On Wednesday, August 14th, 2024, Five Finger Death Punch’s 2024 Summer/Fall tour arrived at Bridgestone Arena, in Nashville, TN. The well-known heavy metal band was formed in 2005, and with a large following of fans, the expectations for tonight’s show were high. The show’s openers consisted of The Funeral Portrait, Slaughter to Prevail, and Marilyn Manson, an interesting lineup with varying genres. Despite the differences in music from the bands, they all wowed the audience with a compelling and cohesive show.
Opening the night was The Funeral Portrait, an up-and-coming punk rock band from Atlanta, GA. Their recent single “Suffocate City” showcases vocal talents from Ice Nine Kill’s vocalist Spencer Charnas. While he wasn’t there to perform it with them tonight, the crowd went wild as soon as the introduction to the new song played, and many even sang along with vocalist Lee Jennings. The Funeral Portrait is widely known to be a “spooky” band, which makes sense considering all of their band members were styled in black suits or other dark clothing items, and to top it all off, Jennings’s hair was a bright green, topping off the dark and spooky theme. Their performance was filled with energy as each band member made use of the entire stage. Bassist Robert Weston and Lee Jennings complimented each other as they kicked and jumped on opposite sides of the stage. By just the second song, they had the crowd singing and clapping along, and once they were finished, everyone was ready for more.
Lee Jennings – Vocals
Robert Weston – Bass
Homer Umbanhower – Drums
Caleb Freihaut – Guitar, Keys
Cody Weissinger – Guitar
Set List:
1). Blood Mother
2). Dark Thoughts
3). Voodoo Doll
4). Suffocate City
5). Holy Water
Next to the stage was Slaughter to Prevail, a deathcore band currently based in Orlando, FL. Recently, they released a single entitled “Kid of Darkness,” which is a fitting name as the band took to the stage in near blackness, with nothing but a soft orange glow lighting up the members as they raised their fists to the sky. They opened their set with “Bonebreaker,” and as soon as the lights lit up, the crowd roared. To everyone’s delight, vocalist Alex Terrible donned his iconic mask and a Nashville Predators jersey, the perfect ode to the NHL’s home arena, which they were playing in. Each band member wore the same silver mask, which fascinatingly reflected the colored lights from above. Combining their hardcore appearances with their exuberant energy as they leaped and spun across the stage made for a charged atmosphere. While they only played a total of five songs, they made each second count, and the crowd was engaged the whole set.
Alex Terrible – Vocals
Jack Simmons – Guitar
Mike Petrov – Guitar / Bass
Evgeny Novikov – Drums
Dmitry Mamedov – Guitar
Set List:
1). Bonebreaker
2). Bratva
3). Viking
4). Kid of Darkness
5). Baba Yaga
The third performer of the night was Marilyn Manson an industrial metal artist and his band. Manson may have a lot of controversy surrounding him, but one cannot deny the electrifying performance he and his band put on tonight. Dressed in all black and cloaked in a long coat, Manson stood in the middle of the stage, a bright spotlight illuminating him as the first song, “We Know Where You Fucking Live” began. The other band members captivated the crowd as they played with enthusiastic energy, constantly headbanging and swinging their instruments around. Meanwhile, at the back of the stage and slightly elevated, drummer Gil Sharone could be found wailing away on the drums with a specialized prowess. Halfway through the first song, Manson rid himself of his coat, and his own energy increased as he belted the lyrics. Adding to the rousing atmosphere was the technical light show. Tall LED structures lined the back of the stage, which added colorful backlighting that contrasted the front white lighting nicely. Toward the end of the set, Manson had the crowd chanting the lyrics “be obscene” over and over while raising their fists in the air. The crowd shouted their approval as Manson and the band closed with “The Beautiful People.”
Marilyn Manson – Vocals
Reba Meyers – Guitar
Gil Sharone – Drums
Tyler Bates – Guitar
Matthew “Piggy D.” Montgomery – Bass
Set List:
1). We Know Where You Fucking Live
2). Disposable Teens
3). Angel With the Scabbed Wings
4). This Is the New Shit
5). Say10
6). Deep Six
7). Tourniquet
8). mOBSCENE
9). The Dope Show
10). As Sick as the Secrets Within
11). Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)
(Eurythmics cover)
12). The Love Song
13). The Beautiful People
Finally, it was time for the night’s headliner, Five Finger Death Punch, a heavy metal band from Las Vegas, Nevada. Before their set started, Danzig’s “Mother” played over the loudspeakers, and the crowd excitedly danced and sang along as they anticipated the moment they’d all been waiting for. In April of this year, they released a deluxe edition of their album “Afterlife,” which included one new song and three acoustic versions of music from the original album. Opening the show with “Welcome to the Circus” off that album was the perfect choice, especially matched with the cinematic effects 5FDP employed. The lights in the arena cut out as a loud siren pierced the air. A voiceover could be heard saying, “This is not a test.” Moments later, the drumkit was lit up with flashing spotlights as drummer Charlie Engen began a thunderous solo as the rest of the members slowly made their way on stage where they took up their positions.
When vocalist Ivan L. Moody took center stage, the roar from the crowd was deafening. Leaping off one of the platforms on the stage, he shouted out “Tennessee, welcome to the circus!” This display set the tone for the high energy performance the crowd was in store for. Enhancing this was the spectacular light show, which featured a seemingly endless array of lights and lasers perfectly synchronized to create a mesmerizing effect. Whether viewed at the front of the arena or the back, the sight was no less impressive. The band’s hard-hitting sound kept the audience engaged, especially as guitarists Zoltan Bathory and Andy James and bassist Chris Kael interacted with the fans through fun facial expressions and enthusiastic gestures. Despite being in such a large venue, the band still found ways to make the experience intimate. Five Finger Death Punch’s performance was a perfect display of their signature intensity and theatricality.
With four impressive bands on the bill, I knew we were in for an exhilarating show, and it certainly was that. The night was one filled with heavy music, connection, and electrifying performances from all four bands. I’m glad I had the opportunity to see this tour!
Ivan L. Moody – Vocals
Zoltan Bathory – Guitar
Andy James – Guitar
Chris Kael – Bass
Charlie Engen – Drums
Set List:
1). Welcome to the Circus
2). Lift Me Up
3). Trouble
4). Wash It All Away
5). Jekyll and Hyde
6). Sham Pain
7). The House of the Rising Sun
([traditional] cover)
8). No One Gets Left Behind
9). Burn MF
(with drum solo)
10). The Star-Spangled Banner
(John Stafford Smith & Francis Scott Key cover)
11). Wrong Side of Heaven
12). Salvation
13). IOU
Encore:
14). Under and Over It
15). Never Enough
16). The Bleeding
I’ve always been the creative type, but nothing quite beats how it felt the first time I picked up a camera. Once I photographed my first concert, I knew I had found my passion. As an avid concert-goer, getting to combine my love of music with my love of photography is like a dream come true!
