On Friday, January 18th, 2013, Of Mice & Men came charging into the House of Blues in Hollywood and took no parishioners. Selling out most of their current tour dates, including Hollywood’s date, it was a breath of fresh air to see a metal band sell out a venue, no matter how big or small the venue is. If you had a ticket for tonight, you were lucky to experience an incredible show; and if you didn’t have a ticket for the show, well, we hope the wounds from kicking yourself heal soon.
How does one make an entrance and make you feel pumped? How about coming out on stage to the Star Wars song “Duel of Fates” and driving the crowd nuts? Nothing says epic like this song, and epic is the only word you can use to describe this night. Throughout the night, we were treated to absolute insanity from the band. Not once was this band dull or playing for the sake of getting through this tour. No, these guys put on a full blown clinic and they looked like they overly enjoyed every moment of this show.
You cant talk about of Mice & Men without talking about Austin Carlile. Carlile is an outstanding vocalist who can control a room with his presence alone. There wasn’t a moment where this guy slowed down; in fact, his energy increased as the show went on. This translated to a crowd that rivaled the previous crowd the night before with Emmure, Whitechapel, Unearth, and others. Take a look at the pictures, you can tell he is passionate about giving the fans a concert they will never forget. So, while Carlile shined bright, the rest of the band was there directly supporting his every note, including Aaron Pauley, who played a key role in clean vocals. He allowed the crowd to sing along and lose their voice throughout the night, making every song incredibly enjoyable along with Carlie’s brutal growls.
The band came and went, only playing an hour set, which left everyone wanting more. Highlights of the night included the band performing “Let Live“; Carlile Crowd surfing; the crowd getting down and jumping up all at once; and the encore song, which could of totally destroyed the House of Blues because of the intensity in the room- “Second and Sebring“. Songs for the night included “O.G. Loko,” “Still YDG’n,” “Ohioisonfire,” “Those in Glass Houses,” and ” The Great Hendowski“.
There’s no doubt that this band is going to be huge one day- just look at their Facebook cover photo; they’ve sold out most of this current tour so far and more dates and appearances are high on demand. Like we said earlier, this band deserves total and complete success and we are more than positive that Austin Carlile will take the band towards a bright and meaningful future. So don’t be left out and make sure to buy your tickets for this tour before it sells out!
Review by: Alex Lucero
