Motionless in White • Lorna Shore • Fit For a King • Static Dress • August 7, 2026 • America First Field
Reviewed and Photographed by Colton Kresser
I went to my first concert back in 2007, and I’ve been attending shows ever since, which is almost twenty years of experience and many, many shows under my belt. Motionless in White with support from Lorna Shore, Fit for A King, and Static Dress at the America First Field has been added to my list of “Most Memorable”. Some of those reasons are obvious while others will defy expectation.
I want to get to all the good stuff, but I do need to point this out for anyone who is planning on attending a show at the America First Field in the future. I arrived late; the venue had “5:30 pm” listed for the show. Now, most of you, like me, know that when a venue shows a time, it’s when the “doors” open to let everyone enter the venue and then the show starts thirty minutes to an hour later. That was not the case; apparently 5:30 pm was the start time. Upon parking, I could hear Static Dress playing, so I ran up the block and followed all the signs labeled “concert entrance” in my best effort to hurry to the barricade and start taking photos.
As I finally made it to security – located quite literally on the opposite side of where the show is happening – I asked for the box office location where I could grab my media pass. Someone from the security staff let me know that the box office is “all the way over there” and pointed to the exact opposite end of the stadium. I looked him dead in the windows of his soul and said, “You’re shitting me,” to which he replied, “No, I am not.”
I turned on my heel and started to run back to where I came from and around the stadium to make it to the other side, and just when I made it, I was standing in an empty parking lot. No box office in sight. I look to see another staff member and ask, “Where’s the box office? I was told it’s over here.” She then let me know that it is not. Not even close. It’s back exactly where I just came from.
Now seething, I turn back again and run all the way to where the security checkpoint is, but this time I walk about another hundred feet, and tucked away behind a corner was the box office. I approach the window, get my pass, and enter the security line. As I’m going through the detector, another security staff member says to me, “I don’t know why he sent you that way; the box office is just right there!” to which I unenthusiastically replied, “Thanks for letting me know that.”
By the time I had entered the show and made my way through the crowd up to where the barricade was, Static Dress had ended their set and stepped off stage. So, to anyone attending a show at this “venue”, the time listed is when the show starts. It is not when the doors open. And if you need to get to the box office. It’s about one hundred feet past the security check station.
Static Dress
Although I didn’t get to see them perform, I could certainly hear Static Dress playing, and they sounded great! Their unique blend of old Underoath, or Saosin-style riffs and vocals that are reminiscent of Spencer Chamberlain, mixed with more modern, catchy choruses on their track “Nostalgia Kills,” was something that reminded me of my early music taste.
Halfway through their set, frontman Olli Appleyard took a second to thank everyone for coming out to the show and watching them play in the blistering heat while it was over one hundred degrees outside with no shade. He also mentioned they were from England, which was “very far from home” for them. I wish I had a chance to catch their set and see what they are all about. All I can say is that I enjoyed listening to them while on my run around the stadium and am interested in watching their next show in Utah.
Fit For a King
In between sets, I grabbed some water to stay hydrated, had to find a safety pin for my media badge since I sweated off all the adhesive, and made sure I was ready to enter the barricade to photograph Fit for A King. The sun was beating us all down, but that didn’t stop the band members from wearing all black, or bass player Ryan O’Leary, from wearing a short-sleeved black hoodie with a Lorna Shore jersey over top.
During their second song, “Blood Pact,” Ryan O’Leary engaged in this sweet move where he flung his bass guitar around his static body multiple times to then jump off the ego riser while twisting his body to match the spin of his bass and then continue spinning with it over and over again. As each spin went by, I thought to myself, “he has got to stop sometime soon; he’s going to get all dizzy and pass out or vomit!” No, he just kept on going like it didn’t faze him!
Between songs, vocalist Ryan Kirby took a second to thank everyone for coming out; he mentioned the band is from Texas and how grateful they were to be on tour with Motionless in White. Halfway through, they played “No Tomorrow”, which has a buildup before hitting abruptly with a heavy riff and Ryan’s extreme vocals. The elevated energy of the song got the crowd moving, mosh pits, and of course the crowd surfing picked back up.
