Fresh off of a series of huge festival appearances, Motionless in White brought an early taste of Halloween to Charlotte NC on September 22. The dreary, rainy weather only added to the gloomy atmosphere in anticipation of the night’s horror-inspired performance. This was one of the final dates of MIW’s first tour since the Covid shutdowns began, so the show was bound to be special. The sticky, sweaty air I had become accustomed to at shows had been overtaken by almost shiver-inducing, clear cold, something I’ve never felt before- especially not as soon as the first day of Autumn. Small clouds of condensed breath rose from the buzzing crowd, most still drenched from the rain, and soon enough the show began.
Metalcore act Silent Planet were acting as direct support to Motionless on this tour, a band I’d been dying to see again for almost four years. Not just because I love their sound, but their focus on mental health awareness and advocacy really sets them apart. Silent Planet’s setlist spanned the majority of their career, with seven songs representing their last five releases. Vocalist Garrett Russell was a barefoot ball of energy onstage, at times appearing to completely surrender his movements to the whims of music. The complementarily heavy instrumentals, backed by bassist Thomas Freckleton and drummer Alex Camarena created a wall of sound that seemed to give the crowd a life of its own. Silent Planet is beautiful chaos, but they don’t sacrifice their heaviness to achieve it.
SILENT PLANET
Motionless finally took the stage just before nine, and the opening notes “Thoughts and Prayers” were all it took to get the crowd moving early. Vocalist Chris Motionless strutted out in a white bloodstained suit- presumably the same one used in the track’s music video. I mean, it’s on brand- their entire stage presence is a commitment to aesthetic and artistic continuity, down to those smallest details. The intense warm lighting gave the monochrome-clad four piece an ethereal energy, Chris’s suit almost glowing orange. The crazy pyro setup that the band had dreamed up for this tour unfortunately had to stay in the trailers, but they blew the roof off of the underground regardless. Whether it be a massive festival’s closeout set or a 500 cap club, MIW’s stage presence doesn’t waver. it’s still the same roses pinned to Motionless’s mic stand, the same moody stares from bassist Justin Morrow, and undoubtedly the same stage-shaking breakdowns that never get stale. Unfortunately, guitarist Ryan Sitkowski was unavailable- apparently from COVID-related concerns. That was a little bit unsettling, but the crowd didn’t seem phased by the announcement.
Motionless’s setlist was sourced predominantly from “Graveyard Shift” and their latest offering “Disguise“, but certainly made space for older classics as well. The band as a whole wore mischievous smirks as they launched into their love-it-or-hate-it unique cover of the Killers’ “Somebody Told Me”- and I almost needed a reality check to remind myself what year it was. A packed venue? Singing along to the Killers? with RIFFS? It really is a wierd collaboration, but the whole package works especially well live. Older classics like Abigail and Devil’s Night rounded out the set, before the encore finale of “Eternally Yours”. It really was something to hear that song again, and you could really feel the catharsis from the crowd in the song’s more tender moments. MIW’s sold out banger of a gig hammered home the fact that shows are back, and back with a vengeance.
Motionless in White
