Photos and words by Samantha Skapin

A few weeks ago, I was fortunate enough to catch The Dillinger Escape Plan play one of their final shows in Cleveland at The House of Blues on their North American Tour. The lineup was stacked, with Bent Knee, Cult Leader, and O’Brother opening for TDEP.

Boston’s Bent Knee opened the show to a pretty full crowd. I hadn’t heard of these guys before, so I was excited to check them out. Their sound was incredibly unique and not at all what I would be expecting to open for The Dillinger Escape Plan, but I was pleasantly surprised. A lot of their songs included a vocal style almost similar to Bjork but darker, including a lot of violin parts and vocal effects. They played a fantastic set, including songs from their 2014 release Shiny Eyed Babies such as “Way Too Long” (which was my favorite from the set). These guys are definitely unique and really intriguing to watch, so I would definitely check them out!

Next up was Cult Leader. They definitely switched up the vibe of the room from Bent Knee with a little more of a darker hardcore sound closer to TDEP. These guys had very minimal lighting while playing, as most hardcore bands do, but they sounded great. Vocalist Anthony Lucero’s stage presence was great and the crowd seemed to be definitely enjoying it. They played a lot off of their 2016 album Lightless Walk such as “Great I Am” and “Sympathetic“. Overall, the crowd seemed to enjoy these guys a lot, even starting a couple pits in the middle, so if you’re looking for a band pretty close to TDEP or even Oathbreaker, i’d check them out!

Next up was one of my personal favorites, O’brother. Now, at this point I’ve probably seen these guys live about six or seven times and they NEVER disappoint. They have such a unique sound to them like Bent Knee did, almost sounding like a heavier Radiohead. They played a good amount of songs ranging their career, being sure to include songs off of their newest release Endless Light such as “Bloodlines“. The whole band brings so much energy that it is so hard to look away from the stage. Whether it be the guitarist Johnny Dang headbanging, or second guitarist Jordan McGhin contorting his body to look like he’s about to break his back, there is always something to look at and you can tell these guys love and feel what they play. I am the most biased person considering I’ve seen these guys so many times, but if you get the chance to see them please take it. These guys are great and you can always guarantee you’ll leave the show feeling inspired from watching these guys play. Be sure to check out their newest release Endless Light as well!

Last up was what everyone was waiting for, The Dillinger Escape Plan. It was a little sad to think this would be one of the last times you’d be able to see them play, but you would have never guessed they were going to be done soon from the fantastic show they put on. They opened with their song “Limerant Death” off of their new album Dissociation, and everything immediately turned a 180. Between the strobing light design TDEP had, the crowd goers beginning to surf from the first note played, and the entire band literally being as energetic as possible, the show was off with a loud bang. I can honestly say I have NEVER seen a band with as much energy and stage presence as these guys had. Between guitarist Ben Weinman jumping into the barrier in the second song (which was “Panasonic Youth” off of Miss Machine) and hanging from a pole at the front of the venue, as well vocalist Greg Puciato jumping into the crowd, i literally could not keep track of these guys and the crowd LOVED it. They played a lot off of the new album, but kept a lot of older ones in there including “Farewell, Mona Lisa” and “Milk Lizard”. They ended their set with “43% Burnt” off of their 1999 album Calculating Infinty and the crowd lost their minds. If you get a chance to see The Dillinger Escape Plan on one of their last runs please do because you will absolutely regret it if you don’t. These guys put on a hell of a show and they will most certainly be missed. Check out their newest album Dissociation as well!