Let's start the magic

I've never experienced anything more exhilarating than the start of a concert. Those few precious moments before it really begins.

Let's start the sun

The band walks out, the lights flash, and there's a rhythmic, building synthetic sound in the background that doesn't quite give away the first song. The building anticipation. The pent-up energy of the crowd. The silhouetted figures onstage.

Let's stop the holy

And then the explosion.

Four three two one

I have so many things to say about AWOLNATION's Here Come the Runts tour. This was by far the most exhilarating show I've seen this year. Aaron Bruno knows exactly how to keep a crowd on its toes. The band opened with the newest album's titular track, "Here Come the Runts," and as the lights flashed onstage, the frontman was nowhere to be seen, but his voice was echoing through the room as he shouted those chilling first lines.

And then there he was.

A spotlight quickly illuminated Bruno standing up on a balcony, one with the crowd, sweeping his arms out to embrace us with each opening line. He was ready for something that we couldn't see. His excitement was so evident that it made my heart pound. He was about to blow our minds.

This show was wild. It was effortless. It was blinding. It was loud. It was packed with new songs and old anthems. AWOLNATION is back. After "Here Come the Runts" came "Hollow Moon" off of Run, and everyone absolutely lost it. With each deafening punch of the synth came flashes of right and white lights, and once the chorus came in, the change of pace had everyone moving in a way that I can't even describe. I'm trying to find the words to articulate how that felt, and I just can't. That song is such an anthem. It was so unifying and exciting. I'm listening to it as I write this and I have chills all over again.

"This could be the best night of the tour. This could be the best night of your life. It could be the best night of mine," Bruno said, right before leading into "Kill Your Heroes" off Megalithic Symphony. There's just something about Philadelphia, I swear. Everyone feels it. Every single artist I've seen has said that we are the most loving, energetic, welcoming, wild crowd they've seen. I love that. It makes me so proud to call this city my home.

I really let go for this show. Usually I prefer to stand off to the side when the crowd gets wild, but I knew in order to experience AWOLNATION the way it was intended, I had to be right there. And oh my god, if that isn't the best feeling in the world then I really don't know what is. I will never know just how enthralling it must feel to be up on that stage and watch the crowd and know that it's because of your music that everyone feels this way. It must be life changing.

I can tell AWOLNATION is back with a new sound and a vengeance. Nothing about this new era of music left me disappointed. If you can snag tickets to the Here Come the Runts tour, do it. There is no feeling better than letting go in one of their shows, I guarantee it.

AWOLNATION knows Philadelphia has "Passion"

PHILLY LIVE

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