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Summer is officially here, and with that comes a large variety of tours hitting Southern California. One that is sure to be remembered for a long time is the unbelievably stacked ‘Return Of The Robot Tour’ headlined by the incomparable 20 year vets ‘Dance Gavin Dance’. Known for putting their unique R&B and Math Rock spins in the metalcore genre, the band came through with an hour-long setlist, showcasing new tracks from past and present eras of the band. While they ditched the Tillian Pearson era of the band, the crowd still seemed enthused with what they got. Highlights included in the setlist were ‘Uneasy Hearts Weigh The Most’, ‘Blue Dream’, and ‘Midnight At McGuffy’s’, the bands lead single off their forthcoming album ‘Pantheon’.
Riverside CA is a town in the San Bernardino County area of Southern California, making it the ‘almost’ desert. No amount of air conditioning could contain the 100 degree weather that was rummaging through the open doors into the venue. If that didn’t make it hot enough, the body temperatures practically made it a sauna causing it to be a very fun but very sweaty time inside. This particular date was the very first date of the entire tour to have sold out, selling out over six months in advance. Absolutely nothing could contain the excitement of the fans whether it being undeniably hot weather conditions, or leaving some of the giant anthems of the bands discography out of the setlist. Regardless, all six onstage members were absolutely crushing in their own ways. From Will Swan doing his consistent shredding as he does, to Jon Mess belting his unique screamy delivery, Matthew Mingus setting the tempo perfectly, and Andrew Wells having as angelic of a vocal performance as ever.
While Dance Gavin Dance often brings out fellow bands that tend to sit on the metalcore side of the scene, they chose a different approach this time. They brought out excellent choices that not only aren’t on the same side of the scene as them, but rather sit more so in the pop punk realm. Nonetheless, the support acts they chose have undeniable crossover reach making them excellent choices. The first band of the night was a 5 piece band from Sacramento CA, ‘Dwellings’ (unfortunately not photographed). Following them were the pop punk mainstays in ‘Belmont’. While Belmont is usually spotted playing with fellow bands like Knuckle Puck, Grayscale, and Can’t Swim, they showcased their abilities to move a heavier crowd. There was consistent moshing and crowdsurfing and high octane energy throughout their set. While the band was performing a variety of old and new songs like ‘Overstepping’, ‘Pushing Daisies’, and ‘In The Sky’, the crowd remained present with them every step of the way.
Closing out the rounds of support bands was the rapidly rising pop rock band ‘The Home Team’. More so than before, ‘The Home Team’ had a huge wave of fans there in attendance specifically for them singing and belting every word to every song. Walking around the venue and spotting a large number of people sporting their merch is a strong telling that this band has absolutely nowhere else to go but up. Vocalist Brian Butcher was setting the dance vibes high contrasting the rhythm and funk aspect that the band brings along with their heavier instrumentation perfectly. Fans that were there as well as people in attendance that were unaware of them were all eating it up. There was one point where Butcher asked the crowd “Does anybody here get sad and horny?”, which received a massive cheer throughout the sold out theater. While these support acts may fall more so under the pop rock and pop punk umbrellas, the downtuned guitars and ‘moshy’ vibes, and unique rhythm and flows easily make all of them perfect fits for this tour.
All in all, the vibes were high the entire night. The merch lines were as long as they’ve ever been at the Riverside Auditorium, and the excitement from fans spanned for all three floors of the house. With the new album right around the corner, it seems inevitable that there will be another tour leg announcement in the coming months for die-hard fans that want to do it all over again, as well as fans that missed out this time around.
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