Enter Shikari Plays to Sold-Out Crowd at Bowery Ballroom
Enter Shikari visited the Bowery Ballroom in New York City as part of a short set of USA tour dates. They only planned three USA stops to celebrate their new album, A Kiss For The Whole World, in Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York. Times like these make me feel so lucky to be close to a popular city like New York City. Enter Shikari sold out all three of their shows. It was my first time at Bowery Ballroom, and it was a very unique venue!
The opening band for this stop was Save Face. Initially, the tour flyer said to be confirmed, and I was happy when I saw it was updated to Save Face. I saw them late last year at Starland Ballroom, and they caught my attention. Their sophomore album, Another Kill For The Highlight Reel, took a lot of risks and set them apart in the scene. They said they hadn’t played since December and were excited to be at the Bowery Ballroom.
Enter Shikari hit the stage next, and the crowd went insane. They are a British band and just released their new album last month. I first heard of Enter Shikari back in 2007 when they released their first album, Take to the Skies. Their song "Sorry You’re Not a Winner" became insanely popular then. On Spotify alone, it has 27 million plays!
The lead singer Rou Reynolds told the crowd it was good to be back in New York. The crowd did a lot of chants and made some noise for the drummer, Rob. Rou joked that the drummer was going to cause irreparable damage. Rob said he wasn’t and planned to play the gig and go home happy. Rou said they would bring it all the way back for the next song, "Anything Can Happen In The Next Half Hour." This song was off the same album that I first heard of by them.
Enter Shikari has been around for a long time, and their chemistry was apparent throughout the set. They connected with their fans, smiling at them and fist-bumping throughout the entire set. The crowd chanted that they missed them, and the band said they missed their fans too.
Rou talked about how the last few weeks were a whirlwind for them and that they flew into LA a few weeks ago and found out that their new album went number 1 on the UK charts before boarding. The crowd started to chant number 1. Rou joked and said it’s not that high in the US. He explained that they’d spent a week and a half enjoying themselves in our wonderful country. Rou said he would play a song from the new album called It Hurts.
Rou went on to say that when moments of joy strike you, hold onto them. They’re motivating and energizing precisely what we need. Rou said they’re working on returning to the USA, and if we want more USA tour dates, to find Ryan in the audience because he’s in charge of booking USA tours. I hope that Ryan does book some more USA dates soon. I can’t stop listening to their new album, and I’d love the opportunity to see them live again!
