First Bank Amphitheater in Franklin, TN, never disappoints in its ability to host amazing shows. The heat was not the only thing melting the stage on Sunday. The hottest part of the day was not when the temperatures had a heat Index of 105 when the venue opened. The rock Goddess, Lzzy Hale, can heat any place when the band Halestorm enters. This highly anticipated lineup packed the amphitheater with fans near and far. I spoke to one girl who came from Alaska to be here. Now, that’s some dedication!
Fit For a King ( AKA FFAK) was a new band to me, but their high energy and heavy-hitting beats made me a fan. With their current label, Solid State Records, they have released seven studio albums, with their latest one, “ The Hell We Create,” being released at the end of 2022. Earlier this year, FFAK surprised the world with a new single, “Keeping Secrets.”
While looking at Fit For a King’s website, I wanted to pass along something that was posted there:
“Trauma and tragedy transfer from one generation to the next. As difficult as it may be, we still possess the power to break the cycle and start anew. I want to raise self-awareness. It’s not just important to fight for ourselves; we’re fighting for others. You can reach out for help even if you’re scared. I know I was. I hope we can all reflect on not only what we put ourselves through but what we put others through.”
Current members
Brian Burkheiser – guitars, backing vocals
Ryan Kirby – lead vocals
Ryan “Tuck” O’Leary – bass, clean vocals
Daniel Gailey – guitars, backing vocals
Trey Celaya – drums
Setlist:
Keeping Secrets
Breaking the Mirror
Falling Through the Sky
End (The Other Side)
Reaper
Technium
When Everything Means Nothing
God of Fire
FIT FOR A KING
Anytime I have seen Hollywood Undead, I have never been disappointed. One of the unique things about Hollywood Undead was in the past, each member had their own mask and used pseudonyms. Unfortunately, there were no more masks this time, which only brought them to life with energy. Hollywood Undead’s 8th Studio Album “Hotel Kalifornia” was released in 2022. With its infectious energy and dynamic performance, Hollywood Undead wasted no time to start blasting out the hits. Every one of their shows makes you feel like you’re one of the family or partying with friends, no matter the size of the show.
Current members
Jorel “J-Dog” Decker – vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards, programming
Dylan “Funny Man” Alvarez – vocals
George “Johnny 3 Tears” Ragan – vocals, bass
Jordon “Charlie Scene” Terrell – vocals, guitars
Danny Murillo – vocals, keyboards, programming guitars, bass
Current touring musicians
Matt “The Cat” Oloffson – drums, percussion
Setlist:
California Dreaming
CHAOS
Riot
Everywhere I Go
Renegade
Comin’ in Hot
Another Way Out / Du hast
Ruin My Life
Hear Me Now
Sweet Caroline
Bullet
Undead
HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD
I Prevail from my home state of Michigan, and they always give it 100 % when they are on any stage, whether on land or sea (Shiprockers, I’m talking about you). The LED visuals and constant energy they have combined onstage is something that cannot be contained. Vocalist Brian Burkheiser spoke about some personal things, and one of his comments caught my attention. He talked about how sometimes we try to be perfect and worry about letting friends, family, fans, or the band down. But sometimes, we need to let go. Perfection is not perfection at all. It’s getting out of bed even when we don’t want to, putting our feet on the ground, and just taking that step to get going. There are so many of us that it is such a struggle to get that first step in. but after that first move is made, the only option is to keep going with that next step forward. In June of this year, I Prevail released the song ‘Can U See Me in The Dark” that they collaborated with Halestorm on
I
Brian Burkheiser – clean vocals
Eric Vanlerberghe – unclean/clean vocals
Steve Menoian – lead guitar, bass guitar
Dylan Bowman – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
Gabe Helguera – drums
Setlist:
There’s Fear in Letting Go
Body Bag
Self-Destruction
Bad Things
Blank Space
Deep End
Visceral
Breaking Down
FWYTYK
Judgement Day
Choke
Hurricane
Bow Down
I PREVAIL
Gasoline
You could feel the atmosphere change from anticipation to exhilaration as Halestorm took the stage. Walking out with Horns raised high in the air, Lzzy Hale takes the mic and starts things off with an excellent rendition of their song “Raise Your Horns,” which is honestly one of my favorite songs, along with “I am the Fire, Freak Like Me and an older one “Familiar Taste of Poison.” One of the cool things about listening to Halestorm live is you never know the rendition of the song you will hear. Halestorm always keeps it fresh and interesting. There have only been a few women in the rock world who can command an audience with such power and raw energy in their voices, and that is exactly what Lzzy’s powerhouse Vocals and gritty Rock sound can bring any song to a higher level. The entire band feeds off the energy the crowd is pushing on stage and throws it back 10x more. Arejay always has his amazing Drum solo in the middle of the show to give the bad a quick breather. I wish I could have gotten a picture of Arejay with the huge drumsticks he brings out, which he can still play the drums with. Follow them on Instagram and Facebook because Halestorm is always hiding pics around the area they are in. You never know what you’ll find. Nashville native Jared James Nichols joined Halestorm onstage for part of the “Familiar Taste of Poison” song. Next, Lzzy had everyone light up the venue with any source they had and said, “Tonight, Tennessee, No matter, what’s going on in the world right now, everything out there has nothing to do with what we are doing in here, And tonight, You are the fire!
