I try to be as unbiased as possible in my reviews, but I’m going to be honest. This one could be a little biased. When the pandemic hit; the amount of pain and uncertainty that filled the concert scene was overwhelming. I’m so thankful that the world opened back up in a way that Being As An Ocean(BAAO) was able to make their 10 year anniversary of Dear G-D tour happen while also following guidelines and doing all they could to give us a great show. I imagine this had to be the perfect opportunity for them to enter the new year but also get back on the road and back on tour.
It was overcast all day but then once I arrived at the venue it started to drizzle a bit. It really gave the night a calm vibe in my opinion. There’s just something relaxing about light rain to me. That, plus the intimate setup of “Purgatory” at The Masquerade in Atlanta really set the mood for an emotional roller coaster of a night. I arrived shortly after doors and didn’t have to wait in line long at all before I was allowed into the venue. Once inside it was very obvious which fans were BAAO diehard fans because they were proudly wearing their last tour T-shirt and merch, or they came early for VIP and were proudly wearing their lanyard with their VIP credentials.
First up was Swallowed by the Tide. They are Atlanta locals with a lot of soul. The hardcore/progressive band formed in 2019 and have made their impact with the Atlanta fans and put on a great performance that night. They recently released their single “Multi” at the end of December 2021. This is definitely a band I’m going to be following closely as they release more music.
LIMBS is a post-hardcore band from Tampa Bay, Florida. Originally formed in 2013 under a different moniker, LIMBS released their debut album Dead Ends before taking 8 months off for reformation and releasing their sophomore album Admission in 2014. Fast forward to 2017 when they are picked up by Equal Vision Records. Their EP SLEEP was re-recorded under the production of Tim McTague(Underoath), Remixed by Beau Burchell, and re-released by Equal Vision Records. They then found a home at Unified Music Group in 2018. The Members of LIMBS are Austin McAuley(Vocals), Tyler Martin(Guitar), Jordan Hunter(Guitar), Chris Klumpp(Bass), Joey DiBiase(Drums).
The night really started to get rowdy when LIMBS took the stage. I had never seen them before or listened to them religiously, but you could tell which crowd members were hardcore fans of them. They started their set with their 2020 single “I Used To Be You” and then they played “Abandoned”, a single from 2019. You could tell the crowd was super into it because as soon as Austin said something along the lines of “Open this pit up” the crowd did exactly that. The band truly had a raw passion on stage and you could tell they knew exactly how to keep the crowd involved and in the moment. They finished the night with “Father’s Son”, the title track from their 2018 album, followed by “Poison” from their 2017 EP SLEEP.
Capstan is a melodic, post-hardcore band from Orlando, Florida. They released their debut album, Seasonal Depression in 2014. In 2015 they released an EP, Parting Gifts and followed with another EP Cultural Divide in 2016. Their album, In The Wake Of Our Discord was released in January of 2018. After announcing being signed with Fearless Records in November of 2018, they released a new single along with a music video, “Stars Before The Sun.” Their most recent album SEPARATE was released in July of 2021 and includes popular songs like “shades of us” and “alone(feat. Shane Todd)”. The members of Capstan are Andrew Bozymowski(Vocals & Bass) Anthony DeMario(Vocals) Harrison Bormann(Guitar) Joseph Mabry(Guitar) Scott Fisher(Drums.)
While I wasn’t familiar with Capstan’s music, I can tell you they had amazing stage energy and presence. The Masquerade crowd really moshed hard during their set which included songs “shades of us” and “abandon”. They are another band I will be adding to my music library for sure though. They got the crowd energy super high and rowdy just in time for BAAO to take the stage.
Being As An Ocean is a post-hardcore meets spoken word band based out of Alpine, California. They formed in 2011 and a year later released their debut album Dear G-D under InVogue Records. In 2013 BAAO parted ways with members Jacob Prest and Shad Hamawe, who just got tired of life on the road. They were replaced with guitarist & clean vocalist Michael McGough and drummer Connor Denis. The band debuted their new members on their sophomore album How We Both Wondrously Perish which sent the band onto the Billboard 200. It also charted in the rock, hard rock, alternative, and independent Top 25, as did their third and self-titled album a year later. Waiting For Morning To Come followed in 2017 on the Impericon label and returned them to the Independent Albums chart. In 2019, they returned with Proxy: An A.N.I.M.O Story which included the single “Play Pretend”. The members of BAAO are Joel Quartuccio(Vocals), Michael McGough(Vocals & Guitar), and touring artist David Baqi(Guitar).
The stage lights changed colors to a deep blue first, then on came the members. As soon as BAAO took the stage the mood changed. Everyone parted a huge pit and squeezed in as close as possible to the stage to get the best view and make the most of their experience. Their greeting was short and sweet; but they wasted no time getting into their first song of the night “Nothing, Save The Power They’re Given”. I wasn’t sure if this would be a full Dear G-D front to back performance or a mix of that album and others, but I was still so excited just to be there. I was also in awe of the fact that this album, which I loved so much, was now 10 years old. I looked around and couldn’t help but see all the other attendees singing their hearts out. It was truly a magical moment and we’re only talking about the opening! Towards the end of their set Joel slowed down the night and took a chance to talk to everyone. He offered up a mic for anyone who wanted to share some of their troubles, speak their heart or just testify about anything in a safe space. He picked a guy from the crowd, he came up, spoke, then when he was done everyone clapped for him and they went right back into playing their heavy hits.
They ended the night saying they weren’t doing encores, but what they would do was say they had two more songs to perform. They then played “This Loneliness Won’t Be The Death of Me” followed by “The Hardest Part Is Forgetting Those You Swore You’d Never Forget” Both are super emotional, but I couldn’t help but cry when they performed “This Loneliness Won’t Be The Death of Me” because the first time I ever saw BAAO back in 2016 Joel took the stage before they performed that same song and said something super amazing & powerful and then ended his statement with, “this loneliness I feel will not be the death of me, and I swear it will not be the death of you.” It was an incredibly profound experience and something I think of often when I think of that track from the Dear G-D album. If you missed this tour, you missed a good one. But don’t let that stop you from supporting them the next time they come to town. You won’t be sorry I promise. You can find their music and merch HERE!
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