There’s No Turning Back Tonight

It has been twenty years since Underoath released their album ‘They’re Only Chasing Safety.’ Honestly, that’s wild to think about. I still remember grabbing the CD from the CD shop I was working at at the time, getting home, putting it in my boombox, and letting the sound blare. I’m sure my parents didn’t quite appreciate the intense noises coming from my bedroom that night, but it was one of those albums that hit me and hit me hard. A lot has changed in twenty years and, if I’m being honest, Underoath isn’t a band I frequent yet I knew that I couldn’t miss the twenty-year celebration of this monumental album so, after a quick dinner and a quick cleaning of the house, I was off to spend my Wednesday night out at The Myth in Maplewood.

I was super excited for the first of the three-band showcase. P.O.S. is a local rapper who is part of Doomtree, but, really, he is so much more than that. Why was there a rapper opening up this nostalgia-fueled screamo band’s set? P.O.S. actually got his start in the hardcore and punk scene. That influence definitely leaks into his music making him the perfect, albeit a bit of a wildcard, opener. It was honestly so lovely to see P.O.S. on stage again after a long break (which is a whole other story, so I won’t get into it). Sure, I saw him a couple of months ago at a super small show at Can Can Wonderland, but this was the first time I had seen him take a stage worthy of his presence in a very long time, and it all just felt right. Although P.O.S. clearly struggled to grab the majority of the audience throughout his quick set, he didn’t hold back and gave the people everything he had while clearly having a fun time doing it.

One of the highlights of P.O.S.’s set for me was when his friend and collaborator, Dwynell Roland, joined him on stage. These two men have very different sounds, yet when they come together, it’s pure magic. Although Dwynell’s time on stage was short in an already short set, this duo playing through “RELAY” from the new E.P. that they just put out together was definitely one of my favorite parts of the night as a whole. Again, I know this was a bit of a strange opener if you don’t know the backstory of P.O.S. and how he fits into the whole Underoath-era scene, but I thought that, out of everyone in the Twin Cities, Underoath couldn’t have picked a better local supporting act.

Static Dress from Leeds, England, was up next. I had never heard of this band before, but they absolutely had my attention within the first song. Formed in 2018, this band has a show that will make the hair on the back of your neck stand straight up. From the flawless nature of their post-hardcore meets screamo sound to the way that none of these members seemed to know how to just stand still on a stage, there was something electrifying about their time on stage. There was a slight game of tug of war happening throughout Static Dress’ set when it came to their sound and I found it addicting. There was this tender side that would try and pop up here and there, but it was quickly pulled to the side by a sense of pure angst and aggression. This constant give and take created a dynamic throughout the set that definitely told me everything I needed to know about this band. Sure, I was brand new to their world, as was most of the audience, but this is a band to watch and one that I can’t wait to see again sooner rather than later.

Whenever I think of Underoath, I not only think of their intense and influential sound but also of an old t-shirt I had gotten one of the first times I saw this band live. It was back when I couldn’t leave a show without a shirt, so my black band shirt collection was insane, but this one stood out to my parents. Instead of just saying the band name normally, the shirt had split it into separate lines- “Und. Ero. Ath”. To this day, my step-mom, dad, and I joke about this shirt. Instead of saying “Underoath,” I still pronounce it as Und-Ero-Ath, and it always brings a smile to my face. But you’re not here to read about my trip down nostalgia lane; you’re here to hear about the show, so let’s get into it.

Underoath’s set started with vocalist Spencer Chamberlain sitting on a couch that was towards the back of the stage and on a riser. He sang the first song, which happened to be the final song on ‘They’re Only Chasing Safety’ from the couch with just a few lamps dimly lighting the stage. Although it was hard to see, it was not hard to feel the emotion that Spencer put into this track. It truly set the stage for something amazing and so very emotional for everyone involved. After this slow and beautiful opening, the rest of the band joined Spencer on stage. The lights started to swirl, and we were off to a playthrough of the 2004 album.

I really can not put into words all of the things I was feeling as the band played hit after hit. Okay, maybe not every song on this album is actually a “hit,” but these are songs that absolutely became the soundtrack for a generation, and, lucky for me, I was part of that generation. I think the craziest thing about hearing these songs from my angsty teenage years was the fact that, although it has been years since I really spent time with the album, all of the words came flooding back to me, and it felt like this outside force had taken over as I started shouted along to every song. I know that all sounds dramatic, but it’s truly what happened, and I think it’s safe to say I was not alone in that. The majority of the audience was made up of people around my age who were clearly having this emotional experience throughout the night, and we weren’t afraid to wear that on our sleeves as we screamed back every word as if pleading with the band to bring us back to those days when things were just slightly simpler.

Underoath didn’t have to perform on Wednesday night. This band is from Florida, and two of the members left their families behind in Tampa. If that were me, I would have been terrified and on high alert, what with the hurricane scheduled to make landfall in the area on Wednesday night. Instead, the band explained that they were live-streaming this show for just their wives and children as if to distract them from whatever the hurricane was bringing to their doorstep. I don’t know why, but this hit me as so wholesome, so honest, so very Underoath, and I feel like it really humanized this band that we have all admired for so many years.

I could go on and on about Underoath’s set on Wednesday night, but if you weren’t there and if you didn’t grow up listening to ‘They’re Only Chasing Safety’ on repeat as I did, my words will feel like the rambling thoughts of an obsessed fan, so let’s just call it good, shall we? Long story short, Wednesday night was perfect.