On March 8th, 2023 One of the most explosive heavy metal tours, I have ever seen barreled through the southern tip of Nevada like a 1973 Chevy Caprice being chased by half the metropolitan police department and driven by none other than a heavily intoxicated Hunter S. Thompson himself. Fortunately for myself and others, this tale contains neither fear, nor loathing, but it does take place in Las Vegas! This tour boasted three phenomenal Metal/Metalcore bands: Bleed from Within, The Devil Wears Prada, and August Burns Red. This was August Burns Red’s 20th Anniversary Tour, which was kind of shocking to me only because it was so difficult to believe that I had started listening to them 20 years ago. (Where the hell has the time gone?!?) I knew this tour was going to be epic, but what I experienced that evening was far more than I could’ve ever expected.
When I got to the House of Blues (HOB) in Las Vegas I was a little worried because I had forgotten how tall the stage was and I was thinking that my photos wouldn’t turn out very well…boy was I wrong. As soon as Bleed from Within came out on stage I forgot all about the challenges of photographing in this place and fell into a state of utter amazement at this band that was performing. I had never seen Bleed from Within live and I am so grateful that I can say now that I have. Bleed from Within is a Heavy Metal/Metalcore band from Glasgow, Scotland and this was their first-ever tour through the U.S. After seeing the reception that they received from the fans in attendance I truly believe that this band will be seeing a lot more of the U.S. after this tour. Normally openers have some issues with starting good mosh pits because people are still arriving, and they haven’t quite broken out of their shells yet, but Bleed from Within didn’t have trouble at all. Their energy was explosive right from the start, and it translated perfectly with this crowd, they picked up that energy and ran with it at full speed. Vocalist Scott Kennedy was on fire that night! He came out and unleashed a torrent of endlessly brutal vocals and relentless energy. This was a theme that was held throughout the entire show that night. Bleed from Within was a continuous barrage of heavy fucking metal perpetually assaulting the crowd with brutal beats, wicked guitar riffs, and vicious vocals. This band was astoundingly ferocious from beginning to end and I for one cannot wait to see them tearing more stages to shreds in the U.S.
We all know The Devil Wears Prada (probably because Gucci is gawdy), they’ve been around for decades and have played a massive role in bringing a lot of people into the metalcore/post-hardcore genre. I remember back in 2008 when the Punk Goes Crunk compilation cd was released and their metal rendition of the Big Tymer$ song “Stay Fly” took the scene by storm. That song was played at almost every party I went to that year and people that I never expected to even like metal were loving it. TDWP came out and followed Bleed from Within’s lead by performing an all-out metal-driven blitz of sonic badassery. The entire band was all over the place that night, even the keyboardist was jumping off the drum platform. Their set contained songs from the early days up to their newest album Color Decay (an album that I personally recommend 10/10). They played hits like “Dez Moines”, “Salt”, “Chemical”, “Cancer”, and “Sacrifice”. Every bit of that band was on fire, Jeremy DePoyster’s (guitar/clean vocals) vocals were on point all night. I love that the newer stuff really gives him some more time in the spotlight cause the dude is extremely talented. The Devil Wears Prada is one of those bands that has been great from the start, and like a fine single malt scotch whiskey, they will continue to get better and better as they age. The band closed out their set with “Sacrifice” that night and left everyone screaming for more.
When August Burns Red came to the stage this crowd was hungry. They had a taste of some great metal that night but their appetites were yet to be slaked. ABR had a great stage set up, the stairs that held the drum platform were lined with LEDs, they had a massive light-up “U” that looked like a flame behind them that flashed and flowed with light along with their songs, and the laser lights they used were the icing on the cake. They opened their set with one of my favorite songs, “Composure”, off their 2007 album Messengers. The energy brought out by Bleed From Within carried forth from band to band as if it were a physical thing that was left on stage to be used by those worthy of its power. ABR tore that place apart, song after song played in relentless rapid-fire succession. Vocalist Jake Luhrs was an absolute powerhouse of fun and positivity, this guy was born to be a frontman. Jake swung and threw the mic around, and even used it as a prop of sorts to emphasize the intensity of certain lyrics. He was a conductor, and the orchestra was the rest of August Burns Red. He pointed at members and used his hands to emphasize little quirks, bits, and pieces performed by the instrumentalists, something only capable of someone who knows his band and all of its moving parts inside and out. You could tell that this man was passionate about what he was doing on that stage and the crowd picked up on it immediately. The mosh pit never stopped moving, there were at least two walls of death that night, and the crowd surfers were coming over the barricade in never-ending waves. They played a massive set consisting of 18 songs, including an encore of three songs. This tour ABR is alternating between two or three different setlists so some dates may get songs that others don’t. I personally love when bands play different setlists for different dates solely because it makes each and every performance unique and special for each group of people.
This show was a blast from beginning to end. Bleed from Within brought us brutality from overseas, The Devil Wears Prada brought us nostalgia and harmony, and August Burns Red sent us home with an emotional and positively supercharged ass-kicking. Words only do so much when recanting the tale of a concert so intense. I can only tell you how it felt for me, but this is something you need to experience for yourself. It’s something that only can be experienced because words and photos just don’t do it justice. I think if you have the chance to catch this tour and you don’t, you’re truly missing out on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. as we began this journey I mentioned Hunter S. Thompson, so I feel it fitting to end back on that note with one of his most famous quotes…”Buy the ticket, take the ride.”
