The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
By: Nicole Juliette Hetlyn
After a year and a half being in a global pandemic, I couldn’t even remember what going to shows felt like. Between the excitement of counting down the days, hours, minutes until the show started, to the adrenaline of the lights dimming and the crowd cheering. Combine that with the uncertainty of Exit/In’s future; in April there was a possibility of Exit/In + the rock block being bought to turn into a hotel. The community came together and fought to show how important this iconic building is, more than four walls, but a home for us. Missing out on music this past year has been draining, we needed concerts to keep our sanity. Fast forward a global pandemic and many challenges for the venue, and here we are at the first concert I’m shooting in 1.5 years at Exit/In. Friday night’s show was a special celebration as well; the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus was here to celebrate the 15 year anniversary of Don’t You Fake It. This album got “14 year old Nicole” through lots of tough times and is still in a heavy rotation on my playlist, so I was ecstatic to make this my first show back.
Lonelyouth started the night off with a bang. Encouraging people to come closer and get dance along with them, this Nashville-based group had us pumped. Everyone instantly felt back “at home” at Exit/In and was rocking out to their songs. The fast paced, upbeat tempo had us all hyped up. I really enjoyed their set, and look forward to hearing more from them!
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Up next was Astoria State, who is currently on tour with the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. It’s hard to imagine that this is a newer band, since they took control of the stage instantly and had us off our feet. Their set definitely had the crowd moving and wanting more. My favorite song of their setlist was “Leave It to Me,” which is also their latest release. Having Astoria State is also a perfect fit for this tour since they have worked with RJA for years, the band’s Danny Resnick and Jesse Carroll met while Jesse was filling in on guitar for The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus on a national tour (later becoming their tour manager).
Closing out the show, we had the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. This is a band that truly got me through middle/high school and was a big part of my “emo phase” that I still listen to today. This show was celebrating the 15 year anniversary of Don’t You Fake It. The setlist was very special in the sense that RJA played Don’t You Fake It in it’s entirety, as well as the two “hidden tracks” that were on the deluxe CD - "The Grim Goodbye" and "Disconnected". Of course, this means that they played fan favorites, like “Face Down,” “Your Guardian Angel,” and “Damn Regret” as well. The entire set was fans screaming every single word back to Ronnie. This was also a special evening since Ronnie told the crowd that 15 years ago, RJA played their first ever Nashville show here at Exit/In to only 6 people. Fast Forward, they are back in the same venue at a sold out show. In banter, Ronnie also reflected how playing shows is different now, since he’s grown up and has a kid. He said that when we come to shows, he wants us to know that we are family. This was a show filled with so much emotion, and 100% the best choice for “first concert since the pandemic.”
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