Set It off concert review (Raleigh, NC)

Set It Off played to a packed house on Wednesday, December 10th, at the Ritz in Raleigh NC. The air in the room was practically buzzing. The stage had ice theming and frosty tree statues surrounding it. The increased energy was most likely due to it being the last day of tour. The crowd consisted of mostly of elder emos and a few younger teens. Surprisingly to me, there were also some older metal heads present. I was a bit confused by this at first given Set It Off’s Warped Tour days and high concentration of emo fangirls, but as the night went on I soon understood. Set It Off’s current tour is to support their new self-titled independent album.

The show opened up with the incredible alt rock band Autumn Kings. They are a three piece band from Detroit, MI. The band’s energy was unmatched! The vocals were incredible and the vibe of the music ranged from alternative emo to metal. The band also had music influenced by anime, which was super cool to see as someone who is a big fan of anime. I immediately followed Autumn Kings on Spotify during the show!

The next act was Vana. I was in no way prepared for the show I was about to witness! Vana is a female led metal group from New Zealand. The lead singer Yvonne Winckel (aka Vana) has bright red hair and a gorgeous voice. She can quickly shift from beautiful melodic vocals to hardcore screaming. When Vana and the members showed up on stage, all of them were wearing very detailed, gothic style masks to cover their faces. However, after the first song, Vana took her mask off. The crowd lost it at this motion. Throughout the set, Vana’s artistry and stage presence revealed itself to be unmatched! Anything she asked the audience to do was immediately followed. My friend and I found ourselves hooked on every word.

Fame on Fire took over the stage next with heavy metal riffs and relentless energy. The band is from Florida and oddly enough got recognition from covering an Adele song . The band’s music style is firmly rooted in metal and hard rock. They kept the crowd on their toes. Each song that played was one hit after another. The crowd responded with crowd surfers and a circle pit.

Around 9:30 p.m., Set It Off took the stage. The lights went black and a silence fell over the crowd. A female voice softly emerged from the speakers. In her speech, she talked about breaking free from the ice that held us all captive. This theme was conveyed throughout the set. It makes sense given that this album release is Set It Off’s first independent album. It’s great to see an established band chose to release their music independently. The music industry right now is rife with issues from record labels owning too much of a band’s music rights and stealing music from their artists. A lot of smaller artists are making the move to release their albums independently so they can own their own music while still giving it to the public. This is why Set It Off choosing to do the same is such an important move.

This was my first time seeing Set It Off perform live and I was so excited to see them on this specific tour. A lot of their newer songs and reworked singles feature heavier riffs and more metal inspired theatrics. Cody Carson, the lead singer, started a wall of death at one point during the concert. During the song “Partners in Crime,” Vana and other band members from the previous acts came on to stage to support. Vana sang the duet part with Cody while she held a nerf gun. The other acts set up a beer pong table and played beer pong with cherry tomatoes while Set It Off played. Later in the set, the band slowed it down a bit by playing “Why Worry.” Singing along to that song in a room full of people screaming was a very cathartic experience. The band’s energy and happiness was felt in every song they played.

I am so glad to have gone to this concert! I was introduced to some of my new favorite bands and had an incredible night with my friends. I highly advise that if you have the chance to check out any of the bands on this line up. You will NOT be disappointed.

Jake from Autumn Kings with my friend and me