On April 19, 2025 the MGM Music Hall at Fenway hosted Spiritbox on their Tsunami Sea tour along with Loathe and Dying Wish. So off we went!
Dying Wish opened the show. For me, they were meh. Their singer, Emma Boster, can scream and growl. But that was it. Couldn’t make out a lyric to save my life, and even the non-screams sounded out of tune. To their credit, they were definitely the heaviest band of the night and had the biggest circle and mosh pits. But they were also the least melodic.
Loathe was next. I really wanted to like them. They have a song with Sleep Token available on your favorite streaming services and that kicks ass. They have melodic tunes and they do a fair amount of time changes during songs keeping the sound unique. But the vocals got me again. I could barely hear the dude for the first 2 songs and he hopped/danced around like a dork. He could do the screaming stuff but the non-screaming, actual singing, sounded out of key to me.
I will say that for me, and maybe it was due to seating location, the vocals were hard to hear all night. The bass just drowned out the vocals. And for the first 2 bands when the vocals could be heard, it just seemed off key to me.
Spiritbox was next and started the show with Fata Morgana. I won’t pretend to be a die hard fan who knows all their songs. I’m a casual listener but enjoy their sound and style. But many people did know all their songs and sang every word all night. This was cool because again, I struggled to hear the vocals as the bass was overpowering. This sucks to me because her voice is front and center on the albums. Her style is what makes the band’s sound. What I can say is that her overall tone was NOT off key. So there were redeeming qualities.
Their 16 song setlist seems to be quite consistent night after night according to the interwebs. They played two of their biggest singles Perfect Soul and Jaded early in the night. Circle with Me was right in the middle. They had a pretty cool stage setup, lots of screens, risers, and decent light show. What I didn’t realize is that singer Courtney LaPlante is from Western Massachusetts so this was a local show for her. She had family in the audience including her 90 year old “Grandpa Eddie.” He got a huge round of applause and an “Eddie” chant from the crowd. She also said that the 5000 capacity crowd was the largest headlining show they’ve ever played. That was pretty awesome.
The moshing was definitely the most active during the first band. Though crowd surfing seemed to definitely be the most active during Spiritbox. Personally, I don’t like either but since I was up in the seats and could just watch, I didn’t mind. I’ve always loved concerts for the bands. I love being close so I can watch how they play their instruments, how they perform, listen to what they say, snag a guitar pick, etc. I don’t want to have to turn around with my back to the band and watch out for people slamming into me or being over my head…and lose my place as a result. But that’s just me, you do you.
Overall, it was a good show. I just wish the sound mix had been better to actually hear the vocals more. Bass is fine, but it doesn’t need to be the star of the show unless it’s Primus.
There full setlist is available here.
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