By photojournalist Ryan Marchese
Saturday June 7th marked Dance Gavin Dance’s Return of the Robot Tour at Jannus Live in St. Pete, FL. This was the first headlining tour with former rhythm guitarist, Andrew Wells, taking the helm for band’s clean vocals, being replaced by Martin Bianchini on guitar. Adrew is the 4th clean vocalist to take over for the Sacramento-based band. OG members Will Swan, Jon Mess, and Matt Mingus were joined by Sergio Medina, who has taken over on bass since the tragic passing of Tim Feerick in April of 2022. Dwellings, Belmont and The Home Team accompanied DGD on the tour.
I’m not gonna lie, I was most excited to see Dwellings, since I just got into them this past year and have been hooked. The only thing that was disappointing was the length of their set! These guys were a lot of fun and lived up to the killer sound and experimental style that is right at home for DGD fans. Although their set was short, they played the hell out of some absolute bangers like “Devices” and “Lemonade.” Can’t wait to see more of them down the road.
Next up was Belmont, hailing from Chicago. I went in blind with them and walked away a fan. Belmont was definitely the heavier band in the lineup, but had a lot of the same elements as those they shared the stage with. They brough fast paced instrumentals, high energy and a fusion of pop punk with metalcore and alt rock. Tracks like “Liminal” and SSX Trickmont” set the standard for passion, with bandmates jumping all over the stage and even throwing so high-flying kicks.
I was excited to see The Home Team live for my first time, but they stole the show for me. They came out swinging with “Slow Bloom” and followed with an assortment of tracks mostly from Slow Bloom and The Crucible of Life. “Brag” amped things up and they continued absolutely rocking the crowd with tracks like “Hell” and “Watching All Your Friends Get Rich.” They even peppered in a new track off the deluxe version of Crucible of Life, “Worthy.” Brian Butcher’s personality and great stage presence shined the entire set, whether he was performing some of his signature dance moves or flashing the big ol’ smile he’s known for. While Dan Matson tore it up on drums, Ryan Olson and John Baran synchronized spins and jumps on opposite sides of the stage, all while shredding on bass and guitar respectively. The band was super animated on stage and made my job taking photos a lot of fun.
The robot has returned. I’ve now seen every iteration of Dance Gavin Dance since I first started going to shows. Whether they were led by Jonny Craig, Kurt Travis, or Tilian Pearson in the past, each brought their own personal touch to the band and kept things moving forward; with Andrew at the front, things will be business as usual. DGD played to a sold-out crowd at Jannus. The band opened with the explosive “Speed Demon,” one of the first tracks to drop after the departure of Tilian. They made sure to kill it with their newest releases, “Midnight at McGuffy’s” and “All the Way Down,” to promote the upcoming album, Pantheon, while also throwing in some deep cuts like “The Backwards Pumpkin Song” and “Blue Dream.”
The crowd was delighted with a rendition of “Uneasy Hearts Weigh the Most” featuring Brian from The Home Team returning to the stage. Will Swan’s “fastest fingers in the West” absolutely crushed the lead guitar lines and solos, while Jon Mess made his screams look as effortlessly as breathing. Matt’s drums and percussion playing are always phenomenal and the newcomers to the band all put on a great show that fit the energy of the night. I’m looking forward to what the future has in store for the next chapter of Dance Gavin Dance and checking out Pantheon this September.
