Motionless in White Glowed Bright in Concert at Pop’s

Emotions engulfed Pop’s Nightclub & Concert Venue in Sauget, IL Tuesday night. From the fans swooning to the heart-on-the-sleeve comments and expressions, Chris “Motionless” Cerulli of Motionless in White sprinkled in throughout their set. Cerulli even took a moment to pause early on as he sat on an amp saying “I’m so f*cking happy to be here. Missed this. Let me sit for a minute and soak it all in.”

After an almost 2-year hiatus from touring (pandemic) the much-loved metal band Motionless in White is on a packed one-month tour playing 15 dates in September. While they did play on Sept. 5 in Oklahoma, Sauget claims the official start of their tour with openers Dying Wish and Silent Planet.

While strobes mixed with yellows, blues, and yes, reds, often gave the all white clad Cerulli an almost ghost-like appearance, he is anything but with his range of vocals crescendoing from howling to crooning that was on full display last night.

Cerulli promised a night of songs they don’t normally play in concert while MIW also seamlessly performed several from their 2019 album Disguise including “Thoughts & Prayers,” “</c)de>,” and “Disguise.” They also mixed in their newest single “Timebomb.”

Motionless in White

Silent Planet played a quick, heavy 25-minute set prior to MIW. This California metalcore band performed “Orphan,” “Panic Room” which, lead vocalist Garrett Russell shared was written for a friend who came back from Afghanistan with PTSD, and “Trilogy.” Look for a new album from them this fall.

Silent Planet

This tour also brought Portland’s Death Wish to St. Louis/Sauget. Opening the night with a 30-minute powerful set of their “extreme metallic hardcore … infused with a punk spirit” sound gained new followers in the already packed venue. Their debut album, Fragments of a Bitter Memory is to be released this October.

Dying Wish

MIW’s setlist: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/motionless-in-white/2021/pops-sauget-il-5b8c2f74.html

Silent Planet’s setlist: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/silent-planet/2021/pops-sauget-il-338c1c91.html

Dying Wish’s setlist: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/dying-wish/2021/pops-sauget-il-238c1c93.html

Find all photos from the Sept. 7, 2021 show: https://bit.ly/MIW21cz

Carrie Zukoski

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In my work life, I help nonprofits and small businesses with media and public relations. In my what I love to do life, you can typically find me photographing either wild horses or concerts.