Every Time I Die @ Kelsey Theater

(Originally Published on South Florida Insider)

The Legendary Buffalo Hardcore Group Tore the Roof Off the Sold Out Kelsey Theater – Review of the Every Time I Die Concert at the Kelsey Theater in Lake Park, FL

Photos and Story by: Gleb Barabanov

When you think of an Every Time I Die show, the first thing that comes to mind is “lightning in a bottle”. There’s not a whole lot of bands that can absolutely dominate every venue they play at, but Every Time I Die is definitely one of those bands. I’ve seen them four different times at four very different venues, and regardless of whether they’re playing a tiny room or a huge outdoor festival, they absolutely kill it – Every Time. That being said of course, you haven’t “truly” experienced an Every Time I Die show unless you see them in right in front of you, tearing your face off, and their recent show at the Kelsey Theater was definitely one of those times.

This was my first time attending a show at the Kelsey Theater, and if you’ve never been before I cannot recommend it highly enough. This area has been badly in need of a live music venue that can bring some big-name bands down to Florida, and for the past 4 years the Kelsey has been slowly but surely drawing them in. The theater itself is a pretty interesting place, with the awesomeness contained within masquerading behind a store plaza in the quaint area of downtown Lake Park. However, once you get past those doors (and a hallway full of merchandise from the groups playing that night), the venue opens up to quite a large room with a pretty big stage perfect for metal bands. The setup was perfect for a hardcore show, and whether you wanted to be in the pit, riding the rail at the very front, or hanging out in the back enjoying a beer, every fan has a perfect spot to enjoy the show.

And what a show it was, absolutely selling out the venue! Before Every Time I Die ever exploded out on the stage, the opening bands did an absolutely amazing job at warming the crowd up. Vein put on a hell of an opening set, and Turnstile and Angel Du$t kept the crowd in the zone while they waited for the main event to begin.

Once the 80’s synth-rock playing in the background as the band was setting up started to fade, and Keith and Jordan meandered onto the stage, the room absolutely exploded. Starting off with a treat to their long time fans, they played Emergency Broadcast Syndrome off their first album Last Night In Town. Following up with Romeo a Go-Go, vocalist Keith Buckley belted out hit after his to deliver a massive set list consisting of 21 epic songs. Touching upon each one of the band’s eight albums, the group played at least one song from each of their albums from the brand new Low Teens to some of their earlier stuff from Hot Damn! and Gutter Phenomenon. Flanked by a massive illuminated “I”, guitarists Jordan Buckley and Andy Williams cranked out killer riffs that kept crowdsurfers flying over my head all night long. The energy in the room was absolutely amazing, and it was definitely a testament to the guitarist’s musical ability that they were able to perform so full in a room so filled with chaos. Keith repeatedly went out into the crowd and let them sing lines to songs, which I think is an awesome treat for hardcore front row fans. After an amazing hour and a half performance, the band played their closing song Map Change, leaving the crowd cheering for more. I hope Every Time I Die decide to make the Kelsey a permanent stop on their subsequent tours, because this was definitely a night to remember.