Written by Dom Vigil
Earlier this week, I read an article which insinuated that although massive overseas, Enter Shikari are still struggling to find an audience in the states. But even before their headlining show in celebration of the 10th anniversary of their landmark album, Take to the Skies took place in Denver, I knew this wasn’t true. Nearly two years after their last performance in Colorado, the band still drew a large crowd and this was thanks in part to their insanely devoted fans.
While Being As An Ocean and Denver locals Anterroir took the stage to open the show, I spent some time catching up with friends, a few of which I’ve met through Shikari shows, and I kept hearing the same thing over and over, both from people I knew and strangers in the crowd: “This album means so much to me.” Coming both from fans who weren’t even in their teens when Take To The Skies came out to those who are now pushing thirty, it was apparent what kind of affect both Enter Shikari and this monumental album have had on their fans – myself included. And it’s safe to say that Enter Shikari are just as solid now as they were ten years ago. In fact, they just keep getting better and better.
From the moment that they took the stage following excited chants from the crowd to their massive finale of “The Appeal & the Mindsweep II,” Enter Shikari were more on top of their game than ever. Not only did they sound spot on, but the band was just as fun as always to watch, as frontman Rou Reynolds sprinted from one side of the stage to the other before jumping into the barricade to sing along with fans. A few songs into their set, he was then climbing into the crowd to see the pit first hand before perching up near the back of the venue at soundboard for a song. It was blink and you miss it. One moment, you’d be watching the entire band performing in sync with each other on stage, then the next you’d be wondering to yourself, “Hey, where’d Rou go?”
Although Summit Music Hall wasn’t sold out, Enter Shikari still played as if it was to a packed Alexandra Palace back home. The show itself felt massive, from the lighting production and sound all the way to the band’s antics on and off stage, but it also felt incredibly intimate, similar to their headlining gig at The Marquis Theater two years ago.
Throughout the night fans got the chance to sing along with some of their favorite songs and rarely performed tracks from Take To The Skies, but the band also gave a nod to their future, ending their set with a four song encore of “Anaesthetist,” “Redshift,” “OK, Time For Plan B” and “The Appeal & the Mindsweep II.” Before their final songs, Reynolds promised their return, announcing, “We’re about to fuck off to go write the best album of our careers,” and by the time those words rang out throughout Summit Music Hall, they were easy to believe.
View the full photo gallery from Enter Shikari’s headlining show in Denver here.
Purchase tickets to an upcoming show here.