Hardcore fans near and far gathered in the Palladium’s parking lot on October 9th to see Knocked Loose and openers Boundaries, Superheaven, and Denzel Curry. The energy was high, the eyeliner was sharp, and the crowd-surfing was non-stop all night long.
Connecticut locals Boundaries started off the night with a bang. Their set felt sentimental, the band making it clear that Worcester felt like home to them. Something about knowing that multiple band members came to the Palladium to see shows themselves made it feel intimate despite the parking lot being crammed. Boundaries used the moment to celebrate their most recent album, Yearning: The unbeautiful after, their first release under Sumerian Records.
Superheaven took the stage next and performed some of their most notable songs like “Youngest Daughter,” which picked up acclaim after being used in a multitude of TikTok videos and social media content. Their grunge, shoegaze set was an outlier in a night full of hardcore, heavy breakdowns. However, their sound was tight and sounded similar to the studio recordings, which was impressive.
Although Knocked Loose was the definite headliner, Denzel Curry brought the heat and made it seem like he was the main act. If there’s one thing about a Curry show, it’s that he will bring the energy. Curry curated his performance to showcase his heavier work like his collaboration with slowthai, “Psycho” and one of his biggest hits, “Ultimate.” To end his time, despite protests from the crowd for it to go longer, Curry hopped up to the barricade and performed a medley of “Killing In the Name” and “Bulls of Parade” by Rage Against the Machine. He had to be pulled out of the crowd by security as he started to disappear into the sea of headbangers and crowdsurfers.
Once Knocked Loose took the outdoor stage, Palladium’s security had their work cut out for them. The band would take the breaks between each song to demand the crowd to go as crazy as they could. Fans pushed against the barricade to make way for the massive mosh pits that formed, and the crowdsurfers kept coming in a constant flow. The set was composed of songs throughout Knocked Loose’s discography but focused mostly on their 2024 release, You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To, which complimented the stage’s giant illuminated cross. Toward the end of their performance, lead singer Bryan Garris welcomed Denzel Curry back onto the stage to play their song “Hive Mind” together. There was no encore, but Knocked Loose saved the best for last by finishing out their set with “Suffocate” and “Counting Worms” with a huge wall of death formed by the crowd.
Check out Emily Gardner’s photos from the show below.
