Crazy to me that I haven’t seen Royal Blood since 2018 – it’s not right! Thankfully, after two full-length album releases, they’ve finally decided to come back to Cleveland!
My sister and I made sure to get there right when the doors opened to get a good spot, though most spots at the Agora are great ones. Still, we wanted to be close. And we were! The hour after the doors opened went quickly, and pretty soon we were treated to opening band, and fellow Engladners, Bad Nerves. They gave off your typical British rock band vibes, and while I was fine with them, almost all of their songs sounded the same. I will be checking them out further, as I find listening to bands with headphones in is a more fair approach. Though overall, I wasn’t too impressed with their quick set. My sister and I might be alone in that opinion though, because the crowd really seemed to be all in for them.
A short time later, Royal Blood took the stage to thunderous applause. I think it’s been a hot, hot minute since the guys have rolled through Cleveland, so the fans were hyped. I, too, was quite giddy to see them. As I said before, we never got a touring cycle for Typhoons, so we were due for a show. The set was a nice mix of songs off of all of their four full-length releases, and they even opened the show with a B-side, “Hole,” off their first album. I was particularly tickled to hear “Loose Change” and “Waves” off the new record, though my immense love will never fade for “Figure It Out” or new jam “Shiner in the Dark.” Perhaps the only songs that I was bummed I didn’t get to hear were “Hook, Line and Sinker” and “Limbo,” but otherwise I was a happy fan.
Again, the crowd was also super happy to be there. The cheers never seemed to stop, and Mike and Ben just seemed to soaking it in while simultaneously egging the crowd on for more. We gave it to them. It’s funny, Ben, the drummer, made his way into the crowd no less than three times throughout the show, which was fun to see given that he sits behind his kit most of the time. Mike was pleased enough to stay on stage, but this was easily the most invested in a show I’ve ever seen him. Perhaps that Radio One rant was warranted after all. Even though I knew what song was officially ending the show, they almost felt very reluctant to leave the stage and I somehow wish we could have squeaked one more song out of them, but I’m still pleased with what we got.
I can only hope this tour leads to some festival dates in the states next year so I don’t have to wait too long to see them again. Cleveland was only the second stop on the tour, so if you’re a fan there are still plenty of opportunities to catch them!