The perfect introduction to “I Am The Fire.” Halestorm has been touring and playing almost 250 shows yearly for the last 20 years. It wasn’t until the world came to a standstill in 2020 that they were stationary for some time. During this time, Halestorm launched the Roadiie Strong Campaign to raise financial support for live entertainment crews during the pandemic. Avenged Sevenfold, Shinedown, and other artists also supported the campaign. When you are in the Nashville area, keep your eyes open because you never know who you will see there. Halestorm is known to show up at small hole-in-the-wall events and the most significant stages if they are in town.
Their current album, Back From The Dead, was released in 2022. They are currently working on their next album with Dave Cobb as producer.
Current members
Lzzy Hale – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards, lead guitar, bass
Arejay Hale – drums, percussion, backing vocals
Joe Hottinger – lead guitar, backing vocals
Josh Smith – bass, keyboards, backing vocals
Halestorm Website
Setlist:
I Miss the Misery
Love Bites (So Do I)
I Get Off
Freak Like Me
Rock Show
Familiar Taste of Poison @With[841e05cf-ac66-4c25-9572-c898fe6f5f20]
Takes My Life
Drum Solo/Circle
Black Vultures
Do Not Disturb
I Am the Fire
The Steeple
HALESTORM
Tour info
AUG 10
The Woodlands, TX The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion presented by Huntsman I Prevail & Halestorm
AUG 11
Irving, TX The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory Halestorm & I Prevail
AUG 13
Englewood, CO Fiddlers Green Amphitheatre I Prevail w/ Halestorm
AUG 14
Albuquerque, NM Isleta Amphitheater I Prevail & Halestorm
AUG 16
Phoenix, AZ Arizona Financial Theatre Halestorm & I Prevail
AUG 17
Las Vegas, NV PH Live at Planet Hollywood I Prevail & Halestorm
AUG 24
Palmer, AK Alaska State Fair Borealis Theatre Halestorm
AUG 30
Pryor, OK Rockin Red Dirt Ranch Rocklahoma
SEP 21
Camden, NJ Freedom Mortgage Pavilion MMR*B*Q 2024
SEP 26
Louisville, KY Highland Festival Grounds at KY Expo Center Louder Than Life
SEP 27
Milwaukee, WI Fiserv Forum HOG HAVOC – Starring Godsmack
OCT 05
Canyonville, OR Seven Feathers Hotel & Casino Halestorm
OCT 08
Garden City, ID Revolution Concert House & Event Center Halestorm
OCT 10
Sacramento, CA Discovery Park Aftershock
OCT 12
Portland, OR Moda Center Godsmack
OCT 15
Vancouver, BC, CA Rogers Arena EVANESCENCE
OCT 16
Kelowna, BC, CA Prospera Place Evanescence
OCT 18
Calgary, AB, CA Scotiabank Saddledome EVANESCENCE
OCT 20
Edmonton, AB, CA Rogers Place EVANESCENCE
OCT 22
Winnipeg, MB, CA Canada Life Centre Evanescence
OCT 25
Montreal, QC, CA Centre Bell Evanescence
OCT 26
Quebec, QC, CA Centre Videotron Evanescence
OCT 28
Kanata, ON, CA Canadian Tire Centre Evanescence
OCT 29
London, ON, CA Budweiser Gardens Evanescence
