Flyleaf is one of the bands I grew up listening to, but never really appreciated until I was older. Being the emo pre-teen I was, my music taste shifted from whatever was playing on the radio to rock and metal. Apart from liking how it would sound, I liked how heavy music concerned and annoyed my parents. Like any other budding teenager, I would rebel against my mom and dad in the only way I knew how to at the time, and that was through music. Flyleaf was one of the first bands that I fell in love with during this time. Now, as an adult, I look back at myself in the past and can’t help but be amused by it. I thought I was so edgy and cool when I would be blaring songs like “All Around Me” at full volume in my bedroom, only to now realize that they were one of the few bands my parents would approve of.
Last night, Christian rock band Flyleaf took the Egyptian Room stage at Old National Centre in Indianapolis, Indiana. Their show was accompanied by Islander and Butcher Babies as supporting acts. Originally, I hadn’t planned on attending this show. The day of, I was scheduled to work and wouldn’t be clocking out until late in the afternoon. This, combined with a two-hour drive to Indy, made me seriously debate if I should even attempt to go. I was sure that, by the time I made it to the venue, I would be destined to get a general admission spot in the very back of the crowd. Though the fear of missing out ended up getting to me. I was convinced to go when I found out one of my coworkers would be attending Jack White’s show at a different venue around the same time. We both had to work early the day after, so I thought if he can do it, I could too. After getting around four hours of sleep last night, there is a part of me that wishes I took the next day off.
I arrived at the venue at 5:58 p.m., two minutes before the doors were to open. The line was wrapped around the side of the parking lot with hundreds of fans excited to see the show. The line moved swiftly, and even though I was towards the very back of the queue, I ended up scoring a spot that was one row behind the barricade. Talking to the crowd, I met a sea of people who either grew up with the band and have been there from the very beginning, or who were new-age fans and had discovered them from TikTok. Everybody that I had spoken to radiated this energy of positivity and unity. It felt amazing to see the community that Flyleaf can bring together.
Fan crowd surfing during Flyleaf. All images taken on iPhone 17 Pro Max
The first band to take the stage was Butcher Babies/Heidi Butcher. Heidi walked onto the stage wearing a beautiful army green dress and bright red nails that got your attention as soon as she grabbed the microphone. The band, which usually plays hard rock, all sat with guitars in their laps to perform a fully acoustic set. They opened with a cover of Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep” that gave the audience a taste of what was to come.
Their set consisted of a mix between original songs and covers. One cover that particularly stood out to me was their cover of Gwen Stefani’s “Just a Girl.” Heidi’s powerful voice echoes throughout the venue, complementing the emotion and tone used in the song’s studio version. They performed a stripped-down edition of their song “Blame It on the Wind,” which came out in May of this year.
The band continued to play covers such as Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso,” “Teenage Dirtbag” by Wheatus, and a very heartfelt and emotional cover of “My Hero” by Foo Fighters that was dedicated to the lead singer’s grandmother. Overall, to start the show, Butcher Babies brought a calm atmosphere that helped get the crowd excited for Islander and Flyleaf to follow.
Islander changed the vibe in the room as soon as they stepped on the stage and the first strum of the electric guitars rang through the speakers. Frontman Mikey Carvajal, donning black and white face paint that reminded me of what could only be described as a mixture of Insane Clown Posse and Ghost, brought guttural lows and loud screams to the show. By the time their third song came around, so did the start of crowd surfers for the night. With the strobing lights and the fact that you had to keep looking over your shoulder so as not to get kicked, I found it was somewhat difficult to photograph their set. Apart from this, I was blown away by the energy of the whole band. What their audio mix lacked in clarity, it was made up for in stage presence.
Towards the end of the set, the band invited Lacey Sturm of Flyleaf to perform the song “It’s Not Easy Being Human.” It was during this song that the crowd went crazy, and I mean that literally. We were all packed like sardines with how rough the crowd had gotten with pushing. Trying to remember how to breathe while simultaneously apologizing to the person in front of you for getting up close and personal, you almost forget to continue watching out for crowd surfers! I’ve been in some rough crowds, but this situation happened multiple times during the rest of the show. I guess you could say that it was all worth it though, because when the band was leaving the stage and handing out goodies to the pit, I was able to get one of the drummer’s drumsticks!
Flyleaf took the stage thereafter, causing fans to erupt in cheers. They opened with “In the Dark,” which led right into “Chasm.” As soon as the lead singer, Lacey, walks on, you can tell that she owns the stage with how freely she dances along it. Her slippers were what immediately caught my attention, so much so that I had made a special note of them. She was wearing sparkling red flats that instantly reminded me of Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz. Her dress was a beautiful black mixed with a red layered skirt.
The whole time, my attention was encapsulated by how Lacey sang like she felt every word, and I think she honestly did! It’s rare that I go see a show where that fire and passion is so heavily visible in the artist. I noticed multiple times during the set that she would cross herself, which, as an orthodox Christianity inquirer for the past year or so, made me really happy to see. After the first few songs in the set, the band played one of my favorites.
The band played “Cassie,” which is a song famously – or infamously – written about the evangelical story of Cassie Bernall. “Cassie” has always been my top song by them, and hearing it live was such an unreal experience. You could feel the energy and the devotion in the room with every fan singing along. After this song, the crowd started to get rough once again, so much so that after the band had finished, Lacey stopped to make sure everyone was okay, calling the crowd “crazy” tonight, and reassuring everyone that it was okay if they needed to leave the pit. One thing I will say: I did not expect this type of crowd at a Christian rock show.
The show continued on with songs such as “Freedom,” “Saving Grace,” and “Call You Out,” which all seemed to be fan favorites. Towards the end of the set was when the band focused on their self-titled album. This album celebrated its 20th anniversary last October. The band played hits like “Sorrow,” and “I’m So Sick.” Something I want to bring attention to is the energy from bassist Pat Seals. Just like Lacey, Pat made the stage his own by jumping on and off risers.
The moment that really got me, though, was Lacey’s speech before playing “All Around Me.” At every show, the lead singer seems to tell the same message to the crowd, and because I knew it would be happening, I thought I would be okay. I was not, to put it plainly. Throughout her whole speech, I was in the crowd bawling my eyes out. She starts off by saying how happy she is to see everyone in the crowd tonight and starts to talk about the time when she wrote the song. She tells her story in dealing with mental health struggles as a teen, and how Christ has saved her. She tells the crowd how unique they are, and how we are all here for a reason. The six-minute speech brought not only me, but many other fans in the crowd to tears. If I remember nothing else from this show, I will remember what she said to us in that moment. Overall, I really enjoyed seeing all three bands play. Each band had their own niche, but were able to blend smoothly with each other.
Flyleaf will be on their “20th Anniversary Tour” until the end of August 2026. You can purchase tickets on Ticketmaster or on FlyleafMusic.com.
“God is an artist. He’s an artist, and each one of you is created uniquely and intentionally. A DNA like no one has ever had, no one will ever have. You are created intentionally, breathing right now. Your heart is beating on purpose. It’s not an accident, and I get to tell you this because I experienced this understanding. And I don’t have to make up stuff or study anything … this happened to me to tell you, you were intentionally made by a God of love and you say something about who He is by being you.”
– Lacey Sturm, July 21, 2026
Leave a Reply