CONCERT REVIEW: DON BROCO & Sleeping With Sirens Co-Headliner Tour Rages Through Amsterdam

On the cold, snowy Friday night of March 10, Amsterdam venue Melkweg was packed with alternative teens and veterans (alt adults in their 20s and 30s) for the epic co-headliner show of Sleeping With Sirens and DON BROCO. Surprisingly enough, Sleeping With Sirens were the first of the two co-headliners to take the stage, and at precisely 20:00, they did exactly that.

While the band recently released their new album Complete Collapse, the setlist of the evening did not reflect this at all. With only 2 songs from the new album being played (Bloody Knuckles & Crosses), the majority of the setlist came from the band’s 2019 album How It Feels To Be Lost, being featured 5 times on the setlist of a total of 14 songs. The remainder of the setlist was a celebration of the band’s extensive discography, playing songs from all albums and of course the popular acoustic EP from 2012 if you were a movie this would be your soundtrack. Absent from the setlist were the albums Feel and Gossip.

Overall, Sleeping With Sirens‘ performance was a stellar one, if not a bit static. There was not a lot of room for crowd interaction, but rather the band focused on delivering high quality music to a crowd that was honestly already happy with the fact that the band returned to The Netherlands for the first time since 2019. Sleeping With Sirens are a landmark in the alternative scene and given the enthusiasm of tonight’s crowd, that feeling won’t be going away anytime soon.

As the band’s set came to a close, the band closed with If You Can’t Hang, one of their biggest hits. The crowd sang along to every word, creating a powerful moment of unity and connection between band and fans. It was clear that Sleeping With Sirens had delivered a performance that would be remembered for a long time to come.

After Sleeping With Sirens‘ set was over, we were sad to see more than a few fans leave the venue. DON BROCO and Sleeping With Sirens‘ fanbases do slightly differ and this became apparent after the set. While some left early, of course the majority of the 1500 attendees stuck around for DON BROCO‘s performance, and they were in for a treat. Whereas Sleeping With Sirens‘ priority laid with the music, DON BROCO alloted their effort a bit different, and asked for multiple mosh/circlepits and walls of death throughout the set.

DON BROCO‘s music is as funny as it is good, and the band members don’t seem to take themselves too serious on stage, either. During the first few songs, vocalist Rob Damiani was thrown a few cowboy hats from the audience and being the good sport that he is, he wore them for a short while before tossing them back into the buzzing crowd.

DON BROCO‘s setlist had a clear focus on the band’s most recent album Amazing Things, which made up half the setlist. Honorable mentions on the setlist were the throwback to the band’s first album Priorities with the performance of the title song of the album, which had a surprising amount of people sing back the lyrics and of course the song that apparently the entire world knows and loves (as they should): Everybody. This song has a fandom of its own, Everybody is an upbeat and energetic song that showcases DON BROCO‘s ability to create infectious, anthemic tracks and in a live setting it really pops off.

Overall, DON BROCO delivered a high-energy performance that showcased their talent and charisma. Their ability to blend genres and create infectious, anthemic songs makes them one of the most exciting rock bands on the scene today. Fans left the venue buzzing with excitement, eager for the next opportunity to see them live.

Glenn van den Bosch

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