This surface-level emotion was kind of the theme for the night: Openness, gratitude and joy were in abundance across the entire night.
The most powerful moments of the night came when Oli entered the crowd with a portable camera, showing off his perspective to the arena on the screens behind him. While there, he hugged his fans, sang with them and wiped their tears away. It was quite amazing, to be honest. It melted a portion of my heart for a second there.
It’s also important to point out that very few bands at this level would do this. And it further shows that Bring Me The Horizon are humbled by their fans, there’s no visible contempt there (not yet, anyway).
Emotions and stunts aside, Bring Me The Horizon were, sonically, the best they have ever been. Each member’s performance was flawless, with Oli acting as their dark troupe leader at all times, guiding everyone through a spectacle of absolute metal mastery.
The standout part of BMTH’s show, however, was its production. The screens behind the band showed a macabre church (on a Sunday night, no less), with thunder, lightning and hellfire spilling through its stained glass. Before long, a monolithic demon broke through, forcing Oli and co to “fight back” with their music. All the while, fans were guided through the show by Eve, an avatar with an attitude who built a meta-narrative within the show, and added some much-needed moments of levity.