letlive. @ Brighton Music Hall (Boston, MA) on July 5, 2016 [Show Review & Photos]

Fresh off the release of their latest Epitaph record, If I’m The Devil…, letlive. are blazing their way across North America. We caught up with the tour as it made its way to Brighton Music Hall in Boston on July 5th. After great sets from openers Night Verses and Silver Snakes, and a stellar performance from support act Seahaven, it was time for LA post-hardcore giants letlive to hit the stage. The band kicked off their 14-song set with the first track from If I’m The Devil…, “I’ve Learned to Love Myself.”

Few bands possess the energy that letlive brings to their live performances–chiefly this is because of the antics and energy of frontman Jason Aalon Butler. In fact, I often rate bands’ live performances on a scale of ‘1’ to ‘letlive’. I’ve yet to find a band that merits a rating of ‘letlive’. Those in attendance on this night’s intimate show got a firsthand look at why that is–as Butler jumped, slid, and flailed his way around the stage–at one point even climbing up to the support beams holding the stage lighting up. He performed two songs from this high vantage point while dangling over the crowd. Butler didn’t shy away from getting up in personal with fans during the set–pulling several eager crowd surfers up to join him on stage, and leaping into the audience at one point.

Their set would go on to include other new tracks “Another Offensive Song,” “Reluctantly Dead,” and “Good Mourning, America,” but also more classic letlive material than one would’ve expected, given that they just released a brilliant new record. letlive played fan-favorites “Renegade ’86,” “Enemies [Enemigos],” and “Muther” from 2011’s Fake History, and “Younger,” “Banshee (Ghost Fame),” “That Fear Fever,” and “The Dope Beat” from 2013’s The Blackest Beautiful.

The set wasn’t without its hiccups–technical issues flared up a few songs in–though Butler and his cohorts entertained the audience with a freestyle rap in which he took a jab at the current Republican frontrunner, uttering “F*ck Donald Trump.” This was of course deservedly met with much applause from the crowd. Jason Butler gave a shout out/dedication to the late Massachusetts band BANE, who just played their last show a few weeks ago, dedicating the song “27 Club” to the band whom he credited with having great influence on the hardcore scene and himself as a musician.

I’ve seen letlive several times, but this was the first time I’d gotten to see them headline, and one of a few times I’d seen them in such an intimate setting. If you can make it out to one of the remaining tour dates you won’t regret it!

Remaining Tour Dates:

07/08 – Virginia Beach, VA – Shaka’s
07/09 – Baltimore, MD – Baltimore Soundstage
07/10 – Pittsburgh, PA – Altar Bar
07/12 – Cleveland, OH – Agora Theatre and Ballroom
07/15 – Columbus, OH – Park Street Salon
07/16 – Pontiac, MI – The Crofoot
07/17 – Bridgeview, IL – Toyota Park
07/18 – Minneapolis, MN – Skyway Theater
07/20 – St. Louis, MO – Fubar
07/21 – Lawrence, KS – Granada Theater
07/22 – Denver, CO – The Summit Music Hall
07/23 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Complex
07/25 – Portland, OR – Bossanova Ballroom – Social Club (Upstairs)
07/27 – Seattle, WA – El Corazon
07/29 – Orangevale, CA – The Boardwalk
07/30 – San Francisco, CA – Social Hall SF
07/31 – Santa Ana, CA – The Observatory

Check out the song “Reluctantly Dead”