04/03/2022
Motionless in White
Trinity of Terror Tour
Oshkosh Arena
Oshkosh, WI

The Oshkosh Arena seemed like the perfect location for a good old-fashioned brew haha. The room is large with seating that wraps around the venue in a horseshoe pattern. The stage is erected where the open end of that horseshoe is. When not hosting concerts it is primarily used as a basketball arena for the Milwaukee Bucks D-League team. Regardless, 3,400 plus people filled the arena and sold the venue out for the night.

Having seen Motionless In White over 50 times, one could say I have a soft spot for them. What I know better than some is about their live show. They meticulously pick the setlist, lighting, and every other little detail. It was a little different this time though. They walked out onto the stage as a 4 piece. Missing was bassist Justin Murrow. No real reason is known at the time of this posting, but somehow Motionless in White still crushed it without him.

On the night a few songs really stood out. Opening with “Thoughts & Prayers” is a perfect selection. A pitch-black stage with strobes of white lighting and a misty red blast across the stage. Guitarists Ryan Sitkowski and Ricky Olsen walk to the front of the stage and shred. Often smiling and leaning over the edge of the stage and unleashing random fist pumps and yelling. The song is heavy and moves fast. The mosh pit opened up extremely quickly. Bodies were crowd surfing over the top in record time.

“Voices” might have been the loudest the arena had been all night. Every song was a sing-along, but this one just seemed different. Drummer Vinne Mauro made this song. He managed to project his kit’s sound over the raucous screams and singing of the crowd. I even managed to catch the normally controlled beat maker smiling over to the stagehand on an occasion or two. I was glad to see he was having fun with it. Then at the end of the song, “Voices” was displayed in LGBT flag colors and ran across the large laser light board that stretched the length of the stage.

Heading into the encore they performed “Cyber Hex” which was by far the most entertaining song of the evening. “Cyber Hex” is a brand new release that was accompanied online with a video. It was extremely popular amongst the crowd. Motionless in White brought up 5 children to watch from on the stage. Two kids were obviously terrified even after their parents were brought up to enjoy the experience as well. The band did everything they could to comfort and lighten the mood for the kids. They were showered with drumsticks, guitar picks, and attention. You could tell the happiness in the families’ faces. That is what it is all about. Fun and memories made. 

Finally, frontman Chris Motionless lived on the edge of the stage. Having no fear of standing on monitors or being surrounded by loose cables he walked all over them to interact with the crowd. Chris was virtually serenading every single woman in the crowd. Even after finishing “Eternally Yours”, Chris handed out black roses to the women in the audience. The ladies ate it up. Each trying to outreach the other for the souvenir. It was one of the best signs of gratitude towards a component of your fanbase that always seems to be overlooked within the metal scene.

Motionless in White is the band that lets their freak flag fly and doesn’t really care your opinion about it. There are plenty of stage antics that are backed up by a fantastic light show as well. Their ability to mend nu-metal, goth rock, metal, and so on only becomes that more impressive after seeing them blend all of those songs live. With this specific craft, they may be one of the best at it. Goth rock is alive and well. They will continue to produce excellence and I will continue to attend.

Setlist:
1. Thoughts & Prayers
2. Reincarnate
3. Necessary Evil
4. Voices
5. Soft
6. Rats
7. Brand New Numb
8. Cyber Hex
9. Another Life
10. Somebody Told Me (The Killers Cover)
11. Eternally Yours