Of Mice & Men

Of Mice & Men brought their "Full Circle Tour" to San Francisco's Regency Ballroom. Well-past doors opening, the line of ticket holders snaked around the corner and far down Fern Street. Once inside, the fans bee-lined for the stage, forgoing the usual trip to the merch table or bar. The phalanx of kids in front of the stage waiting patiently was a clear indication that they were here not only for Of Mice & Men, but for the openers as well.
Of Mice & Men

Of Mice & Men brought their “Full Circle Tour” to San Francisco’s Regency Ballroom. Well-past doors opening, the line of ticket holders snaked around the corner and far down Fern Street. Once inside, the fans bee-lined for the stage, forgoing the usual trip to the merch table or bar. The phalanx of kids in front of the stage waiting patiently was a clear indication that they were here not only for Of Mice & Men, but for the openers as well.

Unfortunately Crown The Empire was waylaid by a bus breakdown but the crowd seemed nonplussed and was clearly eager for the Bay Area return of Volumes who spared no effort cramming as much energy as physically possible into their 35 minute set. And while the crowd may have appreciated the update on the Golden State Warriors score, their attention remained fixated on the stage.

When Volumes wrapped their set, the crowd literally didn’t budge ..  no running to the bathroom, no smoke break or stepping into the lobby for a breath of fresh air … with the room at capacity and close-up space at a premium, no one was willing to sacrifice their hard won position. When OM&M eventually took the stage at the obscenely early hour of 9 pm, the room erupted … the floor a chaotic mess … more an undulating blob of sweat, hair and flesh than any sort of ordered mosh.

Clearly pleased with the mayhem unfolding, frontman Austin Carlile regarded the behavior with a frequent smile and a thumbs up as the band blasted through their catalog. Carlile only had one demand of the room … put the phones away … which was met with a short-lived refrain. But with the room becoming increasingly uncomfortably sweaty and moist (even up in the balcony), the desire to capture crappy videos and pictures eventually waned.

OM&M is clearly still riding high on their 2014 release, Restoring Force, and the fans ate up every note from the set opener Public Service Announcement to the closer You’re Not Alone.  If this Thursday night in San Francisco proved one thing, it’s that Of Mice & Men have hit their stride. It will be interesting to see where this momentum take them.

Setlist:

  • Public Service Announcement
  • Glass Hearts
  • Broken Generation
  • O.G. Loko
  • Let Live
  • You Make Me Sick
  • Feels Like Forever
  • Bones Exposed
  • Would You Still Be There
  • Never Giving Up
  • Identity Disorder
  • Another You
  • Second & Sebring

–Encore–

  • The Depths
  • You’re Not Alone

Supporting act: Volumes

More on Of Mice & Men: Facebook | Website | Shows | Twitter | Instagram

© 2015 Alan Snodgrass | www.digitaldiversion.net. Please do not use without express permission. If you like what you see, leave a comment below and subscribe so you can be notified of new posts. You can also become a fan on Facebook.

Tags: