Show Review: The Welcome to Elsewhere Tour – Orlando, 1/22 | House of Blues

It’s a chilly Saturday when the Welcome to Elsewhere tour rolls into Orlando. The rain’s held off for the majority of the day, save for a drizzle here and there, Florida’s humidity has taken a much-appreciated break, and dozens of fans are bundled up outside the House of Blues at Disney Springs.

It’s been a solid three years since I’ve last seen the majority of the bands on the lineup. My sophomore year of college was soundtracked by Stand Atlantic, in particular, and As It Is was actually the first ever show I photographed when I dove into the world of music photography. Despite the time that’s passed, my excitement for everyone on the lineup has only grown as time has gone on. This excitement seemed to be shared by both the bands and fans as well, as it’s been quite some time since we’ve seen a lineup quite like this.

Waiting for the show to start, I send a few texts to some friends who follow the artists as well and we each come to the same conclusion: this is the most down to Earth lineup the scene has ever witnessed. When you think of bands who are truly grateful to be where they are today and value their fans close to their hearts, each name listed on the Welcome to Elsewhere tour poster comes to mind before most others.

That being said, the feelings of love, happiness, and excitement were nearly tangible as soon as the show began. No Love For The Middle Child is perhaps one of, if not the, best opener I’ve seen in quite some time. He commanded the stage flawlessly, and had the entire crowd interacting in ways that I’ve only ever seen successfully done by headliners. Several people around me spoke to each other about just how good they thought the set was, and how even if they may have not known his music before, they were obsessed now.

No Love For The Middle Child set up the energy perfectly for As It Is, who did exactly what they do best and absolutely dominated the stage. Frontman Patty Walters’s showmanship is simply unparalleled, and with each show he’s raising the bar for himself and others (and surpassing it each time). The band’s performance as a whole felt like an extension of the energy in the crowd. From Patty’s interactions with the fans on barricade to Alistair [Testo] and Ronnie [Ish]’s movements on stage, the synergy between the crowd and the band comes naturally to everyone involved.

From classic tracks like “Dial Tones” and “Hey Rachel” (both personal favorites of mine), to newer installments to their discography like “I MISS 2003”, the setlist provided a little something for everybody no matter what stage in the band’s career you may have been introduced during. But no matter how much I may love the songs that I was introduced to the band through, As It Is proved that if anyone had any doubt that they were a force to be reckoned with, then the era they’re about to enter will put those thoughts to rest. Not only did their set get me excited for the remainder of the show, but also for the shows that might come once they drop their next record, I Went To Hell And Back.

Even down one member, Stand Atlantic proved yet again that they simply never miss. They approach each show as if they were headlining it, resulting in circle pits, crowdsurfers, and fans yelling back the lyrics over frontwoman Bonnie Fraser’s vocals.

With a perfect blend of setlist staples such as “Lavender Bones” and “Skinny Dipping”, and newer works like “Deathwish” and “Jurassic Park”, Stand Atlantic had no trouble keeping the energy up and intact to prepare the crowd for Set It Off. If the band hadn’t said themselves that they were missing a member for the night, I truly don’t think anyone in the crowd would have realized the band was adapting to playing in an unfamiliar way. With each time I’ve seen them they simply get better and better, and even with only 3/4 of the band present, they were nowhere near disappointing the expectations I had.

By the Set It Off took the stage, the crowd was fully prepared for anything the band decided to throw at them. Sporting perhaps the most fun and eccentric set design I’ve seen to date (shoutout to the 8-foot-tall skeletons and hair-color-coded microphones), Set It Off gave fans a taste of what they can expect in the Elsewhere era. Admittedly, I was unsure how to feel about a tour surrounding an era that hasn’t been fully released yet, but I left the show eagerly awaiting the album release and what the rest of the era had to offer.

The set paid homage to past eras (I was stoked upon hearing the beginning of “Ancient History”; I wasn’t expecting my favorite song to be revived) while building up hype for the new era through tracks like “Projector” and “Skeleton”.

It was clear throughout the entire show that Set It Off was incredibly grateful to be back and playing shows after so much time way. It was particularly special for them to be playing a show at a venue they spent time visiting while growing up. The elation over the band’s return was shared with the fans as well, who were just as thankful for the opportunity to see them in a non-virtual setting.

Safe to say, each band played their best show in all of the times I had seen them before, while on the Welcome to Elsewhere Tour. They’ve always been able to provide a sense of belonging through their music, and a supportive home within a crowd. After nearly three years since last attending one of their shows, I was quickly reminded of why I loved each of these bands as much as I did, and why their shows are the ones I’ve attended most often and most eagerly.

I’m looking forward to the music each of them have up their sleeves, and how that impacts the next wave of shows they may have coming up after. You can click here to check out the remaining dates of the tour, which will be running until mid-February.