President Campaigns a Sold Out Rally At The Aztec Theater
President landed in the Alamo City on its 3rd to last show on its North American Campaign Tour. Upon arriving, I was told the line formed outside the theater, down Commerce and into Navarro st. a whole city block of dedicated fans with all sorts of President shirts, makeup and props. Some who drove hundreds of miles to watch the rally. Relatively speaking, President’s show was in proportion more packed than the actual rally that happened at Freeman a few days ago. Showing Teeth opened the night, as Cenobia had dropped out in August. Despite the short bill, Showing Teeth brought the rage and primed the crowd for the main event.
President arrived with his cabinet: Heist, Protest, and Vice, all in black masks after its unnerving “You like Ike, I like Ike, everybody likes Ike” intro glitching out before starting with its opening track “Fearless”. The crowd chanted and relentlessly pointed their phones towards the stage, hoping to catch a glimpse of its elusive commander. The President lorded over his podium, with exaggerated hand gestures that led a few moshpits during heavier songs like “Destroy Me” “Mercy” and “Dark Heaven” but also tamed its legions during its more electronic-heavy songs such as “Rage” and “Doom Loop” . The room sang every lyric of every song inside the sold out theater. The band even surprised the San Anto crowd with a cover of Change(In The House Of Flies) by Deftones. “Citizens of North America” President finally spoke “What has happened to President since we began is beyond anything we could have imagined” he continued “We don’t take a single second of this for granted” before finishing the night with "In The Name Of The Father.”
Mysterious, Elusive, nearly voiceless, the songs spoke for themselves. No banter, no encore, yet every song hit with such effective precision that the crowd couldn’t keep their eyes away from them. The stage was shrouded in mist and waving stage lighting that seem to bend the light itself, hypnotizing the us like propaganda. No screens or pyro or co2, only their signature neon cross illuminating in the background. And a spotlight of the man that has been the subject of so many theories on his identity. President first debuted in May of last year, and already they’re becoming one of the most prolific bands of its genre, selling out its entire 26-day North American tour. Personally, I came in as a skeptic, and came out a believer. The rally was effective, and President ruled.