Toronto, Canada - 19 years ago, 4 high school friends from Scranton, Pennsylvania joined forces and created the band One Way Ticket. The name evolved to When Breathing Stops, and in 2005, they eventually settled on the name Motionless in White, or MIW for short. A self titled debut was released, and after some lineup changes, an EP called The Whorror was released in 2007.
With continued personnel changes over the years, MIW eventually released their debut LP Creatures in 2010 with positive reviews. The album reached #175 on The Billboard 200. 5 albums later, Motionless in White has continued to gain an increasingly larger following, with their most recent album, 2022s Scoring the End of the World, selling over 90,000 copies.
It's with the band's most recent release that saw them hit the road for a 32 date run through North America. Supporting the Pennsylvanians on their Touring the End of the World Tour on this continent was Knocked Loose, After the Burial and Australians Alpha Wolf. On September 16, the tour fittingly got kicked off in Scranton Ohio, and eventually came north of the border for 2 Canadian dates. The first was in Toronto on October 25, followed by a Laval, Quebec gig the next evening. The show would head back to the US for the final 2 dates of the tour in New York, and this evening, October 29 in Boston, Mass!
I'm going to cut to the chase here... this was the most intense shows I have probably ever seen in my life. With the bands named on this bill, it was no surprise that when I arrived at Rebel Toronto to take in this city's stop, the lineup was all the way down Polson Street, almost a half kilometer to Cherry St. It was 5:06pm on a Wednesday evening. It was crystal clear that nobody wanted to miss a single minute of this one. Including folks from New York state and even Kansas based on the license plates noticed in the parking lot.
Coincidentally, it was 1 year ago, on this exact night of October 25, that I covered my first show at Rebel, Trivium's Dead Men & Dragons Tour.
Motionless in White
Typically, when we are providing coverage for a show, we get a photo pass (which allows us to bring on our gear and photograph the event), and a ticket to the show, to allow us the opportunity to take in the rest of the show once the allowable "First 3 Songs" photo shoot concludes. For this one, the sold out event could not afford us a ticket, so we were unfortunately unable to take in the band's full set. Based on the first 20+ minutes, I was a little disappointed to have to leave.
The headlining set began with a video montage of some behind the scenes footage of the band's making of their most recent recording. A very well done ending of the video lead straight into the band's set as they appeared on stage before us, and their stage presence is immediately noticed. Explosions of dry ice smoke billow from the off of the stage, and hits us dead on. You can feel the cold. It's visually stunning as the band starts their set with the lead track from the new album "Meltdown". And the crowd is going completely crazy!
Ahead of the band's second track, lead singer Chris "Motionless" Cerulli takes a quick minute to tell the fans how happy they are to have finally made it back to Toronto as they had not played here in quite some time. They were to have played here in 2020, but we all know what happened then. A snow storm killed their next expected visit, so it has been awhile since they played Toronto.
For the band's 3rd song of the evening, a special guest joined them onstage to help sing "Immaculate Misconception". That guest was Alpha Wolf singer Lochie Keogh. And just like that, our night was over. Based on the opening, I can all but guarantee, the rest of the evening, was as heavy as the start. There was no way that MIW was going to let any of the previous 3 acts steal the show, which they very easily could have.
Alpha Wolf
Australia's Alpha Wolf kicks off the evening on this tour, and holy hell! WOW! What a start! The energy spilling from the stage from the opening bell is completely insane. The mosh pit starts immediately and by the time I step out of the photo pit, there is a literal stream of bodies being carried towards the stage by the hands of the completely packed house. At one point, guitarist Sabian Lynch hands his guitar to an unsuspecting fan in the front row and then grabs his guitar pedals and starts turning dials for a crazy, distorted sound emanating from the speakers. Unfortunately for the fan, the guitar is not for keeps, but very cool nonetheless.
