March 12th, 2020 will be a day that lives in infamy for me. This was supposed to be the start of Dance Gavin Dance's 2020 tour, kicking off with a show in Hollywood, California, and it was going to be my chance to finally see them live. I was on the verge of getting in the car and heading to the show when the news reported that the world was going into lockdown, and this show and tour were cancelled. It has now taken me another six years, but I finally got a chance to see Dance Gavin Dance live on their 2026 tour when it came to the House of Blues in Anaheim, CA. This was night two of two sold-out shows where fans packed the venue to see them with Horse the Band, Wolf & Bear, and Novelists. Could this show live up to the expectations of waiting six years?

Opening the show and traveling all the way from Paris, France were Novelists. Before the music could even start, eyes were glued to lead singer Camille Contreras as she walked out on stage in a flowy, sheer pink gown. Looking like a modern-day pop star, it was when the music kicked in that you could hear the appearance didn't necessarily match the voice, as Contreras could scream with the best of the metal community. Guitarists Florestan Durand and Pierre Danel framed Contreras' voice perfectly, moving the music through melodic overtures that let her sing with angelic clean vocals and slapping on the distortion that brought the energy to their music. Bassist Nicolas Delestrade and drummer Amael Durand held down the back end of the band and already got the pit moving, sending over a few crowd surfers to start the night. Novelists created a multitude of fans this night with songs like "All For Nothing," "Prisoner," "Say My Name," "Mourning The Dawn," "CRC," "CODA," and ending with "Turn It Up (Keyboard Warriors Social Club)." You never know what kind of great surprises you can find by getting to the show early.

Our next band was known as Wolf & Bear, and within minutes of their first song, "Twisted Tongues," you could hear why they were on this tour, keeping a similar feeling and groove to their music as our headliners Dance Gavin Dance with their progressive metalcore sound. Dual vocalists Marcus Cisneros (clean vocals) and Blair de Leon (unclean vocals) play off each other perfectly - almost like playing a game of catch with the lyrics. Guitarists Cameron Nunez and Louie Baltazar create high-energy grooves and flowing melodies with each song. Bassist Steven Fernandes and drummer Jacob Koval follow suit with melody and feel in the music. Wolf & Bear brought a hype-man energy to the fans at the House of Blues and kept that energy going through songs like "Street Rat," "Rick Ranch," "Apollo," "Whiplash," "Deleto," "FOOL'S GOLD," and ending with "THERE'S NO DUST IN THE CITY." Wolf & Bear had music that just makes you want to open a dance pit.

Up next was probably the most unique band of the night, Horse the Band. First off, it is a blessing to still get to see vocalist Nathan Winneke performing, as he has been diagnosed with MS. Because of this, at times he performed while leaning against a cane, and even had a royal throne on stage to take a seat when needed. However, this really didn't stop him from performing with everything he has and unleashing the most ferocious vocals of the night. Helping pick up the frontman energy was triangle player Ed Edge, who was jumping in the crowd, running around the venue, and being the most charismatic man on stage, all while simply blasting away on a triangle. Horse the Band has been labeled as Nintendocore, and you can really hear those digital elements thanks to keyboardist Erik Engstrom, while guitarist David Isen, bassist Jeremiah Bignell, and drummer Daniel Pouliot pack the punch that gives the music its metal edge. Horse the Band kept up this eclectic energy with songs like "Heroes Die," "Birdo," "A Million Exploding Suns," "Manateen," "The House of Boo," "Cloudwalker," "Murder," "Horse the Song," and "Cutsman." For anyone new to Horse the Band, like me, this was a shock to the senses at first, and then you were rocking out to the music instantly.

It was then time for our headliner to take the stage and see if the crowd could top the energy from night one. Starting off the set with "Animal Surgery," it only took mere moments before bodies were hurling themselves over the barricade, as crowd surfers decided this was the night they were going to make security work for their paychecks. Clean vocalist Andrew Wells was constantly reaching out to shake hands with as many of the fans barreling over the barricade as he could reach, along with tossing water into the crowd after every song. Wells truly showed his appreciation to the fans for showing up to this show. Unclean vocalist Jon Mess often takes the chorus of the songs, creating a cacophony of sound in the venue as the fans all sing and scream along with Mess through the songs.

Dance Gavin Dance has always had a unique sound that stems from guitarist Will Swan's technical guitar playing. He settles happily into a list of modern guitar players that are helping to redefine the instrumentation - from crafting melodies to working the fretboard in creative and funky ways to make DGD's music stand out. You may not realize how much style he puts into his playing, but you can absolutely feel it. He's backed by Matt Mingus on drums, who helps drive the songs, knowing when to keep them in the pocket or push the music and give it that extra bit of oomph!

You could feel the love in the air as the fans took in every second that Dance Gavin Dance gave them. There is such a passionate dedication to the band and their music that DGD had to have a hard time picking the setlist. But fans still enjoyed each song we got, like "Chucky vs. The Giant Tortoise," "Midnight at McGuffy's," "It's Safe to Say You Dig the Backseat," "Speed Demon," "Synergy," "Uneasy Hearts Weigh the Most," "Trap Door," "Elder Goose," "The Stickler," and "Surprise! I'm From Cuba, Everyone Has One Brain," before coming out for a three-song encore of "Carl Barker," "All the Way Down," and "Inspire the Liars."

As the lights came on in the House of Blues, there was an air of bittersweet happiness. Dance Gavin Dance's music lifts so many people up, as it is just so much fun, but then at the same time, the concert ended. Regardless, each fan left with such positive energy radiating off them - we couldn't be happier. As much as I would have loved to see them six years ago, I'm glad to have finally seen Dance Gavin Dance, as the show was more fun than I could have anticipated, and I hope I don't have to wait another six years to see them again.