Five Finger Death Punch and Megadeth Blow the roof off of The Xfinity Center in Mansfield Massachusetts September 18, 2022

September 21, 2022
International Concert Reviews, International Galleries
by Jody Wilk Photographer/Writer

On a comfortable Sunday evening, I made the two-and-a-half-hour trek from Connecticut to Mansfield Massachusetts’ beautiful Xfinity Center. This 19,900-seat amphitheater is nestled among groves of trees with lots of winding paths making for lots of space for fans to hang out and chat, grab a bite to eat, or socialize. There are several picnic-like areas with tables to sit in the shade and take a break. On the lineup for the night were metal icons Five Finger Death Punch and Megadeth, with Mongolian folk metal band, The Hu, and American rap-metal band, Fire from The Gods as the supporting acts.

With the fans still filing in from their tailgating session in the parking lots, Fire from The Gods began to play right at 6:30pm. Right from the start you know that these guys don’t mess around and give their performance one hundred percent. With a short thirty-minute set, they still managed to squeeze in seven hard-rocking tunes lead by vocalist Drew Walker. Drew was swinging his dreadlocks around which made for some great photos. This bands musical style is a mix of heavy metal with screaming, angry vocals, to hip hop, to hardcore, and at times even with a much cleaner main-stream rock like vocals. There was a tablet on stage with a Dallas Cowboys game playing on it. I am guessing it was lead guitarist, Drew Walkers, as he had on a 1995 Deion Sanders jersey. Bassist Bonner Baker was jumping around like a madman while holding the beat. The crowd was on their feet for the entire performance.

Fire From the Gods is:

Drew Walker – Lead guitar

Bonner Baker – Bass

Jameson Teat – Rhythm guitar, backing vocals

Richard Wicander – Drums

AJ Channer – Lead vocals

Setlist:

1. Soul Revolution

2. The Voiceless

3. American Sun

4. Truth to the Weak (Not Built to Collapse)

5. In Spite of Doubt

6. Right Now

7. Excuse Me

The Hu hails from Mongolia and has been billed as Mongolian folk metal. I was looking forward to seeing them perform and they didn’t disappoint! With 8 performers on stage there was always something exciting to see. From the 2 members playing the Morin Khuur (horse fiddle), to a Tsuur (end blown flute), Jaw Harps, traditional drums and guitars, and of course their signature throat singing. They just released Rumble of Thunder on September 2 and opened the set with “Black Thunder” off of this album. They play on traditional Mongolian instruments and use throat singing as a staple in their songs. They released a remix of “Wolf Totem” with Jacoby Shaddix of Papa Roach singing on it and also a remix of “Song of Women” with Lzzy Hale featured. Many of the songs contain lyrics about the traditional values of their ancestors. We were only allotted the first 3 songs to photograph, and with a 5-song set, there wasn’t time to get back out to see the rest of the set. I would love to see them perform a much longer set next time as 3 songs just left me wanting more.

The Hu is:

Galbadrakh “Gala” Tsendbaatar – Lead Throat Singer and Morin Khuur

Enkhsaikhan “Enkush” Batjargal – Lead Morin Khuur and Throat Singer

Nyamjantsan “Jaya” Galsanjamts – Jaw Harp, Tsuur, Flute, and Throat Singer

Temuulen “Temka” Naranbaatar – Tovshuur

Touring members:

Unumunkh “Ono” Maralkhuu – Percussion, tumur hhuur, backing vocals

Jambaldorj “Jamba” Ayush – Guitars, backing vocals

Nyamdavaa “Davaa” Byambaa – Bass, backing vocals

Obdayar “Odko” Gantumur – Drums

Setlist:

1. Black Thunder

2. Tatar Warrior

3. Yuve Yuve Yu

4. Wolf Totem

5. This is Mongol

Megadeth just released its 16th album, The Sick, The Dying, and The Dead!, and it has gotten fantastic reviews. Chatter among fans is that it is one of the best to date. I was disappointed that they only played one song from it, “We’ll be Back”. That being said, I was thrilled that they played some of my favorites, such as, “Sweating Bullets”, “Symphony of Destruction”, and “Peace Sells”. The stage was set to a wall of Marshall amps with video screens in between and an eight-foot-tall drum riser in the center. By this point of the evening, I would say the venue was at about 80% capacity. They kicked off their set with “Hangar 18” off of the Rust in Peace album. Dave Mustaine sounded great. Kiko and James were running back and forth, trading off sides of the stage throughout the show. With Dave being the only remaining original member, the rest of the guys did a superb job of keeping the music and performance top notch.

Megadeth is:

Dave Mustaine – Vocals, guitar

Kiko Loureiro – Guitar

James Lomenzo – Bass

Dirk Verbeuren – Drums

Setlist:

Intro Tape: Prince of Darkness

1. Hanger 18

2. Dread and the Fugitive Mind

3. Angry Again

4. Sweating Bullets

5. Dystopia

6. Trust

7. We’ll Be Back

8. Symphony of Destruction

9. Peace Sells

Encore:

10. Holy Wars… The Punishment Due

Ivan Moody came blazing out on the stage like a lightning bolt and was stomping his feet on the metal riser to get the fans amped up for their performance. Five Finger Death Punch opened up their set with “Inside Out”, a killer song, off of their album Afterlife, which was released last month. They continued on through a seventeen-song set playing all the crowd favorites along with a total of five songs off the new album. I have to say, “Wrong Side of Heaven” is such a powerful song about veterans and homelessness. Definitely give it a listen. Bassist Chris Kael and founding member Zoltan Bathory were having fun goofing with each other on stage, hamming it up for my camera. This leg of their tour ends October 14 in Colorado, but they are going back out in November with Brantley Gilbert and Cory Marks.

All of the bands at the show put on great performances. Fire from The Gods and Megadeth sounded great, and Five Finger Death Punch put on a stellar performance. But I have to say, the standout for me was The Hu. It was just cool to see the different instruments and hear a different style of music. I wish I could have seen another hour of them performing. The venue was excellent, and the fans were on their feet the whole time. Definitely check out all their new releases, you won’t be disappointed!!

Five Finger Death Punch is:

Zoltan Bathory – Rhythm guitar

Ivan Moody – Lead vocals, keyboards

Chris Kael – Bass, backing vocals

Charlie Engen – Drums

Andy James – Lead guitar