Security did an excellent job keeping everyone safe and catching these waves of bodies crashing over the barricade. I imagine the crowd engagement was noticeable enough that it prompted vocalist Ryan Kirby to ask, “How many of you have seen our band?” and in response, a mass majority of the crowd shot their hands into the sky and screamed at the top of their lungs. He then proceeded to dedicate “When Everything Means Nothing” to all the fans that have been supporting them over the years.
Ryan also made sure during their set to dedicate a song on their setlist to all the other bands on tour and express gratitude to them for being on the road together. There was no better way to top off their set than with “Witness the End”. It’s epic breakdowns and wildly epic guitar solo left the crowd full of energy and prepped for the destruction that would ensue next.
Lorna Shore
Before I jump into my Lorna Shore section, I encourage you all to watch a documentary titled “The Science Behind Vocal Distortion”. Will Ramos came to the University of Utah to have his extreme vocals studied. It’s a little over an hour long, and I highly recommend giving it a watch.
Lorna Shore has made a massive name for themselves over the past several years, and it was evident when the “To the Hellfire” intro began. The crowd cheered, screaming at the top of their lungs and raising their hands, eagerly awaiting them to take the stage. As the band fills in, Will is the last one to enter; he jumps onto an ego riser and says, “Let’s start this off right, CIRCLE PIT!”, following with “LOSE YOUR FUCKING MINDS!”. He didn’t have to ask twice, either.
In between shooting photos, I would occasionally turn around to look at the crowd. As wave after wave of crowd surfers toppled over the barricade and the fans in the circle pit reenact my run around the field from earlier, I look back to the stage and see five incredible musicians playing music they love with so much passion and intensity. I knew this was going to be a band I’d see again. At the start of “Unbreakable,” Will took a second to dedicate the song to “Every single one of you!” with the lyrics reflecting the strength of the human spirit under immeasurable pressure. Will went on to say, “It’s hot as fuck, but you’re all still moving!”
I pulled out my phone to check the temperature, and it was 102 degrees outside. “Unbreakable” ended and Will mentioned that they just played in Dallas, Texas, but somehow this show was the hottest of the tour. He continued, saying that Motionless in White was “The first band I ever saw, back in 2010, Creature’s era!” and how it was a full circle moment for him to be supporting them on their headliner. My photo time was up, so I made my way into the crowd looking for a spot where I could get a good view of the stage.
After a few minutes, I looked to my right and saw a woman with her phone at the end of her stretched-out arms, taking videos of Lorna Shore; next to her was her young son doing the exact same. They both banged their heads; that’s some good parenting. Wrapping up their set with two songs, Will dedicated “Glenwood” to “Anyone who left home trying to find where they belong”, following with “I WANT EVERYTHING!” before gesturing the crowd to split down the middle to make a wall of death for “Prison of Flesh”. The crowd happily obliged and created what I’d imagine a battle scene from Game of Thrones would look like.
Motionless in White
I’m no stranger to attending Motionless in White shows; much like Will Ramos, I saw them when I was young for the first time at the Vans Warped Tour in 2012. Back when “If It’s Dead, We’ll Kill It” was their new song. Since then, I’ve tried to see them just about every time they stopped in Utah, and now that I get to photograph shows, I’ve seen them in several different places across the country, totaling somewhere between twenty and thirty times. Despite that, every time I see them it’s always an unforgettable experience that keeps me coming back. This was no different.
Opening with “Sign of Life” to a Motionless in White logo on the massive screen behind the band that had green code falling down like rain, in reference to The Matrix. Moving into their second song, frontman Chris Motionless asks the crowd, “How about something heavy?” knowing that’s exactly what they want to hear. The crowd surfing continues – didn’t stop all night, honestly – as they play through “Playing God” from their latest album titled Decades. With a thrashy Slipknot-inspired guitar riff, fast double kicks on the drums, and the sing-along chorus, the crowd chanted “FUCK YOU!” with their middle fingers up.
