It had been just over three long years since hometown hero Escape the Fate played what he considers a “real” gig, and fans seemed well aware of that at the gig. of the band on March 10 at the Crescent Ballroom.
Before the doors opened for the Friday night affair, fans crowded into a venue in downtown Phoenix and waited in a long line to enter the intimate venue.
Once inside, fans gathered at the bar, took the first dibs on the merchandise or camped out at the foot of the stage, setting the stake on the best view in the house to catch a glimpse of oncoming bands .
Although a huge number of fans traveled from far and wide to nab the main title, others flocked to perform with early local acts Jane N’ the Jungle, Inept Hero and Not Nearly.
Jane Do the Jungle
Phoenix-based hard rock band Jane N’ the Jungle kicked off at 8 p.m. and, as the name suggests, brought old-school hard rock that created a party atmosphere. .
The band’s glamorous sound was added to an aesthetic that featured most of the band’s rocking leather jackets, vibrant makeup and classic instruments like a Flying V guitar, Gibson Les Paul guitar and classic Fender bass that added to setting.
Although the band’s tracks had a strong musical backing offering thundering drums and heart-pounding riffs, vocalist Jordan White stole the show with her powerful vocals that echoed throughout the venue during the band’s 30-minute set.
Although each of the eight songs played during Jane N’ the Jungle’s set list managed to rock the Crescent Ballroom, the big highlight of the night came when the band released the track “Dirty Dog”, which wore a rate similar to the tubes. produced by legendary rock band Led Zeppelin by mixing thunderous drums with a thick sounding riff that turned into a harmonious lick and solo that melodically matches White’s vocals.
The band closed out the quick gig with a special treat, an unreleased track titled “Life of the Party” which served as a momentum builder for the rest of the bands on the bill.
List of sets:
Raw like a jewel
Lucky 7
Worry
metal ghost
There’s no other way
Dirty Dog
Animal
Party life
inept hero
Six-piece East Valley-based punk/hardcore band Inept Hero took the stage 10 minutes later, wasting no time in making their Crescent Ballroom debut, pumping out a sound through the speakers somewhat reminiscent of the late 2000s emo and early 2010s metalcore.
As well as stepping into a new genre of metal, Inept Hero used their twin guitars and dueling vocalists to complete a sound that would be complemented by the band’s drums, bass, and occasional use of a synth machine. .
After quickly acquainting fans with their rhythmic sound that juxtaposed melodic rhythms with fits of guttural screams and heavy breakdowns with the first track “Consumer”, the band took their set to new heights with the upbeat track “Pirate Pyramid Scheme”, which was accentuated by a swing tempo that crescendoed into a throbbing punk rhythm.
With a tone set by the time the band reached their third track, titled “Shablagoo” – a reference to a catchphrase uttered by South Park character Bradley Biggle before transforming into the hero known as Mint Berry Crunch – Inept Hero managed to get the place groove by ordering fans to wave their hands in time to the melody and bounce to the allegro beats.
The energy didn’t let up throughout the band’s 25-minute performance, continuing through to the closing notes of the closing song “Pharmacophobia” – the band’s latest single.
List of sets:
Consumer
Hacker pyramid scheme
Shablagoo
Continue to dream
IDK…Satan is pretty cool
dead eyes
Pharmacophobia
Not almost
Roughly 20 minutes after Inept Hero’s high-octane set list, Phoenix-based emo/post-hardcore band Not Nearly are fronted by bassist and vocalist Colton “Coba” Westerman, who also plays guitar. bass in Escape the Fate frontman Craig Mabbitt’s side project, Dead Rabbitts, took the stage and offered a prize of a free T-shirt to the first fan to start a mosh pit.
After the challenge to the audience, Not Nearly launched into a 40-minute performance and set the tone by displaying the dueling vocal styles of Westerman and guitarist/vocalist Johnny Natoli that mixed fuzzy guitar licks and percussion. polyrhythmic.
On track two, guitarist Tanner Norquist showed off his skills as he shredded the strings with a guitar solo of impressive complexity.
After the end of the second track of the evening, “Happy Birthday”, Westerman took the time to wish a happy birthday to his mother, who was in the audience celebrating the day by watching her son do what he loves most. .
After the wholesome set list moment, Not Nearly got back to banging heads and rocking bodies on their selection of music.
Then came something quite unexpected.
