Wednesday night at The Clyde Theatre in Fort Wayne, Indiana was definitely NOT a Nightmare or a cause for Panic for fans anxiously waiting to catch a stop on the Blackout Tour with From Ashes to New, The Word Alive, Catch Your Breath and Ekoh! The Clyde Theatre is a beautiful venue located near downtown, and it is owned by Sweetwater. The theater originally opened in 1951. In 2017 and 2018 it underwent major renovations and is a gorgeous venue with state-of-the-art sound and lights. 

A decent crowd had gathered at the front of the stage for the opening hip-hop act, Ekoh. Joining him on stage were a drummer and a DJ. They undoubtedly did a great job at hyping up the crowd!

Catch Your Breath was up next! The 4 piece hard rock band is based out of Austin, Texas. Gaining popularity on the Sirius radio station Octane, the band played several hits including Dial Tone, 21 Gun Salute and Shame on Me. The energy in the room was certainly ramping up as crowd-surfing started to kick in during their set! Keep your eye on this band, I can absolutely see big things for them!

Things really started to heat up with the help of metalcore band The Word Alive! Originating in Phoenix, Arizona, this is a band that not only rocks but knows how to get the crowd to come alive, no pun intended! They have been on the scene since 2008 and current band members are Tyler Smith [vocals], Zack Hanson [guitar], Daniel Nelson [drums], and Jose DelRio [guitar]. Waves of crowd surfers were coming over the rail almost as soon as the first riff was played. A pit was also formed and remained steady throughout their set. They played hits such as Strange Love, Thank you, One of Us and New Reality. The Word Alive more than got the crowd ready for headliners From Ashes to New!

From Ashes to New knows how to put on a show, hands down, every time! The rock band was founded in small town America, Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 2013. Founding member and vocalist, Matt Brandyberry has overcome many obstacles in life and with the band, but I think they have settled into a solid unit with Danny Case [vocals], Lance Dowdle [guitar], Mat Madiro [drums] and Jimmy Bennett [touring guitarist]. The crowd-surfing and the pit continued on through the evening, with 700 fans screaming every word! Hit songs such as Armageddon, Broken, Monster In Me, Scars That I’m Hiding, Heartache, Panic and Nightmare were played. An encore of Maria Carey’s All I Want for Christmas is You and the band’s hit Through It All were also played. Both Matt B and Danny spoke words of inspiration and appreciation to their fans, who they consider family. 

I look forward to seeing what all 4 of these talented acts continue to accomplish in the near future! This tour stop was a blast and one of my favorites to date!