As the lights dimmed and the Monday Night Football theme song began to play, fans rushed up to the barricade-less stage at the Waiting Room in an attempt to be as close as possible to the headlining band.
Alternative rock group Senses Fail emerged on stage Sunday night to cheers and kicked into their set immediately. The band had not played a show in Buffalo since 2009 and it was their first performance at the Waiting Room.
They came to Buffalo, a city they don't normally visit, because on this latest tour they are visiting cities where they don't usually perform, according to drummer Dan Trapp.
"Of course, the wings are pretty enticing as well," he said.
The night started off slow with the opening acts that were a mix of different genres. Being as an Ocean, a melodic hardcore group, had a fan base of a dozen kids who were cheering for them as the rest of the audience drank alcohol, texted and glanced at the football games on the TVs. The next band, Expire, a true "beatdown" band, garnered the attention of the tough kids but failed to grasp the entire venue's ears.
"Expire isn't for everyone," said Paul French of Rochester. "They're a band that doesn't give a f*** and I love throwing down to their jams."
The third band, For The Fallen Dreams, livened the crowd and got them ready for Senses Fail. Vocalist Chad Ruhlig, who was in a motorcycle accident a few months ago, hobbled on stage with crutches - the true definition of hardcore. The crowd pushed up against the stage, climbing on each other's shoulders to scream the lyrics: "Where were you when I needed you" from "Brothers in Arms" into the microphone.
A portion of the audience left after For The Fallen Dreams, including French. Their heavy tastes had been satisfied.
For the fans that stayed, Senses Fail put on an unforgettable performance. It was full of mosh-inducing breakdowns and crowd-surfing antics - neglecting the signs posted in the venue forbidding such actions.
"If you listened to us 10 years ago and then listened to the new album Renancer, it's like night and day," Trapp said. "It's the heaviest we've been and it's nice to break out of the same old sound. We wanted to give our fans something diverse."
Senses Fail played songs from every crevice of their musical repertoire, ranging from "Tie Her Down," "Lady in a Blue Dress" from 2004's Let It Enfold You to "Path" and "Closure/Rebirth" from Renancer.
Senses Fail wanted to please fans from all generations.
Vocalist Buddy Nielsen circled around on stage, taking time to interact with the crowd as he screamed the lyrics of fan favorites such as "Bite to Break Skin." His stage presence was mesmerizing and became proof of how a long-standing group can still bring immense energy to its performance.
Trapp said the band always bring the moves.
The hour-long set sounded pristine, as if the audience was listening to Follow Your Bliss: The Best of Senses Fail at home. Nielsen's vocals and the band's instrumentals consistently matched the recorded tracks.
Fan-favorite "Lungs Like Gallows" fromLife is Not a Waiting Room brought the crowd to life and even ignited a few fights.
"I live in the moment every day," Trapp said. "We didn't start Senses Fail because we were bored, we started it because we had a passion for making music, for being there for our fans and we're lucky enough that we get to do what we love every day."
Senses Fail will conclude their tour on Nov. 10 in Los Angeles. Trapp said the band is always working on new material and they would love to play Warped Tour again soon.
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