LIVE: FALLING IN REVERSE – April 28, 2019

Venue: Buckhead Theatre

City: Atlanta, GA

Date: April 28, 2019

Review and Photographs by: Rachel Craig (https://www.rachelcraigphotos.net/)

Falling In Reverse’s Episode III Tour has been selling out venues across the United States, and Atlanta was no exception. The Buckhead Theatre was packed with diehard fans of all the bands on the bill, excited for a great show. The night started with New Years Day, a band I’ve already seen twice but never had a chance to shoot. They got the crowd moving early, with anthemic songs, Ash Costello’s incredible vocals, and fun guitar solos. New Years Day’s setlist included “Come For Me,” “Kill Or Be Killed,” “Skeletons,” “Shut Up,” and “Defame Me” – along with covers of Kehlani’s “Gangsta” and Pantera’s “Fucking Hostile.” The show continued with From Ashes to New and Ice Nine Kills, who recently wrapped up their co-headlining tour together. I covered their show in Johnson City, TN just a few weeks before the Episode III Tour, and there was definitely a huge difference in their sets. From Ashes to New was full of action, interacting up-close with the fans (with bassist Lance Dowdle even crowdsurfing at one point). The sound production at this venue was much better as well, perfectly handling the band’s electronic tracks without them clashing with the other rock and metal bands. Their setlist included “The Future,” “Through It All,” “My Fight,” and “Crazy.” The band also continued their ongoing support for improving mental health for kids, stopping to talk about how music can save lives. Ice Nine Kills also had an impressive stage setup and sound, and I think they’re better suited for a larger stage like this one. Frontman Spencer Charnas was also interacting with the crowd and creating the perfect horror environment with different masks and props – there was even someone in an inflatable shark suit during the JAWS-themed song “Rocking The Boat.” They played mostly songs from their latest album The Silver Scream, including “The American Nightmare,” “SAVAGES,” “Communion of the Cursed,” and “IT Is The End.”

Falling In Reverse is one of those bands that you either love or hate – and the Buckhead Theatre was full of the band’s longtime, biggest fans. The room was suddenly even more packed when Ice Nine Kills left the stage. After the band’s colorful neon logo backdrop went up, the band came out to a crowd of screaming and singing fans – which frontman Ronnie Radke recorded on his phone. There was also a lot of love for the band’s touring drummer, Christian Coma from Black Veil Brides. The setlist kicked off with “I’m Not A Vampire,” “Rolling Stone,” and “Bad Girls Club,” where all the girls in the venue shouted the song’s anthemic chant. The setlist ran through most of the band’s older material – completely skipping over songs from their latest full-length album Coming Home. The only new songs the band played are their recent singles “Losing My Mind,” “Losing My Life,” and “Drugs.” Ronnie also brought a fan on stage to help out with vocals on “Raised By Wolves.” I believe this show had more crowdsurfers than I (or Ronnie) had ever seen – he said “This is insane!” while thanking security for helping everyone stay safe. He also had security pull a fan out of the crowd to stand at the stage so they wouldn’t get crushed by the people going over the barricade. The venue was also sweltering hot with the amount of people packed into the pit. Falling In Reverse ended their set with an old favorite, “The Westerner,” but that wasn’t the end of the show. The band returned to the stage for an encore to play a quick cover of “All Star” by Smash Mouth while a wall of death formed, and then played two covers from Ronnie’s former band Escape The Fate. The night ended with a chorus of fans singing along to “Just Like You” and the band seeming like they had just as much fun as the fans in the theatre. Overall, this was one of my favorite sold out shows I’ve ever attended, and I was very impressed with how the venue handled it. Falling In Reverse is also a band that has a great stage presence, and I think they’re working hard to establish themselves as a respectable, fun, and well-experienced band. I expect the shows on the rest of this tour to sell out as well and I highly recommend catching all the bands on this lineup.

Setlist: I’m Not A Vampire – Rolling Stone – Bad Girls Club – Losing My Mind – Game Over – Losing My Life – Drugs – Fashionably Late – Raised By Wolves – Alone – The Westerner – All Star (cover) – Not Good Enough For Truth in Cliche – The Drug In Me Is You – Situations (Escape The Fate cover) – Just Like You

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Category: Live Reviews, Photo Galleries