NONPOINT / UPON A BURNING BODY / AUTUMN KINGS – THE WEBSTER

By Joe Perusse

Nonpoint, Upon A Burning Body & Autumn Kings — The Webster, Hartford, CT

The second leg of Nonpoint’s Painful Statements Tour hit The Webster, and even with a few hiccups, the night delivered pure energy from start to finish.

Autumn Kings technically opened at 7:30, which caught a few people off guard since the official start time was 8. I was one of them—thanks to a media pass mix-up, I caughttheir set from the lobby. Even from there, you could tell they were bringing it. The crowd that got in early was loud and locked in the whole time. Their set included “Sleep WhenI’m Dead,” “Terrified,” “Power,” “Snake Charmer,” “Bleed It Out” (a Linkin Park cover),and “Hellhound.” The Windsor, Ontario crew—Jake Diab (Guitar/Vocals), Joseph Coccimiglio (Vocals) and the rest of the band—played tight and clearly knew how to work a room.

Photos Donna Marie Eriquezzo

Once I got inside and posted up by the soundboard, Upon A Burning Body took over—and instantly made a fan out of me. These guys from Texas hit like a freight train. Danny Leal (Vocals) demanded horns up from the first second of “Daywalker,” with bassist Thomas Alvarez jumping in on vocals to finish it out. The pit cracked open during “Killshot” and never closed, only getting bigger as the set went on. “All Pride No Pain” had the floor bouncing, and Tito Felix (Drums) absolutely hammered through “King of Diamonds.” Ruben Alvarez (Guitar) shredded all night, taking center riser spotlights on tracks like “Extermination.”

Photos Donna Marie Eriquezzo

They dedicated their newest track, “Dragged Through Glass,” to “all the motherfuckers in the mosh pit,” then shifted gears for “Another Ghost,” a tribute to friends lost to addiction—cell phone lights filled the room. “Sin City” kept the energy up before Leal introduced the “craziest song” of the night, “B.M.F.,” which the crowd fully embraced. They wrapped with “Texas Blood Money,” complete with a cheeky nod to “Deep in the Heart of Texas.”

Finally, it was time for Nonpoint, celebrating 25 years of Statement and 20 years of To the Pain. Elias Soriano (Vocals) came out with a spoken-word intro, walking the crowd through how the band came together, before launching into “Mindtrip.” Right away, you noticed Robb Rivera’s drum kit—facing stage left, giving everyone a perfect view of his playing—and yes, it came with Animal from The Muppet Show perched on it.

“Victim” turned fist pumps into middle fingers, “Endure” and “Back Up” had the floor moving, and more storytelling from Soriano set up “What a Day.” He let everyone know they were running Statement in full—“Misled,” “DoubleStakked” (with the choice of fists up, bodies up, or bodies smashing in the pit), “Orgullo,” “Years,” “Hive,” “Levels,” and closing with “Tribute,” with Rasheed Thomas (Rhythm Guitar) sharing vocal duties.

Photos Donna Marie Eriquezzo

After a quick break (and a merch-friendly wardrobe change), they flipped to To the Pain—in reverse order. Soriano talked about their label journey before dropping “The Shortest Ending” and “Wrong Before.” Rivera’s booming drum intro lit up “Code Red,” followed by “Skin,” “Explain Myself,” “To the Pain,” “Buscandome,” and “Explain Yourself” to keep the momentum. Adam Woloszyn’s bass intro set the tone for “Alive and Kicking,” and Jaysin Zeilstra (Lead Guitar) shredded straight through “The Wreckoning” and “There’s Going to Be a War.”

They closed the night with “Bullet With a Name,” the entire room bouncing and shouting every word. Nonpoint still plays with the hunger of a band on its first tour, and Hartford fed that energy right back to them.