On Oct 8, Riverside Municipal Auditorium hosted co-headliners progressive metal band Between the Buried and Me and post-hardcore group Hail the Sun for a high-energy concert, with support by math-rock quartet Delta Sleep. The night delivered a night of hardcore music, complex harmonies, moments of social reflection, and a homecoming that drew fans from across Southern California.

Opening the night was Delta Sleep, a Brighton-based band known for their intricate rhythms and layered melodies. Their set included “Lake Sprinkle Sprankle,” “The Softest Touch,” and “Slow Burn.” The group’s tight performance and shifting time signatures created a hypnotic opening atmosphere that balanced technical precision with accessibility. Although the band was the night’s opener, their sound and stage presence set the perfect mood for the night of music ahead.

The near capacity crowd roared when Hail the Sun came out on stage, earning one of the most enthusiastic receptions of the night. The Chico-based band has deep roots in the Inland Empire music scene, and the audience welcomed them home. The floor shook and became a constant surge of movement, with people jumping, opening up the circle pit, and dozens of crowd surfers passing overhead throughout their set.

The band’s performance, featuring songs such as “The Drooling Class,” “Blight,” and “Live Forever.” Frontman Donovan Melero, who is also the group’s primary drummer, spent most of the night at the microphone, while another drummer filled in for the majority of the set. Melero returned to the kit for three songs, showing incredible talent with both. Melero had incredible stage presence, working the crowd, and even making the mic cord a flare as it whipped around as he spun.

Melero paused to condemn the killing of children in Palestine. “Killing children overseas shouldn’t be a left or right issue,” he told the crowd. “It’s a human issue. This next song goes out to our brothers and sisters in Palestine.” The band then launched into “War Crimes,” which became one of the night’s defining moments.

Reflecting on their I.E. roots, Melero said “We played Back to the Grind years ago and there were maybe fifteen people there. Now there are fifteen hundred. Thanks for coming out.” The moment drew a loud roar from the audience, celebrating the band’s growth and their return to a home audience.

Between the Buried and Me, or BT BAM as the audience chanted, closed the night with a set that highlighted their evolution as one of progressive metal’s most innovative acts. Formed in North Carolina in 2000, the band has long been recognized for blending metal, jazz, and experimental rock into long-form compositions that defy genre boundaries. Their setlist may look short on paper, but many of their songs are double the typical length for this genre.

The stage’s floor light lit up the thick smoke with orange and purple light as it rolled across the stage filling the auditorium, creating a cinematic effect as the band launched into “Disease, Injury, Madness.” Their setlist spanned several eras of their career, including “Absent Thereafter,” “Specular Reflection,” and “Extremophile Elite.” Each track featured complex time signatures, shifting key changes, and layered harmonies that kept the crowd moving.

Vocalist Tommy Rogers balanced clean and dirty vocals throughout the performance, while guitarist Paul Waggoner and bassist Dan Briggs anchored the band’s sound with precision and flair. Drummer Blake Richardson’s technical skill stood out, driving the set’s rhythmic complexity with both power and nuance.

Among the fans in attendance was Mario Cortes, who had driven from San Diego for the show. “You can really tell how much they’ve matured,” he said. “They’re about my age, mid-40s, and you can see they just love playing music. They don’t have to go all hard with the dirty vocals anymore. They just let the music breathe.”

The band ended their main set to the crowd chanting “One More Song”, then returned for an encore that featured “The Blue Nowhere” and “Informal Gluttony.” The closing songs combined sweeping instrumentals with heavy breakdowns, leaving the audience exhausted and exhilarated.

The Riverside show really showed how Between the Buried and Me and Hail the Sun have each grown and demonstrated that technical music can be deeply emotional, socially a.ware, and rooted in connection. For many in the audience, the night was a celebration of how far the local scene has come and how powerful it remains when sound, skill, and community meet on the same stage.