Dance Gavin Dance’s Jackpot Juicer US Tour Doesn’t Miss at Fillmore Silver Spring
What A Damn Night
It’s been a good while since I’ve really gotten down to some Dance Gavin Dance, I won’t lie. When I heard they were stopping by my favorite Maryland venue for the Jackpot Juicer US Tour, I was hit with an instant wave of nostalgia of teenage angst.
I get to The Fillmore Silver Spring a little too close to doors for comfort, but I made it. Or did I? Nope, it turns out that I made an oops and doors were actually at 6pm. Not 7pm. So when I hustled up to the barrier at 7:46pm, I had already missed Within Destruction. I ran into an old friend, Courtney, at the show who told me they were the heaviest band that evening and that I definitely missed a bomb ass set. Well shit, I’m definitely catching them next time they’re in my neck of the woods then.
I actually arrived just in time for Rain City Drive to begin their performance. I have a habit of keeping myself in the dark until showtime for openers that I haven’t heard yet.
More often than not, it’s a neat little surprise because I end up really digging the band and getting to hear them live first is such a fun way to get hip to them. Rain City Drive is no different, turns out they fucking rock. Felipe, their guitarist who’s sporting a sick leather jacket and a glowing grin appears to be having just the best time ever. Vocalist Matt enthusiastically points his mic stand at members of the audience as he’s performing.
This California born group brought all of the heat to Maryland tonight. Their energy on stage is amazing, and the crowd is so stoked to be watching them. Seriously. You know how sometimes the audience can be a little less than thrilled during the openers set? Uh uh, not tonight. I mean there’s crowd surfers left and right, I even spotted a dude in a banana suit who made it all the way to the front and managed to get a fist bump from Matt right at the tail end of a song.
Rain City Drive played a new single called “Frozen”, that actually wasn’t even out yet but that didn’t stop everyone from singing along. RCD’s set comes to a close and wow do I feel a buzz purely from the energy in the room.
Up next is SiM, a group of reggae “punx” from Japan. Based on the few photos I saw of the band after a quick google search in the sidelines of the photo pit, I have no idea what to expect. Holy. Shit.
This band f*cking rocks. I’m right in front of bassist SIN as he kicks, spins and hula hoops his bass around effortlessly. MAH, the band’s lead vocalist, is racing and wiggling back and forth across the stage so quickly the photogs in the pit are struggling to keep up.
GODRi and SHOW-HATE, drummer and guitarist are flashing grins and falling right in line with the rest of the band’s theatrical stage behavior.
My favorite song from their set was probably “KiSS OF DEATH”, but it’s really tough to choose a favorite. Literally every song is a banger and the band is lightning in a bottle. Quite honestly, they stole the show in my opinion.
MAH blows kisses to the crowd and the band disappears from view after they play their last song. The backdrop that was up for the openers, a plain black background with a distressed white bat symbol on it, collapses to reveal Dance Gavin Dance’s fruit laden backdrop. It is the Jackpot Juicer tour after all.
The lights go out and the crowd goes nuts. The boys of Dance Gavin Dance appear one by one until lastly, vocalist Tilian shows up and promptly gets down to business.
Honestly, the word “dance” appearing twice in the band’s name is appropriate because Tilian and screamer Jon are both GROOVING. Jon dances in a nerdy sort of way while Tilian is a little more sensual with it.
After I exit the photo pit, I’m stage right with the audience and I swear I can barely hear the band due to how literally every single person is singing along. Every word. Every song. I’m not mad at it though, that’s exactly the kind of energy I love to see at a show.
Dance Gavin Dance plays a blazing thirteen song set with really appealing visuals. There are neon slot machine and fruit animations playing on large screens behind the band.
By song seven I feel nearly dead. Did I forget to mention this is a sold out show? It’s packed in there and I was certainly feeling it. I retired to the basement bar in the Fillmore where there was no shortage of air conditioning.
Not to worry, there’s a massive screen fixed to the wall where I watch the rest of the show. I will say, Dance Gavin Dance felt low energy as far as stage presence goes compared to SiM but I’m not hating. They still put on a great show.
I could hear the crowd roar for an encore even in the basement and the guys delivered with “We Own the Night” and “Evaporate”. I was really hoping to hear “Uneasy Hearts Weigh the Most”, which was my go to DGD banger in high school. I also really like “We Own the Night” too, though, so I didn’t mind.
Dance Gavin Dance kisses the crowd goodnight and the lights come up. It sounds like a stampede as the crowd pours out onto the street, I give it a few minutes before I brave the stairs to make my own way back to the car. Even though I was still kicking myself over missing an entire set, it was definitely still a bomb ass show.
There are still some dates left on the Jackpot Juicer US Tour! Don’t miss out.
See the Full Gallery of the Evening Here!
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Click Here for Tickets and Tour Information!
TOUR DATES
September 25 – Cleveland, OH – Agora Theatre*
September 27 – Boston, MA – MGM Music Hall at Fenway
September 29 – New York, NY – The Rooftop at Pier 17
September 30 – Asbury Park, NJ – Stone Pony Summer Stage
October 3 – Pittsburgh, PA – Stage AE*+
October 4 – Detroit, MI – Masonic Temple Theatre*+
FALL FESTIVAL DATES
October 6 – Sacramento, CA – Aftershock
SWANFEST 2023
October 1 – Philadelphia, PA – Mann Center
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