WorldofEd.Com

Senses Fail Co Headline With The Amity Affliction

Senses Fail came through Phoenix again. This time, they were on a co-headlining tour with The Amity Affliction at The Van Buren. I obviously was going to be there and ended up having another great day with my friends.

I woke up early and got the car packed. The drive to the venue was nice. The day was rainy and the venue was in downtown Phoenix, much closer to the house than some of the other shows. Because the show was on a Sunday, traffic was light and parking was easy. I met up with everyone at the venue. Everyone was actually still asleep, so I sat on the bus for a bit while reading the internet and shuffling Magic decks.

Everyone got up and got ready for the day. Gavin and I decided to head out ad run some errands. We hit a number of stores and were able to get a solid lunch in us. We were out for a few hours before returning to the venue for soundcheck. He went in and got to work. While the band was running through things, I was able to check out the digs. I had never been to the Van Buren before and I have to say that I am impressed. It was huge, had a great balcony, and had a ton of space backstage. There were also a number of elevators to lift gear onto the loading dock and stage in the absence of a ramp. All said, it definitely deservers to be checked out.

After soundcheck, we killed a little time before the meet and greet. I caught up more with everyone and everything that had happened since I had seen them last. Around 5:30, they departed for the meet and greet while I headed out for food. We met back up at 6 and jumped into a game of Commander in Magic the Gathering. They got me back into it after Warped Tour and loaded me a deck in this format. I was the first one out of a 4 way match. I can't say that I like the format. Buddy and I threw down with a couple of decks that I had brought and I got my ass kicked again.

By now, it was time for the band to get ready. They got amped up in the dressing room and then hit the stage hard. If you've never seen them, you need to. There is no B game with Senses Fail. They put out a ton of energy, play really well, and are super tight. You can really tell that the band loves being up on stage and enjoy every minute of it. They played to an almost sold out crowd for an hour, mixing in the classics with some of the new stuff. The sound was great and the lights looked amazing. It really is a hell of a show and I can't say enough how much you need to see them.

After the show, I hung with Gavin for a bit longer on the bus, discussing old friends and catching up some more. The rest of the band slowly trickled in joined the party. World of Ed gained a few new followers as a few of the guys were turned onto how amazing our Twitter feed is. I still had work the next day, so I made a few quick and sneaky good byes and then hit the road at midnight for the ride home.

I had a hell of a time and am very happy and thankful that I got to catch these guys again.

Senses Fail in bright lighting during the soundcheck.
Setting up at The Van Buren.
A table with Magic The Gathering cards on it.
Lord Windgrace fucking sucks.
Senses Fail standing in their dressing room.
The gang pregaming.
Steve Carey drumming and smiling.
The happiest drummer on the planet
Senses Fail on stage performing as seen from the crowd.
A view from the wings.
Buddy Nielsen singing into a microphone while Gavin Caswell plays guitar.
Buddy really giving it all for the crowd.
Senses Fail on stage performing.
Senses Fail on stage killing it.