Not Nearly welcomed its fifth unofficial band member to the stage in the form of bassist Randy Thomas, who received the ultimate rockstar treatment as the crowd began chanting his name so loudly it drowned out the ominous leading intro. to the next song.
This became the theme for the rest of the set, with each song ending and beginning with the crowd cheering Randy.
Although Not Nearly pulled nearly their entire set list from their latest work, a 2021 album titled “Future Damage,” the band wrapped things up with the first single they’ve ever released, “The Grand Scheme of Things.” from 2018, which began and ended with a bang provided by drummer Ben Alfich.
Set List
(expletive) the future
Happy birthday
Damaged
COBAREMIX
big gas pack
NIGHTMARE! NIGHTMARE! NIGHTMARE!
The grand scheme of things
Escape from fate
As the clock struck 10:20 a.m., came the moment some fans had been waiting for three long years: the triumphant return of Escape the Fate to singer Craig Mabbitt’s hometown.
Although Mabbitt resides in Glendale, which is about 15 miles from the Crescent Ballroom, it was close enough for the audience which included several friends, family, band executives and even his tattoo artist.
Because of this, the room erupted in cheers as the lights went out and were lit only by the glowing sea of cell phones hoping to record the moment the band returned to a stage in the Phoenix area.
It came as an ominous mix of piano and electronic drums began playing to the beat of the band’s hit song “One for the Money.”
Although it served as a suspenseful intro, it didn’t go as planned, as the band had also planned an intricate light feature to accompany the track.
Because of this, Mabbitt asked if the light crew could try the intro again.
Although the set list started off with a slight hiccup, it continued without a hitch.
Escape the Fate kicked things off by plucking the vibrant track “Gorgeous Nightmare” from their 2010 self-titled debut album.
Escape the Fate kicked things off by pulling another track from Mabbitt’s debut album with the band scratching the song “Issues”.
After rocking two songs from Mabbitt’s debut body, Escape the Fate pivoted to more contemporary tracks like “Lightning Strike,” the opener from 2021’s “Chemical Warfare” and its latest singles “Not My Problem” and ” H8 MY SELF”. ”
Along with teasing what the band’s new music might sound like, it also allowed fans to soak up contributions from the band’s newest members, bassist and Mesa resident Erik Jensen and guitarist Matti Hoffman, who respectively added heavy rhythm section and filled the void left by the departure of longtime guitarist Kevin “Thrasher” Gruft.
This paved the way for Mabbitt to point out that Jensen’s family and girlfriend were in the audience and that Hoffman’s parents drove to I-10 from Tucson to catch the show.
Although Hoffman and Jensen brought a breath of fresh air to the band, fans still enjoyed seeing the band’s only remaining original member, drummer Robert Ortiz, back behind the kit – which recently became a band kit. gargantuan bass drum, as opposed to the unique bass kit he rocked on his previous escapades – and longtime guitarist TJ Bell shredding the strings again.
After the new tracks, Escape the Fate returned to older hits ripping tracks like “10 Miles Wide”, “Ashley” and “Broken Heart”.
Between each song, Hoffman used the time to briefly show off his impressive guitar prowess by quickly shredding intricate solos and chomping at the bit for greater opportunity.
The band closed out their preliminary setlist by jamming the shred-metal anthem “This War is Ours (The Guillotine II),” which opens with a piercing, heart-rending guitar solo and features another intricate virtuoso guitar part near the final. Chorus.
The song was met with the greatest fanfare as it gave way to Mabbitt to order the crowd to split the room and then converge in a revolving circular pit as Hoffman launched into his second solo of the song.
Although it gave Hoffman the opportunity he had been waiting for all night, Hoffman kicked off the band’s encore by shredding a jaw-dropping solo that ended with a tribute to one of the best men in ax of rock ‘n’ roll history, Van Halen guitarist, Eddie Van Halen, who died in 2021.
To end the evening, a track was teased during the group’s intro, the anthem “One for the Money” – which ended in legendary fashion as Bell strummed the last notes of the song while holding atop a congregation of fans who joined hands to support his weight.
After the show, some fans stayed behind to take photos and mingle with the opening acts, buy merchandise or sip what was left of their drinks before heading home after the Friday night affair.
List of sets:
beautiful nightmare
Issues
Flooding
Thunderbolt
not my problem
H8 MY ME
10 miles wide
Ungrateful
Something
Ashley
Broken Heart
This war is ours (The guillotine II)
One for the money (Again)
Add comment