August Burns Red end 2023 "at home" in Lancaster, PA for 'Christmas Burns Red'

December 11, 2023

From Lancaster, Pennsylvania to the touring world at large - August Burns Red has come a long way from their local scene roots just outside of "Amish Country" but the metal band has not forgotten their early beginnings as they return home every year for two incredible nights of performances at the Freedom Hall Convention Center with tons of special guests.


This year the band was on the road celebrating the anniversary of 'Rescue & Restore' with a powerful set performance of the iconic album and when this year's annual Christmas Burns Red was announced it was indicated that each night would be different with the first of the two holding true to the rest of the tour with this full album play. As always two night passes for the incredible metal show sold quickly and the hotel that hosts it was quickly booked to capacity as fans travel from far and wide for these hometown shows. The band was joined this year but an incredible supporting cast of bands that included Crystal Lake, Brand of Sacrifice, Spite and another local favorite from nearby Ephrata - Texas In July.


The anticipation for the evening ran high early in the night as fans wrapped around the building hours before August Burns Red was set to take the stage after 9PM. As doors open the crowd burst into the venue and split in two directions are diehard fans ran to secure a barricade spot while others made a mad dash to buy festival merch. Over the years 'Christmas Burns Red' has mirrored the rise of August Burns Red as it has grown from the basement of the former Chameleon Club to the main room now a massive convention center performance sprawled across two nights of two separate performances. In a poetic way it was certainly a special night for the band to be ending their current tour featuring 'Rescue & Restore' in full in such an iconic location and part of the band's literal DNA.


The massive crowd of fans were no strangers to August Burns Red or metal shows as a quick glance across them revealed the vast majority of them wearing shirts from the band's storied history. As the night began it became clear during the support acts that something special was taking place in Lancaster this year for 'Christmas Burns Red.' The production was bigger and better than ever even before the main event and the crowd was ready to party on a Friday night with mosh pits, crowd surfers and chaos being unleashed all night long. By the time August Burns Red was set to hit the stage the crowd had reached a fever peak in the night as they were ready to celebrate the season with their favorite band.


'Christmas Burns Red' night one reached it's apex moment as August Burns Red took the stage to a color wash and the crowd gave them a hometown roar of approval that didn't stop until the final chord of 'Rescue & Restore' when they had a minute to catch their breathe before a rapid fire encore. Sadly, the night came to an end just before 11PM due to Lancaster's strict noise curfew but it was clear that the band and crowd would have went all night if they could. 'Christmas Burns Red' has grown a lot of the years and as the massive venue emptied out after night one you couldn't help but imagine when this incredible hometown labor of love from August Burns Red was going to grow into 3 or even 4 nights. The year may be done for August Burns Red now but the future certainly is bright, especially in Lancaster, PA.

August Burns Red

with Texas In July, Crystal Lake, Brand of Sacrifice, and Spite

"Christmas Burns Red"


Freedom Hall Convention Center - Lancaster, PA

December 8, 2023


Article Written By:

Matt Christine
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