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REVIEW: Halestorm and I Prevail Bring High-Octane Performances to Arizona Financial Theatre (8-16-24)

August 21, 2024 Brittney Coon 1 Comment

PHOENIX — Halestorm and I Prevail brought their co-headlining tour to Arizona Financial Theatre last Friday night, delivering a night of unforgettable performances. With Halestorm taking the final slot this evening, the packed crowd was treated to a high-energy show. Hollywood Undead and Fit for a King added their own powerful sets to the lineup, making the night a standout for rock and metal fans.

Fit for a King

The mindblowing evening started with the American metalcore band from Tyler, Texas, Fit for a King (FFAK). The band members—Ryan Kirby (vocals), Bobby Lynge and Daniel Gailey (guitars), Ryan “Tuck” O’Leary (bass), and Trey Celaya (drums)—have been melting faces since 2007. They played a blistering eight-song set that fired up the crowd, even igniting a circle pit among the general admission audience in front of the stage.

Hollywood Undead

Up next was the American rap rock band, Hollywood Undead, formed in 2005 in sunny Los Angeles, California. The current lineup includes Jorel “J-Dog” Decker (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Dylan “Funny Man” Alvarez (vocals), George “Johnny 3 Tears” Ragan (vocals, bass), Jordon “Charlie Scene” Terrell (vocals, guitar), Danny Murillo (vocals, keyboards, guitar), and finally, Matt “The Cat” Oloffson (drums).

They recreated the “Cali” vibe with four light-up palm trees on stage, two trash fire barrels, and a cardboard sign hanging from the keyboard with “Hotel Kalifornia” handwritten on it. Hotel Kalifornia is their most recent album, released in August of 2022.

Hollywood Undead’s twelve-song set kicked off with “California Dreaming,” and by the third song, the fully-engaged crowd headbanged to “Riot” with contagious energy spreading like wildfire. The band threw beach balls into the crowd, which bounced above the audience as they rocked out. Right before starting the song, “Comin’ In Hot,” they brought up an eleven-year-old girl from the audience to jam on stage with them. Concertgoers sang and danced along to their cover of Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline,” and Hollywood Undead wrapped up their set with “Bullet” and “Undead.”

I Prevail

The third band to take the stage was I Prevail, a rock band from Southfield, Michigan. The current band members are Brian Burkheiser (clean vocals), Eric Vanlerberghe (unclean and clean vocals), Steve Menoian (lead guitar), Dylan Bowman (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Gabe Helguera (drums), and Jon Eberhard (bass, keyboards).

They rose in popularity in 2013 after releasing a metal cover of Taylor Swift’s “Blank Space” on YouTube. Since then, they have released three studio albums, with their single “Bow Down” earning a Grammy nomination for “Best Metal Performance” in 2019, and their album Trauma receiving one for “Best Rock Album” that same year.

When they took the stage, the venue shook—like literally shook. It made eardrums buzz, hearts race, and it knocked old confetti from past concerts down from the rafters to gently fall onto the crowd below.

I Prevail started with a video of an anonymous speaker talking about fear before starting “There’s Fear in Letting Go.” Vanlerberghe told the crowd that it’s been ten years since the band dropped their cover of Swift’s song, and they hate singing it, but they added it to the setlist for the fans. Everyone cheered and threw up their horns.

Before playing “Breaking Down,” Vanlerberghe got personal with the audience, talking about how he is doing well in therapy and to talk to someone if you need to. That mental health is important. I Prevail gave the crowd everything they had, just as they promised.

Halestorm

Wrapping up the heavy metal night was Halestorm, the American rock band from Red Lion, Pennsylvania, formed in 1997 by lead vocalist and guitarist Lzzy Hale and her brother, drummer Arejay Hale. Other members include Joe Hottinger as guitarist and Josh Smith as bassist.

Grammy-Award winning Halestorm introduced their set with Lzzy singing an a capella “Raise Your Horns” before launching into “I Miss the Misery.” She shows no reserve for showcasing her unparalleled vocals, with an almost-menacing, growling belt prominently featured from start to finish. She figuratively blew the roof off the venue, jaws dropping, during the “I Get Off” interlude of Heart’s “Crazy On You.”

Lzzy addressed the crowd: “It’s for all the letters that you’ve given me, all of the love online, you guys just standing out here singing every word. I can’t believe it, man, I can’t believe it. It blows my mind. So, this one is for all of you tonight, this is called, ‘Familiar Taste of Poison’”. They played the long-beloved song from their first album, self-titled Halestorm.

Also in support of mental health, Halestorm has teamed up with the mental health organization Sound Mind Live to encourage fans to pledge their support, helping to fund free mental health programs that will be available to communities across the country.

The band members’ percussive skills were on display as they played a taiko-style mid-set drum ensemble. Lzzy’s in-your-face stage presence admirably dominated throughout the night, and she delighted with moves such as a backbend contorting her body down to the floor as she shredded on her guitar.

Vanlerberghe rejoined the stage to sing the duet of “can u see me in the dark?” with Lzzy. Halestorm wrapped up the night with “Mz. Hyde” and “The Steeple.” Fans were left with ringing ears and giant smiles as all departed the venue into the blazing Phoenix night.

