A huge line of people clad in band shirts, beanies and baseball caps snaked outside the venue’s doors before the show. Fans talked amongst themselves as they stood on wet, white pavement covered in red and orange leaves and the reflections of the River Market’s bright lights.
Balance and Composure, from Doylestown, Pa., played The Revolution Music Room Oct. 30 during the band’s first visit to Little Rock on its tour with I, The Mighty and Coheed and Cambria.
After I, The Mighty played a 30-minute set, Balance and Composure came on stage and opened up with “Say What You Really Mean” and “Parachute” from their newest album The Things We Think We’re Missing released Sept. 10 on No Sleep Records.
Afterwards, the opening chords of “Void” rang out as vocalist Jon Simmons said, “This song’s for you guys. And Mitch too,” referencing Mitch Lucker, the former frontman of deathcore band Suicide Silence. Lucker passed away in a tragic motorcycle accident that shook the entire underground music scene nearly one year ago.
Throughout the set, the band played four more songs from its recent sophomore album and six from the band’s explosive debut album Separation, a pleasant surprise for fans who’d expected the band’s set list to majorly consist of songs from its newest album. The band shook things up by playing some older songs a little differently than the recorded versions.
The most memorable moment of the set came after the band played “More To Me.” The music slowed and the crowd erupted as Simmons sang the first line of “Echo”, “Rain came down since the day we got home.” The rainy day song was highly appropriate for the weather outside, and the crowd sang along as bassist Matt Warner picked up his own pair of drumsticks and accompanied the drummer in playing the song’s definitive tom beat.
After “Echo”, the crowd’s energy picked back up, as the band played “Quake” and then closed with the intense lines of “Notice Me,” concluding the band’s set.
Overall, Balance and Composure’s set was highly satisfying. The band played a good mix of new and old songs and created plenty of energy within the room. Despite supposed complaints at one of the band’s recent shows, the band’s stage presence was impressive and the lighting effects added a nice visual element to the performance.
Balance and Composure has seen a recent spike in popularity because of their exceptional songwriting, and their live performance is just as mind-blowingly impressive.
