Photos: Ryah Giles

I am still blown away by Plush’s performance Thursday night. There were many Falling in Reverse & Disturbed fans present at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, TN , but, for me, Plush stole the show.

Don’t get me wrong, I was definitely there for Disturbed, with my whole family being huge fans. And they did not disappoint. Starting off with the in-your-face “Hey You”, the prevailing theme of the set was to not sit back complacent or idle, but to fight. Meet your own demons. Rise Up. “10,000 Fists”, where we are reminded that standing together for what’s right gives us power…. “Power unrestrained and dead on the mark is what we will deliver tonight…”

Later in the set, when the lights went blue, “A Reason To Fight” gave everyone pause in rocking out. Phones lit up like points of hope across the arena. At the end of the song, David spoke to us all, with sincerity. Telling the audience we are all his reason to fight, and, in a show of hands, reminded us all that we are not alone in our personal fights against depression and/or addiction. I know that is a moment I personally will not forget.

Disturbed’s performance was expected. I expected them to be theatrical, powerful, have an amazing presence. But what was unexpected to me was Plush.

In 2017, I photographed Moriah Formica in Albany, NY. She’s never been one for grandstanding onstage, yet, even at that young age, took the stage confidently. For weeks after that show, I couldn’t stop talking about it.

Now, she’s gained a cool confidence. The

This is the first chance I’ve had as a concert photographer to follow an artist from playing in local venues to now supporting on a nationwide tour. I hope to photograph Plush in the future, when they are headlining nationwide tours themselves.

Plush is a perfect combination of talents working together, both visually and musically. Starting out the set with “Athena”, they actually made me pause in shooting.

I had to listen for a moment. And I’ve been listening ever since.

Gallery: