It happened! The whole catalyst for a trip across the pond was to see Don Broco in the flesh and it was as good as I imagined it would be!
Really, the concert was the end to the whole week-long trip. While there was plenty of awesome stuff happening, I was getting pretty antsy for this show as the days sped by. When Saturday arrived, I was given an even cooler opportunity to attend a pop-up event they dubbed The Broco Arms, at a local pub fairly close to the venue. So you know that’s where I was in the late afternoon. I was able to get some merch ahead of time and then Simon and Tom showed up to meet the fans! The place was packed so I sadly missed out on meeting the guys but I was so dang close to making it happen. It was still a really neat event and I had a blast.
The show itself was at a ten thousand capacity venue called Alexandra Palace, but had oddly early set times. By the time my friends and I got to the venue, opener Papa Roach were playing their last two songs. Given that I’ve seen those guys a handful of times before I wasn’t too broken up about it. The anticipation for Don Broco’s set was real, but we settled into place at the back of the venue so I could see a little bit better. About halfway through the show I moved up to the middle for a few songs, but claustrophobia is real, so I liked the breathing room in the back better. And let me tell you what, that crowd was wild! Myself included, honestly.
The set was a great mix of new and old, and this is probably one of the handful of shows where I knew and liked every single song the band played. I was happy with how many tracks from Amazing Things made the set list, including the super fun opener to the show, “Bruce Willis.” “Anaheim” was an unexpected surprise from the album, and though I would have preferred “Easter Sunday” instead, I still loved it. They even threw in a bit of “Thug Workout” from way, way back in the day with some guest vocals from Jacoby Shaddix from Papa Roach. He also was on stage to help out with “Manchester Super Reds No 1 Fan,” which was quite a treat to see! Naturally, the show ended with everyone’s favorite, “T-Shirt Song” and I have some excellent videos of most of the crowd whipping a t-shirt in a circle above their heads. A terrific and very fun show overall.
This is the just beginning, though! While this might be the only headlining show I get with Don Broco this year, just before I left on the trip it was announced that they will be opening for The Used and Pierce the Veil in the states this summer. You know I bought back to back tickets in Cleveland and Pittsburgh. Be on the lookout for reviews from those shows!
