On May 13th, 2024, alternative metal band From Ashes To New’s Blackout Tour Part 2 arrived in Chattanooga, Tennessee at the Signal for a night of exciting performances and wild energy. Supporting the show were Elijah, Phix, Ekoh, and Point North.
Opening the show was Elijah, and even though the room was still rather empty, those present were quickly energized by Elijah’s enthusiastic performance. As soon as he and his band got onstage, they were all in constant motion, spinning and kicking, and even jumping off the small platforms on the stage. Towards the end of Elijah’s first song, he had the crowd raise their fists along to the beat, to which the crowd enthusiastically responded. I hadn’t heard of Elijah’s music before, but I was impressed by the catchy beats and instrumentals, paired with hard vocals and heavy drums.
Elijah – Vocals
Chris Blankenship – Drums
Brandon Kyle – Guitar
Xander Raymond Charles – Guitar
Set List:
1). EASY TO DROWN
2). harder to lie
3). HUMAN
4). virus
5). Enemies
Next to the stage was Phix, a rapper from Texas. Playing with him was Logan Dallimore on guitar and Bronx Sandoval on drums. Phix’s music might have been different in genre to Elijah’s, but the band’s energy was just as high. The first band member to enter the stage was Logan on the guitar, and immediately he was bouncing around, which never stopped throughout the set. Likewise, Bronx started to play gymnastics with his drumsticks, all the while keeping up his energy and remaining faithful to the beats. The crowd went wild as the two started up the song, especially in support of the young Bronx.
When Phix finally came on stage, the crowd screamed. His vocals were impressive as he expertly kept to the rhythm of the song, never missing a word in his stream of lyrics. During the second to last song of the set, Ekoh came out and joined Phix on lyrics, which the crowd loved. As more of the audience filtered into the room during the set, the crowd continued to increase their participation, and the energy coming from Phix and the band kept rising.
Set List:
1). Night Stand
2). War
3). So Alive
4). Save Me
5). Worked Up
6). Die 4 You
7). Doomed
8). Underneath
After Phix was Ekoh, a hip-hop artist, along with his touring DJ Kode Break, and drummer Andrew Zakher. While Ekoh’s music wasn’t as heavy as Elijah’s or Phix’s, the crowd still danced along, and Ekoh was no less engaged. Between each song, he made sure to converse with them, sharing jokes and describing the meaning behind his songs.
My favorite part of his set was when he performed a rap based on the Marvel movies and comics. He opened the song by asking if there were any nerds in the house, to which the crowd responded favorably. Then, excitingly, he rapped the whole song acapella, which showcased his impressive enunciation techniques. Right after that song, he surprised the crowd by having them hold him up by his ankles so that he sang suspended in the air. To finish it off, the crowd surfed back to the stage. Even though Ekoh isn’t the sort of music I normally listen to, I still really enjoyed his set.
Ekoh:
Ekoh – Vocals
Kode Break – DJ
Andrew Zakher – Drums
Set List:
1). Hurt Myself
2). Ted Talk
3). numb
4). Good Things
5). Marvel Avengers Endgame rap
(acapella)
6). WAYSIDE
7). Hole in Your Head
8). GOODBYE HAPPINESS / Hello loneliness
9). Freeverse 3
Point North, an alternative rock trio from Los Angeles, CA was the next band of the night, and as soon as the lights went down to signal the start of their set, the crowd cheered loudly. They seemed to be more familiar with this band since as soon as vocalist Jon Lundin started to sing the opening lyrics of their first song, “Prepare for Despare,” the crowd sang along with him.
While Point North’s stage setup might have been sparse, aside from the drum kit and a few platforms at the front, the lighting more than made up for it. With extra lights at the back of the stage, as well as the colorful overheads, the stage was lit up in bright colors. To get the crowd engaged with the set, Jon had the crowd turn on their phone flashlights, and it created a beautiful effect with the already lightened room. And when Elijah joined them onstage for vocals during one song, the crowd became even more energized.
Jon Lundin – Vocals
Andy Hershey – Guitar
Sage Weeber – Drums
Set List:
1). Prepare For Despare
2). Below The Belt
3). Dark Days
4). Someone You Don’t Know
5). A Million Pieces
6). Like A Weapon
7). Ghost in My Home
8). Into The Dark
9). Bring Me Down
10). Stitch Me Up
11). Psycho
12). Safe And Sound
Finally, the time had come for From Ashes to New to take the stage. The lights went down, and the Backstreet Boys’ “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)” played from the speakers, with the entire crowd singing and dancing along. Everyone’s excitement could be felt as the large screens on the stage lit up, signaling that the band would begin soon. When the opening beats of “Armageddon” started and each band member took their place on stage, the crowd shouted out before singing along with vocalists Danny Case and Matt Brandyberry.
From Ashes to New played a total of sixteen songs, with a great mix of old and new music for all of their fans. An exciting addition to the setlist that differed from Part One of the tour was the band’s newest single, “One Foot in the Grave.” Since it’s such a new release, it was my first time seeing it live, and I’m glad I had the opportunity to do so. The band’s animated performance really emphasized the powerful vocals and instruments showcased in the song.
One thing I always enjoy about seeing From Ashes to New Live is the interaction between the band and the crowd. Both Danny and Matt are always so entertaining to watch as they banter with each other before having the crowd participate in their antics, such as when they bet each other that their side of the crowd would be louder than the others. Even in the middle of their songs, the antics didn’t stop. Many times, Matt would go up to guitarist Lance Dowdle and touring guitarist Jimmy Bennett and sneak up behind them, or poke at them while they played. From Ashes to New is clearly a tight-knit group, and these interactions showed that well.
To the crowd’s delight, both Elijah and Ekoh made appearances during the set. Elijah came out for “Panic,” and Ekoh joined them for “Nightmare.” The two artists both put their own spin onto the songs which was fun to see. I always loved getting to see artists from the night’s lineup join each other onstage, so it was exciting that it happened so many times.
The last song played was “Through it All,” an older song by From Ashes to New, but one the fans know well. The whole crowd sang along and waved their arms in the air. It was the perfect way to end an energizing and dynamic set.
I had an incredible time seeing the Blackout Tour, and I was introduced to several new bands, as well, which is one of my favorite parts of attending concerts. All of the performances were great, and even though the show ended near eleven o’clock, I was still ready for more.
Matt Brandyberry – Vocals, Guitar
Danny Case – Vocals
Lance Dowdle – Guitar
Maty Madiro – Drums
Set List:
1). Armageddon
2). Dead To Me
3). Broken
4). Monster In Me
5). Scars That I’m Hiding
6). My Fight
7). Heartache
8). Echoes
9). Hate Me Too
10). My Name
11). Barely Breathing
12). Crazy
13). One Foot In The Grave
14). Panic
15). Nightmare
16). Through It All
I’ve always been the creative type, but nothing quite beats how it felt the first time I picked up a camera. Once I photographed my first concert, I knew I had found my passion. As an avid concert-goer, getting to combine my love of music with my love of photography is like a dream come true!
