Marianas Trench Review

By Ivory Sligh

The start of my Marianas Trench concert journey began during my afternoon lunch break on May 3rd when I mistakenly went to the box office to pick up my winning tickets thanks to WMSC 90.3. Being a complete concert novice, I was unaware that you are supposed to pick up tickets at will call when doors open but fortunately as I was entering, so was most of the band members of Marianas Trench. After my internal freak out and awkward smiling at the group, my excitement grew for the night’s show on the train ride back to work.

Fast forward to night at Irving Plaza, my friend and I found ourselves towards the front of the stage, jamming out to the first opening act, DJ George Thoms. At the beginning, it was clear that the crew was figuring out the right volume because there was too much bass when he was performing his set. My heart felt like it was about to jump outside of my chest. After several song mixes, the sound got better and soon enough we were all dancing and singing along to songs from Whitney Houston to Cardi B to Kelly Clarkson! DJ George Thoms was a complete pro at getting us pumped for the rest of the show because before he left the stage, he played I Write Sins Not Tragedies by Panic! at the Disco and the crowd went wild.

The final opening act was the Los Angeles based group, New Dialogue. The quintet gave me major Paramore vibes, especially the eccentric pink haired vocalist who reminded me of Hayley Williams, which made me appreciate them even more. I was unfamiliar with the group but I love indie/alternative music and I knew I would enjoy their set. The beginning started off a bit rocky because it was difficult to hear the vocalists over the overpowering instruments but just like the first act, the performance got better after a few songs. I found myself dancing and singing along to their songs “Are You Like Me” and “Pilgrims” off their new EP, Teach Me How to Feel. As we were getting comfortable with New Dialogue, their set ended abruptly after only performing for 20-25 minutes! It was disappointing because the crowd was really digging their music but after the initial disappointment, the mood of the venue completely changed as Marianas Trench walked on stage.

I’ll start off by saying that Marianas Trench had one of the best concert intros I have ever experienced in my life. The lights in the venue went low and Highway to Hell by AC/DC began to play which drove the crowd mad. As a new “Trencher” who discovered the band through the 2012 Much Music Video Awards, I had no idea what I was getting myself into when they first came onstage and performed Eleonora, the first song on their latest album, Phantoms. Not only was I blown away by the vocals and music of the band, I was really digging the different outfit choices of each band member which expressed their personalities. My favorite was definitely Josh Ramsay, the lead vocalist, who wore a black mesh top and skinny jeans, and an “inside out” black sweater with a gorgeous gold choker. Not only did they perform songs from their recent album, Marianas Trench blessed us with some of their old material like “Here’s To The Zeros” and “Pop 101”. Halfway through the show, Josh left the stage and appeared in the crowd, walking and dancing around the venue while singing with fans. Everything changed when I heard the first few chords of my favorite song “Fallout” starting to play on the guitar. The energy in the room shifted and the crowd seemed to merge into one as we danced together and enthusiastically sung our hearts out along with the band. My heart sunk when the beginning of The Killing Kind, the final song on Phantoms, started to play because I knew it was the end of the show. I didn’t want this new and exciting adventure to end but like Winnie the Pooh said, “How lucky am I to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.”

This was a concert I’ll never forget and WMSC 90.3 made it all happen. I’m forever grateful and I will cherish the Marianas Trench setlist and guitar pick I was lucky enough to receive after the performance.

As a whole, I’d rate this concert 7/10.