REVIEW: UNDERTOW/UNBROKEN IN SEATTLE

I made the trek up to the Northwest last weekend for one reason and one reason only—Unbroken. Other bands played as well, but Unbroken was the reason I went. I've wanted to see this band forever but missed the shows in both Chicago and Southern California. I figured Seattle would be my last chance, so I packed a bag (which I then left in the overhead compartment of the plane, but that's a different story) and took off.

I missed the first couple of bands (Touche Amore and Marginal Way) but got there just in time to see the last half of The Helm. They played Salt Lake a few years ago, and I remember liking them then, but I wasn't feeling them the other night. They just seemed devoid of any energy at all and, unfortunately, kind of boring. Which is too bad, because I really was looking forward to seeing them.

Next up was Balance of the World. I'd never heard them before, but I was pretty impressed. They reminded me of Quicksand (but don't exactly sound like that) for some reason.

After that, Strain played and that's when people finally started waking up. They got the crowd moving and warmed everyone up. It was a good, solid set from a great band, but I was ready for the headliners. At this point, 5 bands had already played and it the show had been going on for nearly 4 hours.

I moved up front and saw Jake Bannon walking around and made a joke about how Converge were making a surprise appearance. Then the rest of the band started setting up. They ditched their show with Mastodon down the street and jumped on at the last minute. I hadn't seen them in a good five years, so it was a pleasant surprise. They opened the set with a cover of Wolverine Blues by Entombed and then just tore it up after that. They played a lot of stuff from Jane Doe, You Fail Me and No Heroes (which I was kind of bummed about) but they ended with The Saddest Day, so that was a plus. Good set overall and I've had my Converge fix for the next 5 years.

Finally, it was time for Unbroken to start. This is the set that I flew out for and they did not disappoint. They opened with "Razor" and closed it out with "Absentee Debate" and everything in between was awesome. I didn't know what I was going to get going in, but that band exceeded every expectation I could have had. I was smiling the whole time.

Undertow was the headliner and brought the house down. I've never been the biggest fan of that band and they had their work cut out for them following Unbroken, but they didn't disappoint. I feel it may have been a better reception than everyone else because they were playing for the hometown crowd, but they still put on a hell of a show.

All in all, it was well worth the trip up and I'm glad I can finally cross another band off my list.

More pics from the show over here.