DU On the Road: Dance Gavin Dance bring ‘Pantheon’ Tour to the Dome at The Toyota Oakdale Theatre in Wallingford, CT! (May 27, 2026)
Dance Gavin Dance, supported by The Fall of Troy, Wolf & Bear, and Novelists, was a night to remember!
Make sure to scroll the galleries below to see the action caught by our own, Michael “Woody” Woodworth (@thiccwoodyphoto)!
I have only been to The Dome at Toyota Oakdale Theater in Wallingford, CT once before, and rightfully so as it’s about a two hour drive both ways. Back in 2022 I took photos for Underoath, Spiritbox, Bad Omens, and Stray From the Path, which at the time was one of my big breaks. Now, 4 years later, I got to run it back for Dance Gavin Dance’s North American Tour with support from The Fall of Troy, Wolf & Bear, and Novelists.
First off, this is a very unique venue. About 20 minutes south of Hartford, the Toyota Oakdale Theater is a Live Nation venue, with a massive amphitheater, but in the atrium they dub The Dome, they put on more intimate shows, with about 1200 people showing up last night. When you walk into the room, it’s a little overwhelming; a very large open space under a, you called it, dome, with chandeliers scattered around.
Kicking off the night was France’s Novelists, a very strong up and coming band in the scene, who I believe is hitting their first North American shows. Vocalist Camille Contreras stole the show with a beautiful pink/red dress, and engaged with the crowd very well. Compared to the rest of bill dabbling in more extreme metal, Novelists brought straight metal and did a fantastic job. If this is any indication, they will be back stateside.
Novelists
Genre: Progressive Metalcore
Novelists on The Pantheon Tour 2026 @ The Toyota Oakdale Theatre. Photos by Michael “Woody” Woodworth (@thiccwoodyphoto)
Novelists on The Pantheon Tour 2026 @ The Toyota Oakdale Theatre. Photos by Michael “Woody” Woodworth (@thiccwoodyphoto)
Next was central California’s Wolf & Bear. 2 days removed from dropping their new album, A Hill to Die On, they kept the energy going. There were dueling vocals from Marcus Cisneros and Blair de Leon (shoutout 2,300 followers on Instagram - the first thing he said when he noticed was, “nice, Michael Jordan), and catchy riffs and drum fills. I’m excited to talk with them more about the new album and dig a little deeper into who they are.
Wolf & Bear
Genre: Post-hardcore, Progressive rock
Wolf & Bear on The Pantheon Tour 2026 @ The Toyota Oakdale Theatre. Photos by Michael “Woody” Woodworth (@thiccwoodyphoto)
Wolf & Bear on The Pantheon Tour 2026 @ The Toyota Oakdale Theatre. Photos by Michael “Woody” Woodworth (@thiccwoodyphoto)
3rd in line is the legendary The Fall of Troy, whom I found while playing the DLC for guitar hero three. The set itself didn’t blow me away; between some technical difficulties where the crowd couldn’t hear a lot of the vocals and a, I’ll say unique, stage presence. That being said, vocalist/ guitarist Thomas Erak can play the hell out of the guitar. I’ve seen fretting and hammer on’s before but he was on a completely different level. If you’ve heard The Fall of Troy before, you understand how complicated the guitars can be, but Erak didn’t miss a beat, half the time signing and just fretting away, not a care in the world. Impressive.
The Fall of Troy
Genre: Post-hardcore, Math rock, Progressive rock
The Fall of Troy on The Pantheon Tour 2026 @ The Toyota Oakdale Theatre. Photos by Michael “Woody” Woodworth (@thiccwoodyphoto)
The Fall of Troy on The Pantheon Tour 2026 @ The Toyota Oakdale Theatre. Photos by Michael “Woody” Woodworth (@thiccwoodyphoto)
Finally, we get to the main act, Dance Gavin Dance. Back in the mid-2000s, my best friend growing up, Justin, was a huge fan of DGD and put me onto them, and unknowingly sent me on my music journalism path. The air in the room was palpable as they were about to take the stage; fans right at the barricade caught glimpses of them side stage and freaked out, which was nothing compared to the sound of when they hit the stage, everyone’s eyes lighting up in pure happiness. The dynamic between vocalists was incredible and the crowd ate it all up. Before DGD, there had been one instance of crowdsurfing, a gentleman in a banana suit jumped up there at the end of The Fall of Troy’s set. Within a few minutes, crowdsurfers were surging left and right, finally giving security something to do in the pit.
Dance Gavin Dance
Genre: Swancore (Post-hardcore, Math rock, Progressive rock, and Experimental rock)
Dance Gavin Dance on The Pantheon Tour 2026 @ The Toyota Oakdale Theatre. Photos by Michael “Woody” Woodworth (@thiccwoodyphoto)
Dance Gavin Dance on The Pantheon Tour 2026 @ The Toyota Oakdale Theatre. Photos by Michael “Woody” Woodworth (@thiccwoodyphoto)
After my obligated three songs in the photo pit, my night was over, so to celebrate, myself and another photographer, Amanda (Black Lantern Photography) ran into the mosh pit and did some crowdsurfing ourselves. I’ll leave you at that visual, a 6 foot 5, 360lb man, somehow light as a feather.
A fan guilty of having a blast while crowd surfing during the Dance Gavin Dance set @ The Oakdale Theatre. May 27, 2026. Photo by Michael “Woody” Woodworth (@thiccwoodyphoto)
A sincere thank you to:
The Toyota Oakdale Theatre (Wallingford, CT)
Michael “Woody” Woodworth (@thiccwoodyphoto)