Photos and words by Samantha Skapin

Last Saturday I had the chance to see The Devil Wears Prada light up the Agora Theater for the Rise Up Tour in Cleveland, OH. The lineup was stacked, with Like Moths To Flames, Silverstein, and Memphis May Fire opening.

Columbus’ own Like Moths to Flames opened up the show with a heavy swing with their song “Bury Your Pain“. The vocalist Chris Roetter wore a Cleveland Cavaliers shirt, showing his pride for Cleveland sports since the Indians were also playing that day. They played a good mix of songs, including “I Solemnly Swear” and one of their more popular songs, “GNF“. Roetter was great at commanding the crowd and getting them amped up and jumping during the set. They finished off their set with another popular one, “You Won’t Be Missed“, off of their 2011 album When We Don’t Exist. These guys had a lot of energy live so I’d definitely check them out!

Next up was Silverstein, where their first day on the tour actually had begun right here in Cleveland. I’ve been into these guys for a long time, so it was cool to finally see them live. They opened with “Sacrifice” off of their 2011 album Rescue.  The whole band had so much energy, and definitely continued the trend of keeping the crowd amped and full of circle pits the entire set. Hailing from Toronto, there was a lot of banter about the Indians, since they were playing the Blue Jays at the time, (which we of coursed, kicked their butt) but it made for a good interaction with the crowd. They played songs ranging their whole career including “In The Dark”, “I Am The Arsonist”, and “Smile In Your Sleep” off of their most sought after album, Discovering The Waterfront. They also played a new song entitled “Ghost” for the first time that hadn’t been released yet, and let me tell you, that new album is going to sound fantastic if it sounds like that. They finished their set with their iconic song “My Heroine” off of Discovering The Waterfront. Cleveland definitely gave them a warm welcome onto this tour, and if you get the chance to check out this tour, be sure to too! These guys are great and make sure to check out their new single Ghost, and the new album which is definitely on the horizon.

Next up was Memphis May Fire, which a good portion of the crowd was looking forward to. I have seen these guys a couple times at Warped Tour and other various tours they have been a part of, and they always put on a good show. The crowd had erupted as always when the iconic red headed Matty Mullins came out to the stage and the band erupted into their new single “Carry On“. The production for this band is incredible, as they had a light show, but also screens showing clips from previous music videos as well as clips to go with songs in their set. Mullins as well as bassist Cory Elder were super energetic and active with the crowd which was great to see. They played a lot of newer stuff including “Stay The Course” and “No Ordinary Love” off of their newest album Unconditional, but also played older songs such as “The Sinner” and “Vices”. They also did a heartfelt tribute to the troops with their song “Miles Away“, which Mullin talks about being far from a loved one but being strong. Overall, these guys always put on such a good show (even production wise) so I would definitely check them out.

Next up was the most anticipated of the night, The Devil Wears Prada. I actually haven’t gotten a chance to see these guys play live before, so I was pretty stoked.  These guys have had a good month, seeing as they just released their new album, Transit Blues earlier this month (which is great). They actually started off the set with their song “Praise Poison” off of the new album and I was immediately floored. These guys are absolutely NUTS to watch live seeing as front man Mike Hranica and guitarist Jeremy DePoyster are wild and jump around the stage non-stop (which is great for the photographer side of me). Just as Memphis May Fire’s set, the lighting production for these guys was amazing and colorful, with panels behind them lighting up. They played a 17 song set,  and even included a medley of older songs such as “Dogs Can Grow Beards All Over”, “Reptar, King Of The Ozone”, and “HTML Rulez D00d“. Since these are songs I grew up listenign too,     younger Sam had died and gone to heaven at that point. These guys were so entertaining to watch and if the Rise Up Tour comes near you, definitely go because it is lit (no pun intended). Also be sure to check out their new album Transit Blues.