Neck Deep’s The Peace and the Panic was in Vogue

By: Eva Zhu

Neck Deep played a headlining show with Seaway and Speak Low at the Vogue Theatre on February 23 as part of their The Peace and the Panic tour.

     It was, without a doubt, the best concert I have been to. One might assume that Seaway and Speak Low are only mediocre opening acts with no real substance, but that turned out to be a very wrong assumption. I already knew of, and loved listening to both bands, but even people who only came for Neck Deep were bobbing their heads enthusiastically and learning lyrics as songs progressed. Speak Low transformed his set with loud guitars, a talented bass player, and a drummer who really should have toned it down a little. To be honest, I wish he performed his songs the same way they were recorded — acoustically — since he doesn’t possess a voice strong enough to match the heavy instrumentals.

     Seaway played afterwards, and were practically perfect. Their lead singer Ryan Locke really knew how to get the get the crowd pumped (while wearing a floral blazer that I desperately want). Before playing one of their more well-known songs, Locke stood on the stage with a mischievous grin and waited until the mosh pit took up most of the floor before putting the microphone to his lips. Seaway played an incredible half-hour set, keeping the hype strong without having to remove any items of clothing. By the end, my vocal chords felt like sandpaper from singing along so loudly and I desperately craved water. On the topic of water, kudos to the security guards. In between set changes, they took turns squirting gulps of water into concert goers’ mouths, gave out candy (I stuck my hand out, but received no candy, and I’m still salty), and made sure none of the crowd surfers fell head-first onto the floor.

     Then, after two already amazing bands, Neck Deep came out with a bang. Almost literally. Their first song “Happy Judgment Day” blew everyone’s socks off with an impressive opening riff. They played through song after song effortlessly, setting the tone for the rest of the concert. Again, following Locke’s example, Ben Barlow (the lead singer of Neck Deep, with whom The Peak spoke to recently) knew how to pump up a crowd. I mean, nothing makes a pop-punk concert more pop-punk than a mosh pit. Also, the amount of crowd surfing made me wary of the possibility of getting kicked in the face.

     Towards the end of the concert, Neck Deep played a three-song acoustic set, resulting in tears from anyone with a functioning heart. Barlow sang “Wish You Were Here,” a tribute to his late father Terry Barlow, and it was hands down the saddest moment of the night. The night ended with sore throats and ringing ears. Neck Deep’s picks and drumsticks were thrown, and everyone left a venue littered with empty beer cans and discarded joints. It was a concert I’m still going to be reminiscing about years from now.