One man down, but just as sensational as ever!
Unless you have been hiding under a rock buried in the mid Atlantic Ocean for the past two months you will have heard about the horrific attack on Madina Lake bassist Matthew Leone. With tour dates across the UK planned, fans were likely expecting the band to pull out and postpone until further notice. However, Madina Lake had other plans. After spending time with Matthew and making sure he was on the mend, the fellas hopped a plane to the UK and confirmed their tour would still go ahead.
The decision to continue on must have been one of the most difficult to make, but the fans were most grateful and very supportive. For the tour, the band did not hire a replacement bassist; after all, Madina Lake wouldn't be the same with another individual sharing the stage with Nathan, Mateo and Dan. With the tour consisting of eight days and nine performances (due to high demand a matinee show was played at the London Barfly), Madina Lake was on a roll.
When it came to the performance, specifically that of Nathan, every individual present would agree the up close and personal affection given towards crowds at each and every gig, his manner of diving from the speakers and just generally spending more time off the stage in the front than actually on it goes to prove how dedicated, respectful and appreciative they are of everyone in attendance on each and every performance. Nathan consistently thanks everyone for their support and the crowd applause with respect. We have heard Nathan on many occasions now encouraging the crowd to respect each other, don't take no crap and generally believe in yourself and his words this time around seemed to hit home to the crowd more than ever before.
The stage was certainly different without Matthew bounding around in the background, but Nathan and the boys never let the fans down with a half the energy performance. They gave it possibly even more energy, strength and passion because of this and the night was unforgettable. The crowd were consistently bounding along with the bands energy, jumping, screaming and singing along with the songs. Even the support acts came out to witness the magnitude of this performance; and by the looks of it were more than impressed.
Madina Lake is an inspirational band, dedicated to their fans and grateful for everything they are able to achieve. This tour must have been the most difficult for the band to continue on with. However the fans were thankful that they did. Our best wishes go out to Matthew and we look forward to seeing Madina Lake, with Matthew back on bass in the near future.