In the grand scheme of life, very few things are more important than close friends and family. On Friday, at the Yuengling Center in Tampa, Underoath found itself surrounded by both in the hours before the band’s sold-out, homecoming headlining show alongside recently reunited Bay area rock outfit Anberlin.
Inside of a large, private gathering space presumably used for pre-show meet and greets, friends of the band joined family members for laughs and libations (kegs and 12 oz. bottles of still-unreleased King State pale ale, brewed by Aric Parker in conjunction with Underoath’s Tim McTague and Anberlin’s Nate Young, were a nice touch). Just beyond those walls were 4,600 fans waiting to see Underoath — three-time Grammy nominees and one of the world’s biggest modern rock bands — eventually work through a 19-song, 95-minute set that celebrated another one of the most important elements of the Underoath narrative: Survival.
Slideshow: Photos of Underoath, Anberlin and more at Tampa’s Yuengling Center
“We hated performing,” Spencer Chamberlain, about to lead the band into a set-closing take on “I Gave Up,” told fans as he revisited the story of the Underoath’s 2013 breakup. The band was burned out. It never learned to say “no” to the endless offers, and it denied itself an opportunity to grow up or learn how to communicate.
“The hardest thing I had to realize,” Chamberlain said, “was that my best friends, people I called my family, all hated each other.”
Underoath famously emerged from that breakup two years later; it released a comeback album, Erase Me, in April, spent the summer playing some of the world’s biggest festivals and has been on a 30-date winter tour since November 2. In front of its hometown fans, Underoath — Chamberlain, drummer Aaron Gillespie, guitarists McTague and James Smith, bassist Grant Brandell and keyboard player Christopher Dudley — looked alive, well and then some.
Brandell, seemingly drenched in sweat from the opening minutes, brutally bent bass notes on songs like “Young And Inspiring.” McTague’s daughter snuck onstage and have dad a kiss during “Reinventing Your Exit.” Smith appeared to be in perpetual motion, his face lost underneath the swirl of long, flailing brown hair. Dudley and Gillespie — perched high above the compressed stage set up — provided auxiliary vocals and another level of energy for Chamberlain who occasionally played synth (a drone-driven run through “No Frame”), swung the mic while leading fans through big sing-alongs (“It's Dangerous Business Walking Out Your Front Door”) and even played acoustic guitar for an encore duet cover of Nirvana’s “Heart-Shaped Box.”
A pit opened up for “Desperate Times, Desperate Measures,” and at its best (like on Erase Me highlight “It Has To Start Somewhere”) the set felt like a new creative beginning for a band that barely avoided a complete meltdown. In February, Underoath’s “On My Teeth” could bring a Grammy for Best Metal Performance back to Tampa — Motörhead, Metallica and Nine Inch Nails are among past winners. It’s easy to picture the group’s principal songwriters — Chamberlain and Gillespie — embarking on a new journey towards another Underoath album in the months afterwards. Chamberlain even hinted at a desire to stage a similar show with Anberlin again.
“Tampa. Florida. I think we should do this once a year,” he said before launching into “Too Bright to See, Too Loud to Hear” from Underoath’s 2008 album, Lost in the Sound of Separation. “We should do this every Christmas.”
That’d be quite the gift, but for now Chamberlain is focusing most on the gift directly in front of him: Life.
“I was a mess, probably an alcoholic and definitely a drug addict. Second chances don’t normally happen,” he explained. Just because he’s got a microphone in his hand doesn’t make him any more important than the people in the crowd. It doesn’t make him any less susceptible to suicidal thoughts.
“We’re all capable of making the mistake — so I picked up the phone and said, ‘Yo, I need some help,’” Chamberlain shared, adding that his best friend, Gillespie, was there and ready to help. “I’m not ashamed to admit that. This record, Erase Me, is about that. Thank you for listening — I love you so much.”
In the grand scheme of it all, very few things are more important than close friends and family. In fact, an individual only needs a few good people to get them through the best and worst times of their life. Underoath most certainly has those people in its atmosphere, and it’s earned the adoration of a legion of fans to boot.
Chamberlain & co. got to meet 4,600 of them on Friday night, and you’ve got to believe they’ll be doing it over and again for years and years to come.
Setlist
On My Teeth
Young And Inspiring
In Regards To Myself
Breathing in a New Mentality
Rapture
The Blue Note > It's Dangerous Business Walking Out Your Front Door
Illuminator
Desperate Times, Desperate Measures
Ihateit
Reinventing Your Exit
It Has to Start Somewhere
A Fault Line, A Fault of Mine
No Frame
Too Bright to See, Too Loud to Hear
A Boy Brushed Red Living in Black and White
I Gave Up
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Heart-Shaped Box [Nirvana] (Acoustic w/Aaron Gillespie)
Writing On The Walls
This article appears in Dec 13-20, 2018.