When Asking Alexandria bassist Sam Bettley's ear monitor broke during the band's finale song "The Final Episode (Let's Change the Channel)," he panicked. He ripped it out of his ear and threw it to the side of the stage.
The volume of the Buffalo fans instantly mesmerized Bettley.
"My nightmare [of losing my earpiece] turned into the best part of the night," Bettley said. "I got to hear our fans screaming our lyrics and I had to ask myself, 'My God, why do I block this out?'"
British Metalcore outfit Asking Alexandria's performance Tuesday night at The Rapids Theatre in Niagara Falls was a whirlwind of surprises.
The From Death To Destiny tour, named after their newest album, opened with four acts that might surprise the normal Asking Alexandria fan. But the audience respected every band regardless of the difference in styles.
Emmure, For Today, Sevendust and All That Remains have varied fan bases and different sounds. For Today is a Christian hardcore band, Sevendust is a veteran progressive metal group and the other two fall in between that continuum of rock music. Bettley explained that this tour was a big group of friends playing music together and that every act influenced or helped Asking Alexandria in some way.
One of the largest concerns about Asking Alexandria's performance was vocalist Danny Worsnop's vocal chords. Earlier this year, he damaged them and left fans wondering if he could still hit the high notes when performing or if his career would come to a halt.
Brittany Hoch, a freshman at Niagara University, anxiously awaited the headliner.
"I feel like Asking Alexandria's new album focused on Danny's lower range too much," Hoch said. "I just hope he can still sing and scream songs from the first album."
Those concerns vanished when Asking Alexandria took to the stage for their 15-song set with chilling high screams from Worsnop during songs such as "A Prophecy" from their debut album, Stand Up and Scream.
As Worsnop commanded the middle of the stage, guitarists Ben Bruce and Cameron Liddell gracefully skipped from one side to the other. The two banged their long hair, spraying fans with sweat, as they riffed and took time to interact with attendees.
Asking Alexandria is well known for being playful and inappropriate, something the fans love and crave. This performance was no different. Bruce and Worsnop made sexual gestures and drank on stage during "The Death of Me" from the new album and "To The Stage" from Reckless and Relentless. A few parents shook their heads in disapproval but their teenagers seemed to enjoy it all.
Though the lighting was occasionally overwhelming, with Christmas-colored bursts and dark red strobes during breakdowns, it didn't weaken the band's focus or the amount of crowd surfers flinging over the barricade.
Worsnop couldn't contain himself before the band played "one last song." He told the crowd this was a fake ending and to not leave yet, which made the theatre erupt in laughter. The three-song encore that included "Closure" and "The Final Episode" let fans have one more chance at showing Asking Alexandria why they should visit Buffalo more often.
"I really hope they come back before another three years passes. They mean so much to me," Hoch said.
Bettley and the rest of his bandmates appreciate all the support.
"Our fans are beyond loyal," Bettley said. "When they tell us we helped saved their lives, that right there is one of the biggest rewards of what we do in Asking Alexandria."
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