Asking Alexandria brings All Friends to Grand Rapids, Michigan

Dread and doom and chaos and revival ensued in Grand Rapids for the All My Friends Tour. Emotions ran high this night as four bands performed onstage. Archers started off the stacked lineup, with voices that would haunt you to the floor. Yes, you read that right. Lead singer Nathanael Pulley puts so much emotion into his singing, you can’t help but feel everything he feels and be captivated by him. Guitarist Ben Koehler and their bassist slammed madly on their strings on either side of Pulley as he sang, while drummer Grayson Mesarosh went as far as to stand on his chair and get the crowd going.

With all four of them put together, even the early audience was raging.

The second band, The Word Alive, didn’t waste their time either. Lead singer Tyler Smith was the star of the show, screaming his lungs out into his mic. You basically would have to chase this man across the stage to keep up with him! This wasn’t hard, though, as he would take frequent stops to interact with the crowd. 

Third up was Memphis May Fire, who immediately launched into their latest single “« Necessary Evil »”. Matty Mullins pulled out all the tricks, rapping his way through the verses and screaming (and nailing) the clean vocals. I once read a comment that said Matty could control a crowd like no other… This person is absolutely right. Matty didn’t even have to worry about lifting any fingers for the crowd, who were too busy headbanging and singing right along to the songs. Halfway through, Matty thanked everyone for 16 years of being fans of Memphis May Fire, leading to him performing the song that started it all — “The Sinner”. There is a reason this song made them so popular; Memphis May Fire addresses the human condition so beautifully and truthfully as Christians that you can’t help but feel whole for the four minutes that song plays. 

Asking Alexandria ended the night making sure everyone was having the best time of their lives. Guitarist Cameron Liddell and bassist Sam Bettley not only took over the stage, they were able to command the crowd to do whatever they asked up there. No words even had to be exchanged; it was like they were having a silent conversation with the crowd. Singer Danny Worsnop vibed on the stage with clean vocals, looking comfortable as the set progressed. It felt like I was watching an epic story of impending doom unfold… but fast and furiously.

Four bands came to Grand Rapids for people to relate to.

By the end of the night, that was what was accomplished. The entire venue left feeling more alive than ever.

Photography by Kayla N. Rising

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