Arkaik Clothing presents… The All Star Tour at The Plaza Live! in Orlando Florida with guests Bless The Fall, Alesana, and others!
Commonly referred to as the ‘Mini Warped Tour’; this tour holds its’ own with more than 12 bands, and two stages (at most venues), and hundreds of attendees.
On Saturday the 13th of August; Orlando, Florida seemed to have more bad things happen, rather than good when it came to the All Star Tour. During the previous dates of the tour; the doors opened around noon, but in Orlanda, it wasn’t until 4:00 PM which resulted in major delays. Un expected downpours showered up hundreds of attendees just a half hour before the show, when the line was at it’s max. Makeup covered the sidewalk, as the rain was worth battling to make it in the doors as soon as possible. As to add insult to injury, two bands were not in attendance, Emmure’s bus has broken down, and Memphis May Fire also dropped the show to go headline a show in downtown Orlando.
On a positive note; The Plaza Live! is the ideal play venue. It featured one giant stage, and seats (that were taken out) throughout the floor.. They divided the stage in two, so while one band plays, the other band is setting up, which kept things moving as much as it could.
With such a large line up, there were no breaks in between sets. At the most, a 20 second delay between bands. One right after the other, bands preformed not stop which gave the crowd their best bang for their buck, but resulted in the venue getting very hot, very quick.
The first song of the day was Outbreak Of Heartache by For All Those Sleeping. This 5 piece from St. Cloud, MN don’t get enough credit. Their debut album, Cross Your Fingers, doesn’t compare to their live performance. After F.A.T.S played, then stages switched and Attila went on. The bands went back and forth, attendees rocking entire time.
The ideal feature about this venue is, like a normal “auditorium style” venue, they had a snack bar out in the front by merchandise. They had all kinds of food and drinks and was filled with fans between sets.
Since Emmure wasn’t playing that night, I Wrestled A Bear Once and Alesana were the headliners that night, and Bless The Fall getting the full stage for their performance as well. Before the headliners, the bands Sleeping With Sirens and Motionless in White played back to back before the heavy bands played. Sleeping With Sirens were definitely the odd guys out that night. They are know to be more of Post-Hardcore sound than the other bands on the tour. Kellin Quin is know for his high pitched voice, and even though very successful, the only audience there for them seemed to be the girlfriends of the guys that attended the show. Nonetheless, they were still played a fantastic set. Motionless in White, also an odd band out on this tour (though for different for a noticeable reason), put on a very good performance. They were filming a music video for their song, Puppets, and the crowd went insane. Even before knowing about the video, the crowd was still showed enthusiasm. Motionless in White is known for being a “dark” band, wearing tons of makeup and body paint for their live show. This just adds to the visually amazing performance they put on.
Bless The Fall put on an amazing performance to a smaller crowd. Since finding out about Emmure, after The Ghost Inside played, a lot of fans ended up leaving, but the venue still was packed with people. After Bless The Fall, I Wrestled A Bear Once played. They were know on Warped Tour 2010 as “Gay Metal”. With a female vocalist, this band is very hated in the music scene. However they did put on such a great show. They had melodic moments, then break into such a heavy breakdown, you thought the roof was about the collapse. If this band is ever in your town, take the opportunity to see them.
The Tour is nearly over, but a handful of dates remain, and if you get the chance go check the show with a large amount of talent.
Aug 18 Tempe, AZ @ The Marquee Theater
Aug 19 San Diego, CA @ Soma
Aug 20 Anaheim, CA @ The Grove
Aug 21 Las Vegas, NV @ Rock The Block
Aug 22 San Francisco, CA @ Regency Ballroom
Aug 24 San Francisco, CA @ Ace Of Spades
Aug 25 Seattle, WA @ The Showbox
Aug 26 Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater
