Concert Review: Bury Your Dead/Great American Ghost/Brick By Brick/Edict/1000 Yard Stare @ Empire Live, 03/17/2023

By Hilary Crannage On Mar 19, 2023

Hearing the wail of a siren is often associated with a big event to come and puts those who hear it on edge. That’s exactly what the band, Marrow, did opening for the St. Patrick’s day Bury Your Dead show at Empire Live. Marrow did a great job setting the tone for the rest of the show.

1000 Yard Stare took over from Marrow without skipping a beat. The lead singer sent out his appreciation for the other bands before dedicating the show to Martha Stewart. Their thrasher style set them apart from Marrow. But like their predecessor, 1000 Yard Stare engaged the crowd directly by standing towards the edge of that stage.

Edict came on next like bats out of hell. The lead singer really brought the pit to a new level with his intense energy. It wasn’t uncommon to see one of the guitarists running circles in the pit while the lead singer crowd surfed towards the front. The performance was made even more special when it became known that the singer recently had surgery to remove cancer.

Brick by Brick dominated the stage by bringing their heavy style and strong percussion. The lead singer made sure to get face-to-face with people in the front row. The energy from the pit that came with Edict was carried to Brick by Brick. At this point, the crowd was VERY intense, especially in the pit, as it expanded to fit all the moshers flailing around.

Great American Ghost showed up with complete control of the stage. Like the bands before them, the lead singer stayed mainly to the very front and within reach of the crowd. In an effort to take the pit to the next level, the singer bellowed, “we may be friends, but tonight your bitter enemies!” The intense head-banging and constant movement from the whole band matched their energetic music.

Bury Your Dead lived up to its reputation completely. They started their set with all the lights off, only to turn around mid-jump and drop the first note. There was more than one singer during their set. The lead singer introduced a dear friend and musician that filled in for the band at one point as well as the lead singer from Edict. The pit started getting aggressive, and crowd surfing was in full force. The concert wrapped up with the last song brought by all three singers on the stage together, and the crowd chanted BURY YOUR DEAD in a tangled wad of the singers, the crowd, and the music.