CONCERT REVIEW: Beartooth - Silverstein -The Devil Wears Prada - ERRA, Live at Wildhorse Saloon

Easter Sunday 2022, Silverstein and Beartooth took over Nashville’s premier line dancing bar. Yeah, you read that right. Snuggled in the heart of downtown Nashville, Wildhorse Saloon, which typically serves cowboys and country singers, opened their doors to metalcore. Albeit, they may have opened those doors a little too late. The majority of the line wasn’t even in the venue when ERRA took the stage. However, that’s the only negative I could give the venue. In my six years working in Nashville, this is the cleanest venue with the clearest sound and kindest staff I’ve ever experienced.

Now, about that line—This was one of the first metal shows to come to town post-pandemic without any COVID requirements. A sold out 2,000 cap venue was a grim reminder of how detrimental the pandemic has been to ticket sales. The era of masks and vaxx cards was a necessary evil in reviving live music, but seeing the results of stripping those requirements away made it apparent how badly our scene has been wounded by COVID. The energy of a packed room of music lovers is something you can’t find anywhere else. For most of us, it’s a way of life. It’s absolutely imperative we don’t revert back to the way things were for the past two years, and tours like this stand as a strong testament to that.

Enough prattling on about things that aren’t the music! While Wildhorse Saloon’s metal endeavors may be new, the bands they booked were anything but green. From supports ERRA and The Devil Wears Prada, to co-headliners Silverstein and Beartooth, any potential complaint would be nitpicking. Start to finish, this was a showcase of musical professionalism.

ERRA should be held up as the industry standard for how to prime a crowd. The invigorating and vivacious energy they created in that room set the stage perfectly. Admittedly, I was concerned Prada wouldn’t be able to maintain that energy, but I’m happy to be proven wrong. In the seven-year gap since I’d last seen Prada live, they’ve evolved into a completely different band. They’ve come a long way from their Punk Goes Crunk days and grown into a mature, well rounded band.

As for Silverstein, it’s fair to say many bands from their generation have become tired and complacent. Silverstein clearly had no interest in following that trend. They were perfectly capable of keeping up with their younger tourmates and expressing the talent garnered by their years of experience. Frontman Shane Told lightheartedly referred to their infamous track “My Heroine” as a country song, dawning a borrowed cowboy hat for the duration of the song. I’m praiseful of Told for finding a fun and non-monotonous way to reference the city, because frankly, it can get a little old having touring bands remind you that Nashville is in fact the country music capital. Plus, I enjoy when bands add something unique to each date, even if it’s something small.

Let’s be clear—When I said Silverstein can keep up with the younger guys, I am referring to a normal human level of energy, not whatever the Hell Beartooth’s vocalist Caleb Shomo is running on. Shomo undeniably utilizes every inch of the stage he’s given. Trying to snag a picture of him is akin to photographing a cryptid in the woods. While his nonstop movement might not be ideal for the photographers, it makes for remarkable showmanship and a memorable performance. Memorable is a good keyword to take away from this, actually. The amount of love Silverstein and Beartooth’s fans have for their music was extremely palpable. When you feel the spirit of that room and see the bliss on everyone’s faces, you know this night is one they’ll remember for the rest of their lives.