REVIEW: Bring Me The Horizon Kick Off The Third Ascension Program In Vancouver
REVIEW
REVIEW
☆ BY ELIJAH CLOWER ☆
THE THIRD ASCENSION PROGRAM BEGAN WITH A BANG - literally. Bring Me The Horizon opened the third leg of their POST HUMAN: NeX GEn run at a sold out Rogers Arena, their first show in the city in a decade, and they didn't ease into it. “DArkSide” came with a massive confetti blast on the very first song, then straight into “The House of Wolves” and “MANTRA.”
Oli Sykes is arguably one of the best, if not the best, metal frontmen working right now. That's saying a lot for a band that's been around for 22 years. I honestly can't think of another frontman with his mix of showmanship, vocal talent, swagger, and fan appreciation. He's the whole package.
Usually the lead of a metal band is more reserved, playing into the tough guy or mysterious persona people expect from the genre. That's what separates Oli. He isn't boxed into the picture-perfect idea of a metal singer. He engages with fans constantly, isn't afraid to smile or show emotion when the moment calls for it, and gives everything he has on stage. The crowd matched that energy all night. I don't think I saw the pit close once.
The production deserves its own moment. The show is built around the NeX GEn storyline, a dystopian world where a cult called Genxsis claims to evolve humanity with help from EVE, an AI that turned on the people it was built to help. The band commits to that lore from the first second.
The pre-show intro nodded to PlayStation era games like Metal Gear Solid and Resident Evil, complete with a "press start" screen straight out of Resident Evil 2. The start menu selected extreme difficulty, then a cathedral style stage filled the arena under red and blue lighting while two figures waved flags inspired by the band's logo. From there it was futuristic visuals and lasers, pyro, and cinematic interludes stitching the eras together. The screen work is serious too. The NeX GEn stage has been anchored by a huge V shaped LED wall flanked by smaller IMAG screens, which keeps the story readable even from the upper bowl.
“Can You Feel My Heart” was the moment the whole arena seemed to lock in together. It's one of those songs everyone knows word for word, and hearing thousands of people carry that chorus back to the stage gave me chills. It felt like the perfect way to close the main set, and nobody was going anywhere.
Then came the encore, and this is where the night went from great to unforgettable. Oli came down into the crowd and sang surrounded by fans on all sides, arms around people, mic pointed out, everyone screaming the words right back at him. It's a moment you rarely see from a frontman at this level, and it says everything about who he is. There was no barrier between the band and the people who came to see them, just one big room singing together.
“Doomed” and “Drown” hit hard, but “Throne” was the exclamation point. Pyro, confetti, the whole floor jumping on command. As a final touch, the screens flashed a PlayStation style end game screen showing Vancouver's runtime, like we'd all just beaten the final boss together and left with the mixed emotions of it being the greatest night ever, and wishing it could all start over. This was a dream show to capture, witness, and experience. Hopefully Vancouver won’t have to wait 12 years for another return.
