Christmas Burns Red Day 2 | Lancaster, PA

The second night of Christmas Burns Red consisted of Kaonashi, Signs of the Swarm, Galactic Empire, Kublai Khan, Between the Buried and Me, and August Burns Red on December 9th at Freedom Hall in Lancaster, PA.

Kaonashi kicked off the night playing their fan favorite song, “You’ll Understand When You’re Older.” This band has an uncanny ability to mix genres of mathcore, post-hardcore, and metalcore together seamlessly. The crowd was shocked by how incredible the vocals of Peter Rono. They continued their set with “Coffee & Conversation” and “M.O.R.G.A.N.”

Up next was Signs of the Swarm. The band’s setlist showcased gnarly riffs and vicious vocals, tearing through crowd-pleasers “Amongst the Low & Empty” and “Tower of Torsos.” The band’s energy was infectious, with the crowd headbanging in unison.

The galaxy's favorite metal band, Galactic Empire, took the stage next. They kicked off their set playing “Star Wars: Main Title” and “The Mandalorian.” The crowd was filled with fans moshing and running around with lightsabers in the air. When the band played “The Imperial March (Darth Vader's Theme),” the crowd exploded with excitement. 

Kublai Khan walked onstage and immediately commanded the entire crowd's attention. The band opened their set with “Antpile” and chaos quickly ensued. As Kublai Khan continued playing fan favorite songs such as “Boomslang,” "Swan Song,” and “Theory of Mind,” the crowd was chanting every word. The band ended their set with “The Hammer.”

Up next was Between the Buried and Me performing their album Colors in its entirety. Vocalist Tommy Rogers’ stage presence was captivating as he transitioned from vocals to playing the keyboard seamlessly, all the while keeping the crowd on edge. As the drums soared and riffs intensified, the crowd’s energy never stopped moving.

As “Home for the Holidays” started playing, the mighty August Burns Red took to the stage. From the moment the band started playing the first notes of Messengers opener “Truth of a Liar,” the crowd was ready to shout every lyric. August Burns Red dusted off some deep cuts for night two, including Thrill Seeker highlight “Endorphins,” which they had not played in front of an audience since 2008. The band walked off stage and the crowd shouted “ABR” until the band returned to close the weekend with “Frosty the Snowman” and Marianas Trench.”