Spiritbox made their way to Chicago’s iconic Aragon Ballroom which has become a mecca for hard rock and metal shows — and Spiritbox was no different. With fans wrapping around the corner, hours before the show, the Aragon Ballroom had no issues selling out the night.
Promoting their newest album, Tsunami Sea, and on their second headline tour, Spiritbox has become a fast rising metal bands in recent years, as well as fresh off a couple Grammy nominations for Best Metal Performance, hailing from British Columbia, Canada.
To lead off the night were two heavy hitters in Dying Wish and Loathe with both with a moderate setlist for openers with nine and eight songs respectively. Loathe, comes from Liverpool, England and is a heavy metal band fronted by lead singer Kadeem France, guitarist and backing vocals Erik Bickerstaffe, drummer Sean Radcliffe and bassist Feisal El-Khazragi. For the first time in a while I finally remembered to bring my earplugs in the pit, which were most definitely needed, as Loathe flooded the Aragon with some of the heaviest vocals i’ve ever heard. Kadeem vocals shift between powerful, guttural screams and smooth, melodic singing. The lighting for Loathe’s set matched the energy from the band and crowd, going from calm, slow moving during the melodies to violent, sporadic flashes. The crowd had no problem connecting with the band and their energy as I lost count how many crowd surfers came through the pit.
After much anticipation and weaving myself through the crowd to get a solid spot to set up for some shots, Spiritbox made their way through the smoked-set stage to a massive roar from the crowd. Fronted by lead singer Courtney LaPlante, guitarist and husband Mike Stringer, alongside drummer Zev Rose, and bassist Josh Gilbert. The band took the stage and Courtney walked out in a sleek, black, metallic bodysuit adorned with silver chains and harness details, creating a bold, futuristic, and armored stage look. Fitting the massive 8 foot tall stage were several risers for the members to hop on with Sean positioned on the highest riser along with led screens displaying vibrant lights a videos to help set the ambiance.
As the performance started Courtney noted during the performance that they wrote the album while they were “feeling alone and isolated” — and feel that is something most can relate and connect with to when listening to the album as it explores themes of isolation, identity, and transformation, drawing inspiration from the ocean as a metaphor for emotional depth and turbulence. Courtney made the crowd feel every bit of that emotion with her powerful voice and screams with amazing depth and control. The band put on a sixteen song setlist with playing hits from Tsunami Sea, along with some of their other greatest hits “Circle With Me,” “Jaded,” and “Holy Roller.”
The night was one to remember for those who made their way through the windy city, battling the cold, wind and traffic to see one of the best metal bands of recent years.
Check out one of their upcoming tour dates here.
GALLERY: Spiritbox at Aragon Ballroom in Chicago, Illinois (April 25, 2025)
LOATHE