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Photo Galleries

Photographer: Katherine Amy Vega

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Halestorm | I Prevail | Hollywood Undead | Fit for a King

Halestorm, I Prevail, Hollywood Undead, & Fit for a King – Arizona Financial Theatre 8-16-24

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Photography © Katherine Amy Vega, Kataklizmic Design
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REVIEW: Nickelback Ignites Footprint Center with Brantley Gilbert & Josh Ross (7-12-23)

July 14, 2023 Brittney Coon Leave a comment

PHOENIX – The “Get Rollin’ Tour” made a tour stop in Arizona last Wednesday night, featuring Nickelback, Brantley Gilbert, and Josh Ross. The music was a mix of country and rock, and fans of all ages came ready to party. The show was held at Footprint Center, which serves as home to the Phoenix Suns, Phoenix Mercury, and the Rattlers. The arena has had many names since opening in 1996. A few previous names that may sound familiar are Talking Stick Resort Arena, US Airways Center, and America West Arena. It was once the home of the Phoenix Coyotes in the late ’90s. It’s also the venue for various events such as professional wrestling, Disney on Ice, and concerts.

Josh Ross

Josh Ross is a Canadian country singer, and he opened the show and warmed up the crowd with his eight-song setlist. His cover of “Iris” by The Goo Goo Dolls had everyone singing along, with their phones’ flashlights waving in the air.

Brantley Gilbert

Brantley Gilbert is a country rock singer from Georgia, and he knows how to put on a show with flair. He opened with “Kick It In The Sticks,” and he brought the heat – pyro and fog continuously blasted on stage.

“We live in a world where we can’t punch anyone in the face anymore. I went to my social media, but I forgot my passwords. So, I decided to write the trolls a song instead,” Gilbert said before playing “Bury Me Upside Down” from the album So Help Me God.

Before singing “Son of the Dirty South,” Gilbert explained how he wrote the song with Jelly Roll, and that they both take pride in being boys from the South. He aimed to transform Phoenix into the dirty South for a few moments – a vision readily embraced by the enthusiastic crowd.

Gilbert played seventeen songs in total, including five covers. The audience cheered and sang along with every song. His energetic performance and ability to connect with the audience were amazing. His voice is a perfect blend of rock-infused country music, and fans loved his raw and authentic stage performance.

Nickelback

The Canadian rock band Nickelback formed in 1995 and is still going strong, despite anything their haters might say. Chad Kroeger is the band’s lead vocalist, Ryan Peake is their rhythm guitarist, keyboardist, and backing vocalist, Daniel Adair is the drummer, and Mike Kroeger is the bass guitarist. The tour is supporting their seventh and newest album, Get Rollin’, which was released in September 2022.

Before the band steps on stage, a yellow CGI van with a red stripe appears on the big screen. It’s the symbol of their current tour. Then posters of each band member flash on the big screen with the words “Wanted Dead or Alive.” The crowd is on their feet and screaming when the video ends, and the CGI van turns onto an exit, and the highway signs read, “Phoenix, 12 parsecs.”

The first song is “San Quentin” from their newest album, and the audience is ready to rock out. After the song, Chad Kroeger addresses the crowd, asking, “Let’s see if you remember the words to this one.” They begin to play “Savin’ Me” from their album All The Right Reasons.

The yellow CGI van returns to the screen, racing down a dark road before they play “Animals.” A guitar riff fills the air as a fiery phoenix lands on the CGI van and transforms it into a sexy muscle car. Blasts of pyro pop, and screams are heard all around the arena in excitement. As the song concludes, Chad Kroeger thanks the audience for their energy and excitement. He says, “It’s crowds like you that make me want to do this for the rest of my fucking life. Cheers.” He then drinks a shot with the crowd and adds, “It’s an honor and a fucking privilege to play for you.“

“I’m going to play a song that would probably get us canceled today. But then again, they’ve been trying to cancel us for twenty years,” Chad Kroeger jokes, and they play “Figured You Out” from their album The Long Road.

Nickelback covers Steve Earle’s “Copperhead Road,” and to surprise the audience, Gilbert and Ross return to the stage to sing along. The crowd eats it up, and the dark arena fills with phones filming the three singing and jamming together.

After playing “High Time,” Chad Kroeger chuckles and says, “We snuck a new one in on you. Has anyone heard it?” The fans respond with cheers, affirming their familiarity with the song. Proving after twenty-eight years that their loyal following still listens to and loves them.

Chad Kroeger picks a lucky lady from the audience to come up and sing a fan favorite, “Rockstar.” The woman is starstruck as she is welcomed to the stage and handed a mic. But she soon gets into the song, sings a bit, and dances as the band plays around her.

When playing “Those Days,” movies, TV shows, bands, and MTV logos from the ’80s appear on the big screen as the band reflects on the simpler times of growing up.

Chad Kroeger smiles at the crowd and says, “You’ve got my vote for the best crowd on tour. Phoenix is fucking amazing.” Just before singing “How You Remind Me” from their album Silver Side Up.

The band thanks the crowd and steps off stage for a few minutes while the crowd cheers and cries for an encore. Nickelback returns to applause and cheers before playing “Gotta Be Somebody” from their album Dark Horse.

Chad Kroeger speaks to the crowd a final time, saying, “I’m going to be honest with you, as I normally am, incredibly honest to a fault. Earlier today, we did an interview with somebody from a foreign country, and they just started asking us all these shitty fucking questions, and it absolutely ruined my fucking day until I got on this stage, and I heard you.” He pauses as fans cheer and fists shoot up into the air. He continues, “And you turned it all around. I want to thank you from the bottom of my fucking heart, Phoenix. Thank you. I want to take you with me to every fucking city so you can give lessons on how a rock ‘n roll crowd is supposed to behave. I’m in such a good fucking mood right now. Phoenix! Let’s have some fun!” They wrap up the night with tons of pyro and the powerful song, “Burn It to the Ground.”

The “Get Rollin’ Tour” was fiery and left the audience with memories they’ll treasure for a long time. This tour is the perfect blend of country and rock and should not be missed.

Photo Gallery

Photography: Kara Blakemore

Nickelback & Brantley Gilbert – Footprint Center 7-12-23

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