Dance Gavin Dance and The Home Team at Pier 17 NYC

Written and Photographed by

At the end of every rain shower, there is always a rainbow to look forward to. And after three straight days of pouring rain, thousands of people at Pier 17 in New York City had more than rainbows to look forward to at this sold-out date of Dance Gavin Dance‘s “Return of the Robot” tour.

Before going into my thoughts, there are two things that may sway people’s biases about this tour and the artists involved that need to be addressed. The first of them being that this tour did not come to fruition without some controversy.

It is no secret that Dance Gavin Dance has underwent a series of lineup changes throughout the years, nor the scandals associated with some of those changes. The most recent change occurred in 2024 when the band parted ways with longtime frontman Tilian Pearson for a second time due to creative differences – he left the first time after multiple sexual assault allegations arose in 2022. He has admitted in a statement that these interactions did occur, but did not admit fault for his alleged behavior. However, even with their current lineup, the initial announcement of the “Return of the Robot” tour in January 2025 stirred conversation among multiple social media platforms about the band’s history and how working with them could change people’s perceptions about the openers involved. These debates became so prevalent to the point where one of the initial bands included in the tour’s announcement – seeyouspacecowboy – dropped off due to the backlash and have since broken up.

The second thing to be mentioned is that I am, admittedly, a huge fan of Dance Gavin Dance. I have listened to this band, and others within the Swancore genre, for over a decade, and it is through the Swancore community that I have met some of my closest friends and made incredible memories. Regardless of my opinion towards recent events associated with DGD, it would be irresponsible of me as a journalist not to admit that I would not be where I am today if it weren’t for this group and the fan base associated with them.

Alright, now that those disclaimers are out of the way … on to the review!

The jam-packed night started off with a bang from Sacramento-based alternative band Dwellings and Chicago-based punk band Belmont. From an outsider’s perspective, each of these groups sound like they could be from two different worlds; in reality, they both set the tone for what the night had in store – a whole lot of dancing and even more headbanging.

As the night continued on – and yes, even some rainbows peeked out from the clouds – the crowd got even rowdier, especially for The Home Team. Out of all of the artists on the “Return of the Robot” tour, this Seattle four-piece received the most hype at the time of the tour announcement, and for good reason. Take one look at their TikTok account and you’ll see multiple viral videos of their songs, including this video of their song “Loud” with lead singer Brian Butcher hanging out in a hot tub. From prior research, I also found that the band is not only extremely outspoken about various political issues, but also advocate themselves as a safe space within the alternative music scene – something that is, unfortunately, hard to find in the scene’s current state.

To put it simply, these guys did not disappoint. The energy throughout the crowd was electric as they powered through songs like “Loud,” “Slow Bloom,” and their latest single “Worthy.” But what stood out the most during their set was the energy they gave back to the crowd. From goofy dance moves to high kicks and sensual shuffles, you could tell that The Home Team not only knows how to hype up a crowd, but also that they genuinely love what they do.

As far as how Dance Gavin Dance’s set went, my main criticism is not about the band’s performance, but how the crowd acted while they were on stage. Again, I am no stranger to Swancore shows; this subgenre is well-known for their intense and energetic crowds, and is, in my opinion, what makes their shows so much fun. However, my experience in this specific crowd confirmed something I’ve suspected for a while – that concert etiquette has gone completely out the window post-pandemic.

To preface, I had to move around the venue quite frequently throughout the night, something that is completely normal and expected of concert photographers when doing their job. But while squeezing through the crowd during DGD’s set in order to do my job, I was appalled by what I experienced. Numerous people saw me with my gear in hand and proceeded to call me vulgar names, give me dirty looks and shove me. Unfortunately, it got so bad that a group of people had to flag security, so I could get out of that area and get to my boyfriend, who came to support me, and my gear bag on the other side of the venue. In the grand scheme of things, this sounds like a small complaint, and I have had worse happen to me at a concert. However, I couldn’t help but feel disheartened by the treatment I experienced from other fans, even though I was there to capture the moment.

Overall, the “Return of the Robot” tour will go down as one of the most life-changing experiences I’ve had, both in my professional career and as an avid concert-goer. But I also hope this review will help remind others to be respectful of other concert-goers around them, especially people who are there with a job to do.

Dance Gavin Dance and The Home Team at Pier 17 NYC

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