That’s the thing I love about music. I keep getting older, and the music just keeps staying great. Everyone holds those certain albums from our teen years close to the heart and cherishes every song from front to back. We find comfort in throwing the album on, laying in our bed, and just getting lost in the music over and over again. Bands understand this, and when the time is right, they will honor their fans by doing an anniversary tour for their biggest albums. Underøath decided to do this for the 20th anniversary of their breakthrough album They’re Only Chasing Safety. Originally the band was only set to play one Southern California date at the Observatory in Santa Ana. However, after the show sold out in less than 24 hours, the band decided to announce a Ventura, CA show and a second show at the Observatory. I was fortunate to be at Night 1 of the Observatory shows, and fans packed in like sardines to take in one of their favorite albums being played in full.

Opening the night was Static Dress from Leeds, England. I had heard of this band from others and was excited to see what they brought to the table. Kicking the night off with “disposable care,” vocalist Olli Appleyard was an uncontrolled ball of chaotic energy. Falling around the stage in a controlled stumble as he sang, it added to the energy he brought to his vocals. The guitarist was more than a man, as he appeared as some kind of Black Mirror creature that existed in our world. Playing and shredding on his instrument with feeling, but never truly showing emotion in his body movements. Bassist George Holding was locked in with drummer Sam Ogden holding down the rhythm section. Static Dress flowed from song to song including “sober exit(s),” “Push rope,” “Courtney, Just Relax,” “crying,” “Di-sinTer,” “safeword,” “sweet,” and ending with “clean.” With Static Dress being the first and only opener this night, the fans wanted to make every moment count with moshers spinning up the pit throughout the whole set.

When it was time for Underøath to hit the stage, fans were expecting a high energy kick in the ass energy for an opening song. But the band decided to change things up by opening with the ballad “Some Will Seek Forgiveness, Others Escape.” For this song, drummer Aaron Gillespie sat on a La-Z-Boy recliner at the back of the stage with one single reading lamp illuminating him. It was actually a nice change of pace, and a warm welcome from the band to their fans to set a loving and caring tone across the venue. Moving into “Young and Aspiring,” the rest of the band came in and truly kicked off the show with explosive energy. Vocalist Spencer Chamberlain is beloved by fans. Even with his vocals being amplified by the speakers, the diehard fans of the band were singing with such passion and volume, the crowd's vocals would overtake Spencer’s multiple times throughout the night. With Spencer being flanked by guitarist Timothy McTague and bassist Grant Brandell, fans were within arm’s reach of the front line band members. Constantly reaching out to try and fist bump the band members. With keyboardist Christopher Dudley going absolutely mad behind his keys and synth setup. The fans ate up every song off of They’re Only Chasing Safety like “A Boy Brushed Red Living in Black and White,” “The Impact of Reason,” “Reinventing Your Exit,” “The Blue Note,” “It’s Dangerous Business Walking Out Your Front Door,” “Down, Set, Go,” “I Don’t Feel Very Receptive Today,” and “I’m Content With Losing.” This album only produced about 40 minutes of music, so Underøath would mix in some additional songs to end the set that changed every night based on fan voting. This night we got the additions of “Teeth,” “In Regards to myself,” “A Moment Suspended in Time,” “When the Sun Sleeps,” and truly ending with “Writing on the Walls.”

They’re Only Chasing Safety was a huge turning point for Underøath, as that was when Spencer Chamberlain joined the band whose vocals helped reshape the sound of their music. Though this may not have been their biggest chart topping album, it is the one fans tend to hold closest to their hearts. The fans of Southern California showed up to show the band just how much they love this album, selling out all three dates in our area. Underøath reciprocated the favor by performing each song with heart and passion, never making it feel like they’re just going through the motions with some of the deep cuts off the album. We all left the Observatory that night with an even bigger fondness for Chasing Safety.