THE PLOT IN YOU KICK OFF NORTH AMERICAN TOUR
THE STRAND — PROVIDENCE, RI
Midwest metalcore/post-hardcore band The Plot In You began their NORTH AMERICA 2025 TOUR at The Strand Ballroom & Theatre in Providence, RI on September 5th. Opening night of a tour always carries a certain electricity, and this one built steadily through a stacked lineup before erupting into the headliner’s set.
Australian band Windwaker opened with a flood of energy and heaviness. Their set had the audience moving early as their spark established the tone for the night. Invent Animate followed, bringing textured riffs and rhythms that pulled between dissonance and melody. Frontman Marcus Vik’s range from guttural lows to piercing screams and crisp, clean vocals added layers to their sound, raising the atmosphere of the room. By the time Northlane took the stage, the room was already charged. Their progressive metalcore fused with electronic soundscapes lit up the theatre, and the crowd responded feverishly. This lineup was the perfect buildup for what was to come.
After Northlane finished their set, the red-velvet curtains dropped while ambient lo-fi echoed throughout the theatre. The crowd was buzzing with anticipation until the curtains lifted, lights dimmed, and fog rolled out seamlessly from the stage into the crowd. Excitement shifted to silence awaiting the band as one by one – drummer Michael Cooper, bassist Ethan Yoder, and guitarist Josh Childress – took their place. Vocalist Landon Tewers shook the crowd, bursting through the silence and creating chaos with the “Lend me the world / the cracks in the pavement”; first notes of “Spare Me.” The room shook as fans screamed the lyrics back. “Divide,” “Pretend,” and “Paradigm,” followed without pause, each song sharp and raw with emotion.
When “The One You Loved” from 2018’s Dispose began, the audience’s excitement for an older track was palpable. Tewers’ voice cut through the fog and strobes, carrying just as much force live as it does on record, from guttural lows to falsetto lines that hung with fragility over the chaos. Even within the heavy moments, there was a strange sense of intimacy in the way he performed – eyes closed, pacing the stage – almost as if he were alone in the room speaking truth into the melody, while the audience watched, almost voyeuristically.
The setlist stretched across the band’s catalog, ranging from “Face Me” (off 2021’s Swan Song), to “Troll” (2013’s Could You Watch Your Children Burn) and “Been Here Before” (from 2024’s Vol. 3). Each track satisfied across different generations of fans, from new to veterans, all while balancing the push-pull of heaviness and melody that defines The Plot In You.
Midway through, another silence arose as Tewers took to a velvet chair beside a floor lamp with only an acoustic guitar. The stripped-down moment included the debut of a new, unreleased song that streamed on Instagram Live – intimate and haunting; the crowd realized they were witnessing a spark of something new.
Following the debut, red strobes flashed as “Forgotten” (from Vol. 1) hit, Tewers screaming “You know what that sound means!”, handing the mic to the audience to scream the lyrics amongst the erupting pit. The closing songs, “Don’t Look Away,” “Closure” (both from Vol. 2), and “Left Behind” carried that same energy to the finale. “Feel Nothing” from Dispose sealed the night, with the crowd alive throughout the entire set.
From start to finish, The Plot In You balanced raw power and emotional vulnerability, delivering a set that showcased both their heaviest, nastiest breakdowns and their most delicate songwriting. Opening night in Providence proved that this tour is more than a headliner; it’s the beginning of something new. This was only night one. If they’re coming through your city, don’t wait. Get your ticket and experience it for yourself.