The crowd is fucking mad here tonight! I am honestly dumbfounded at the spectacle I'm witnessing, both with the intense energy coming from the stage and feedback from the crowd. It's completely unreal. At one point, the crowd starts a chant of "Aplha Wolf! Alpha Wolf! Alpha Wolf!" Lead singer Lochie Keogh tells the fans that "Alpha Wolf has one job and one job only! And that's to warm every motherfucker up in this place!" Well, I'll say "Lochie! You guys far surpassed your job duties!!!"
This is the biggest tour that these guys have been a part of, and I guarantee, it won't be the last. In all seriousness, these guys have the presence of seasoned veterans, and by far, have greater things ahead of them than a supporting act. Keep your eyes open for Apha Wolf! You'll be hearing more from them.
After The Burial
Straight outta Minneapolis, Minnesota, After the Burial was next up on the Touring the End of the World Tour. Like the headliners, After the Burial was founded in 2004. And like their counterparts here, the band has gone through a number of iterations. The bands have a little more in common than this as well. Lead vocalist Anthony Notarmaso recalls playing with MIW 2 tears ago when Motionless played ahead of After the Burial, and proclaims "NOW LOOK AT THEM!!!" But the band doesn't take it to heart, and quite the opposite. They're proud to be here with MIW and all that they've accomplished and how the band uses this to drive themselves to be the best they can be.
With After the Burial's set, the insanity from this crowd continues. Once they transition into their 4th track "Collapse", the crowd is bangin' hard and the crowd surfing is intense. So much so, there continues to be some surfing even after the song comes to an end. But fear not fans! Notarmaso proclaims their track "Death Keeps Us From Living" to be the crowd surfing song and if you came to surf, then this is your sing. And if you're on the fence, "Trust in your community!!" And true to his word, it is very literally, non-stop bodies, riding the crowd, to the front of the venue. The crowd is destined to be exhausted, and we're only halfway through!
Knocked Loose
With the electricity from the Rebel off the charts (ala The Griswold's house in Christmas Vacation), it was time for Kentucky's Knocked Loose. One of the security guards warns his colleagues "It's going to get very busy" and my immediate thought is "How is this even possible?" Well, hold onto your hat there Mr. Broderick!!
Another metalcore band, Knocked Loose's vocalist Bryan Garris has more of a screamy pitched style as opposed to more growly. It gives more a punk feel to me, and once the band plows into their opening track "Deep in the Willow", I get the answer to my question above. I can't even describe the power that is blasting through this venue tonight, but quickly after the band's opening track, security rushes to a fan in need in the crowd, and the band ceases to proceed. Security helps a female fan in need, lifting her out of the jam packed building. Just at that moment, I look over to my right, and 2 other girls start to fight. Thankfully, this didn't last too long and didn't overly get out of hand but not cool! Garris eventually comes back and tells the crowd that the band loves the energy. They want this to be completely crazy, but they don't want people to get hurt. "That's not what we're about!" Take a step back and quickly think of this. I have never heard a band say anything different than this. So important to be mindful when your mind goes mad from the energy at a show like this.
One the band continues on with their set, the surfing is non-stop! And the band continues to push for more. Guitarist Isaac Hale wants the whole floor to move, and the vocalist calls for more. It is so bloody intense. I have never seen such interaction from a band and the crowd, as with this whole show. There's not a single break in the insanity. In what I found to be a bit of a funny moment, ahead of the track "Mistakes Like Fractures", Garris tells the crowd that they have four more songs left. "After 4 more songs, you get to have a break, but you don't get a break until then!" But surely, the band must know that headliners Motionless in White are still due up!
Motionless in White's "Touring the End of the World Tour" was without a doubt, the most intense concert I have ever seen. I've seen a lot of insanity, but this was something else. The bands were fire, and the crowd ate it up, giving back even more than they were getting. I understand your skepticism! Just as much as I had after the opening act. Believe me when I tell you... completely INSANE!!!
What's the craziest show you have ever seen? Tell us in the comments below!
Concert Photo Gallery
Show Date: October 25, 2023
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