Grayscale Concert Review: The Umbra Tour

Review & Pictures by Delfi Ruiz

Concert: Holy Diver in Sacramento, CA 11/20/21

Following the release of their newest album, Umbra, Philadelphia based band Grayscale has embarked on a twenty five date, headlining tour across the country. On November 20th, the four bands hit up the fifth and final of five California shows - a completely sold out show at Sacramento’s Holy Diver.

Having seen Grayscale at the same venue nearly two years ago, before the pandemic, I was curious to see how that, along with recent safety concerns regarding concerts and crowds would affect the show. Throughout the night members of the band asked the audience if everyone was okay. Alongside that, I was pleased to see most of the crowd was wearing masks.

The night started off with sets from Young Culture, Cemetery Sun and Girlfriends. Ranging from pop leaning pop punk to heavier rock, there was a bit of everything offered by the supporting bands. First went Young Culture who had last played Sacramento March 2021, just over a week before live music went on hiatus, followed by Cemetery Sun, who are Sacramento natives. Final supporting band was, Girlfriends with infectious energy that left us all ready for more.

Only a few months ago, Grayscale released Umbra, their third studio album under their record label, Fearless Records. Despite this, fans in the crowd had every single word memorized. The audience came to life the moment that lead singer, Collin Walsh, jumped onto stage, kicking off the show with Umbra’s grand opener, “Without You.” Next came Umbra’s lead single, “Dirty Bombs” followed by “Bad Love” when it became evident that the was playing Umbra in chronological order. Although it’s not exactly a concept album, Umbra is an album that tells a story and hearing it live is an incredible experience.

“Motown” has quickly become a fan favorite and it holds up in a live setting with every person on their feet, both jumping and dancing. The crowd continued to live it up during the next few songs until reaching “Live Again,” “Carolina Skies,” and “King of Everything” which is a turning point in the album. Though there is a heavier feel to the songs, there is no other way to describe it other than beautiful. The energy shifts a moment later with single “Babylon” having everyone up on their feet again before ending Umbra with “Light.” While most of these songs aren’t exactly songs that you would expect people to form circle pits and crowd surf too, there was still the occasional crowder surfer and pit. Those two things have always been staples to Grayscale shows. Despite the more pop leaning sound from some of Umbra’s tracks, it would be more surprising for there not to be the occasional circle pit.

After a little talk with the audience, the band starts up again. Umbra is over and now, the band proceeds with “Diamond,” a fun, dance track that was released during the peak of the pandemic when we all needed a little something to pick us up. “In Violet” and “Painkiller Weather” are the two songs played from the band's previous album, Nella Vita and let me tell you, there is something completely cathartic about a room full of people screaming the lyrics to these songs.

The band finished off the night with three songs from their first album, Adornment and the crowd put every ounce of energy they had left into it. The first of the three was an acoustic ballad, “Forever Yours,” that had the entire crowd singing along. After that was “Fever Dream” which starts off slow and builds up to one of the best choruses ever written. The final song before the lights came on and brought us back to reality was high-energy “Atlantic,” a staple on the Grayscale setlist.

Despite a seventeen song long setlist, the show felt like it only lasted minutes. Playing Umbra in full was a brilliant move, truly showcasing the stories told in the album and the flow between each song. Mixed with playing a handful of fan favorites from their previous releases, this was possibly my favorite Grayscale setlist yet. It highlighted the evolution the band has made during the past few years. Both fans who are seeing Grayscale for the first time and fans who have been following them from the start will have the time of their life at an Umbra show.

Tickets available for the remaining dates of The Umbra Tour along with their 2022 UK/European headline tour at https://grayscalepa.com/tour