“Playing God” ended, and the intro to the next song started and then abruptly stopped. The whole band exited the stage as I looked around in confusion. All the moshing from that song wasn’t enough; I guess that two fights broke out that were bad enough the show had to be stopped until they were stopped and the instigators were removed from the crowd. I have never understood fighting at shows, but when the music is brutal, the emotions are intense, and it might be mixed with alcohol? That’s what you get. Unfortunate. The security and staff handled it incredibly; kudos to them.
As soon as it was handled, Motionless in White entered the stage and moved right along with their set. For the first time since 2019, the fans were able to get what they have been begging for: “A.M.E.R.I.C.A” back into the Motionless in White setlist. It’s one of my personal favorites, so I found it very difficult not to bang my head back and forth to the tempo of the catchy guitar riff that makes that song such a unique anthem, while also chanting along with the crowd to spell out “America”.
Between songs, Chris took a moment to let everyone know that he was “Sick as fuck!” and to please forgive him. He mentioned how they had refused to cancel the show that night, and he intends to sing until there is “Nothing left” coming out of him. He continued, “Tonight, it’s Motionless in White featuring Salt Lake City!” The crowd cheered as Chris then asked the crowd to please help and fill in as much as possible to assist him. To help Chris perform as best as he could, Motionless had decided to cut a few songs from their set. When those songs were supposed to be played, the band would step off stage where Chris could catch his breath and recoup for the next one.
In total, they cut about five songs off their original list. To be honest, I, nor the crowd, really seemed to mind. Between the screens displaying different animations for every song, the fire and pyrotechnics that would go off, and the Cherry Bombs are always a great addition to the show with their outfit changes, steel plate grinder belts that shoot sparks everywhere.
At one point during “Not My Type: Dead as F**k 2,” they tossed inflated balls and Halloween candy into the crowd. I wasn’t close enough to get any, unfortunately, so I can’t say if I’d go trick-or-treating back at their house again next Halloween. Chris kept expressing his gratitude to the fans and the support over the past twenty years of their career. He recalled some memories of his that many fans and I shared, of seeing Motionless in the “tiny room in the corner” of Club Sound and In the Venue from their early days of touring. A lot of bands love to say how they never forget where they come from, but Chris does a great job showing that to everyone who attended.
He dedicated their new song “Afraid of the Dark” to all the fans that have been here for the past twenty years, then played a throwback for the longtime fans by playing “Reincarnate”. The main guitar riff has such great energy you can’t help but jump up and down. There were six thousand people attending the show that night, and there really wasn’t a single person out there who wasn’t moving. As longtime MIW fans, that song holds a special place in your DNA. I imagine it’s also interesting to be an innocent bystander walking across the street to hear six thousand people yelling “YOU MAKE ME FUCKING SICK!” all at the same time as well.
Moving towards the end of the night, MIW kept the energy up with “Slaughterhouse” and some guest vocals from Ryan Kirby of Fit for A King. Normally, whoever MIW has as a guest spot comes out during the second verse or so and goes back and forth with Chris on vocals; Ryan came out a bit earlier and did vocals for a good chunk of the songs and absolutely tore it up! At the end of the song, the line goes “You won’t survive in the Slaughterhouse” into a brief pause and then, “DIE!” to which Ryan held out a crazy long, brutal scream that had Chris bowing in his direction. It’s always great to see musicians that are fans of each other and don’t mind giving kudos where it’s due, because that was sick.
Chris once again expressed his gratitude for everyone coming out and putting up with him while he was sick; he promised they would come back and make up for it, and said that MIW was “Eternally Yours”. Every soul that attended that night sang their heart out one last time before the show ended, and we all sat in traffic on our way back home, reminiscing over our favorite parts of the show with the people we came with and rewatching all the videos we took on our phones because we can’t get enough.
As I mentioned, I’ve seen MIW over twenty times, and each time it’s a blast. I look forward to seeing them and Lorna Shore, Fit for A King, and Static Dress again.