in the middle of some of the best horror movies that have been made. Each band member played the parts of many different characters throughout the night, with the default appearance being an American Psycho themed dapper look. This concert was one of the best metal shows I have seen since COVID began, and what a great feeling it was. Ice Nine Kills moved flawlessly through their 16 song set playing all the favorites off the new album, and some from the previous which just complement each other so well. The props used were fantastic as well, whether is a giant butcher knife and mask for “Stabbing In The Dark”, or a chainsaw, raincoats, and balloon for “It is the end”, Ice Nine Kills doesn’t miss a beat when it comes to the perfection of their craft. There’s a reason INK is selling out just about every show they play, and that’s just because it’s such a good and fun experience. If you haven’t seen them live yet, definitely take the time to do so and you’ll be wanting to come back for more.
Setlist: Opening Night > Welcome To Horrorwood > SAVAGES > A Rash Decision > Stabbing in the Dark > Hip To be Scared > Funeral Derangements > Communion of the Cursed > Ex-Mørtis > Assault & Batteries > Farewell II Flesh > The Shower Scene > Rainy Day > A Grave Mistake > Thank God It’s Friday > The American Nightmare > It Is the end
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