Crystal Buchberger
Explosions In The Sky w/ FACS
4/5/25 – The Sylvee – Madison, WI
©Crystal Buchberger
Walking up to the Sylvee, I could see a bright red sign that glowed through the darkness of the night. “Explosions In The Sky” was posted in bold letters, advertising tonight’s headliner. Surrounded by a mixture of rustic, old buildings, the Sylvee is just a few blocks down from Madison’s capitol. Entering the venue leaves you with a hint of nostalgia as it’s reminiscent of an old theater. To the right there was a merch booth. To the left you could see the large stage taking up the entirety of the back wall. The crowd slowly trickled in, exploring the two floors to find the best place to stand.
FACS calmly made their way to the front of the stage as the crowd grew quiet. Noah Leger opened the show with some hard-hitting beats to the drums and the crashing of some symbols. Brian Case’s voice adds a hint of eeriness to the overall sound of the show.
FACS dedicated most of their setlist to their latest LP release, Wish Defense. Released just earlier this year, they played through some of the album’s more popular tracks: “A Room” and “Ordinary Voices.” The crowd focused their attention on absorbing the sound and enjoying the evening. As their set ended, the lights stayed dim, and the smoke machines were set to high.
Check out our concert photos of FACS below:
As the concert floor filled up with smoke, the crowd took their time to head to the bar that was elongated throughout the entire front of the building. Faint lights lit the concert floor, and a gentile movement came from the stage as soft music started playing.
Explosions In The Sky made their presence known with a crescendoing opening of “First Breath After Coma.” All sounds from the crowd stopped as all eyes were directed at the stage. Their music captivated the audience with their melodic-sounding instrumentals.
A gentle feeling washed over the entire hall as instrumentals filled the room. Explosions In The Sky is made of all original band members plus a touring musician, Jay Demko. Michael James takes front row center, while Munaf Rayani and Mark Smith take the side stage. Chris Hrasky’s drums pat along to the beautiful sounds filling our ears. The large theater-style stage created an ambiance perfect for the show. Explosions In The Sky played some of their most loved songs, such as “Your Hand in Mine” and “Magic Hours.”
As the night continues, the fog increases. The instrumentals start to speed up as the dim lights are dynamically flashing. The songs seamlessly flow together as if a story is being told. The audience continues to direct all of their attention to the stage, soaking in all of the emotions that the band is effortlessly portraying. Explosions In The Sky decrescendo their set by closing with “The Only Moment We Were Alone.” As they walked off stage, the lights slowly lifted.
I took some time to adjust my eyes to a direction other than the stage. The crowd lingered a bit, as if to appreciate the show they just watched. Anyone with a hard seltzer in hand finished off their cans and made their way back outside. Most of the crowd kept walking and made their way to some of the nearby dive bars to continue the rest of their night. Listening to Explosions In The Sky and FACS live was a deeply enjoyable experience. You could feel all of the emotion and passion that they have poured into their music.
Check out our concert photos of Explosions In The Sky below:
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