Bring Me the Horizon is having yet another banner year and they brought their massive Post Human USA Tour to Arizona Financial Theatre last week to prove it. The British hardcore group stacked up one of the strongest lineups of 2022 and a packed house welcomed them with gusto.
Returning Atlas favorite Grandson walked onstage like the royalty he is, waving majestically to an already-enamored audience. His set was short but powerful, including rippers like “We Did It!!!” and “Stick Up”. Grandson is unapologetic in his beliefs and lets them bleed through in his lyrics and onstage persona. At the end of the set, everyone clearly knew that they were in a safe space to express themselves and lose their minds rocking out for the rest of the night.
Knocked Loose is undeniably one of the best bands in hardcore right now and they took Phoenix to church on Friday. Vocalist Bryan Garris’ distinct tone and aggressive stage presence whipped the pit into a frenzy of respectful moshing while the band delivered “God Knows”, “Deadringer”, “Counting Worms” and more. When the audience wasn’t throwing their bodies into the music (and each other), the band’s magnetic presence pulled them in to watch in awe. Everyone expended plenty of energy, but they saved the reserves for the night’s headliner.
Bring Me the Horizon has been a band for twenty odd years now and, if anything, they’ve only expanded their musical range while growing into a worldwide force. The stage was set with LED platforms and screens to move the crowd through blinding visuals to back the songs. The band went viral on TikTok earlier this year with “Can You Feel My Heart”, so it was only appropriate that they opened with it, right into goth-chic cheerleading banger “Happy Song”.
BMTH is still celebrating 2020’s Post Human: Survival Horror album with a proper touring run, and much of the setlist was taken from the record. Fans have had two years to digest the material and they showed their appreciation and approval by singing every word to songs old and new.
Longtime fans were appeased with “Shadow Moses” and the surprising addition of “Diamonds Aren’t Forever”- the furthest back in the catalog the band took us that night. The anthemic “Drown” closed out the main set before the band returned for an epic encore of “Obey” and “Throne”.
It’s been four long years since Arizona has seen BMTH and the band made sure that we’d never forget that they’d always come back to us. Everything about the band and the show felt larger than life and it’s likely we’ll see them on even bigger stages on their next run.
Check out all the photos from the show!
Story and photos by Olivia Khiel
