The Chi Health Center is located in downtown Omaha, Nebraska, and is Operated by the Metropolitan Entertainment & Convention Authority (MECA), the 1.1-million-square-foot (100,000 m2) facility has an 18,975-seat arena, a 194,000 sq ft (18,000 m2) exhibition hall, and 62,000 sq ft (5,800 m2) of meeting space. This September will be the arena’s 20th birthday. The venue hosts basketball and hockey games, professional wrestling events, concerts, and the annual shareholders’ meeting of Omaha-based conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway, usually held on the first Saturday of May. There were three staggering outfits that were given kick-off duties for Five Finger Death Punch. The Funeral Portrait, Slaughter To Prevail, and the iconic Marilyn Manson.
The Funeral Portrait hails from Atlanta Georgia, (Go Dawgs), and despite their abbreviated 5-song set list, they were able to present their Punk, Emo, and theatrical identity to all in attendance. It’s not always discernable if a band is having fun, or just going through the motions, but there is no doubt that The Funeral Portrait was there to not only have a good time but to ensure that we did as well. “Suffocate City” was their fourth song and as far as I’m concerned it could have closed the entire show. They did a prodigious job as openers and consequently wet our hunger for the rest of the performers to come. This is a “get to know these guys now” band. There will be tons of things coming from The Funeral Portrait and you don’t want to miss out on any of it.
THE FUNERAL PORTRAIT MEMBERS:
Lee Jennings – Vocals
Robert Weston – Bass
Homer Umbanhower – Drums
Caleb Friehaut – Guitar / Keyboards
Cody Wessinger – Guitar
THE FUNERAL PORTRAIT SETLIST:
1. Blood Mother
2. Dark Thoughts
3. Voodoo Doll
4. Suffocate City
5. Holy Water
Slaughter To Prevail may be based out of Orlando Florida, but they originate from Russia, more specifically, Yekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk Oblast. You probably don’t need me to tell you that it is a long way from there to Omaha, Nebraska. Lead vocalist Alex Terrible has as unique a voice as Robert Plant or Bob Dylan. His gutturals burrow their way down into your bones while the other masked band members fill your eyes and ears with incredible showmanship. As a whole, the band’s intensity is beyond measure. This intensity is shared by the crowd as several circle pits begin forming. Mid-way through the set, Slaughter To Prevail gave us their cover of Rammsteins “Du haust”. This nearly brought the roof of the CHI Health Center down on top of us. The band put on an unapologetic performance as those of us in attendance bore witness to what true deathcore is.
SLAUGHTER TO PREVAIL MEMBERS:
Alex Terrible – Vocals
Jack Simmons – Guitar
Mike Petrov – Guitar/Bass
Evgeny Novikov – Drums
Dmitry Mamedov – Guitar
SLAUGHTER TO PREVAIL SETLIST:
1. Bonebreaker
2. Baba Yaga
3. Demolisher
4. Viking
5. Du haust (Rammstein cover)
6. Bravata
7. Kid of Darkness
Once the dust had settled Marilyn Manson took the stage. In the recent past, Marilyn has been criticized for his uninspired performances. Those days are long gone and Marilyn Manson is back stronger than ever and sounding phenomenal. Five Finger Death Punch may have been the headliner, but Marilyn Manson was very well represented by the Omaha crowd. There were hundreds of goth-inspired dark outfits and even darker makeup. The lighting was bright, and the sound easily filled the venue. When “Sweet Dreams” was performed it automatically elicited a sing-along. Of course, the song of the set was “Beautiful People”. After all, it is an iconic song that will live forever. When it was over, the illuminated upside-down double crosses were the only thing left on the stage. Simply put, Marilyn Manson rocked.
MARILYN MANSON MEMBERS:
Marilyn Manson – Vocals
Reba Myers – Guitar from codeorange)
Gil Sharone – Drums
Tyler Bates – Guitar
Matthew “Piggy D” – Bass
MARILYN MANSON SETLIST:
1. We Know Where You Fucking Live
2. Disposable Teens
3. Angel With the Scabbed Wings
4. This is the New Shit
5. Say 10
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
After those first three bands, I could have gone home a very happy camper, but the night wasn’t over and it was now time for the headliner, Five Finger Death Punch. 5FDP lead singer Ivan Moody is one of those performers who loves to connect with the crowd. He is one of us and is desperate to make sure we have a great time. He is genuine with the crowd chat and at one point after seeing a young female fan on her daddy’s shoulder began a conversation that ended up with him inviting the girl and her father to watch the show from the stage. It’s this type of interaction that brings the fans out in droves. “House of the Rising Sun” cover and Charlie Engen’s drum Solo during “Burn MF” were particular highlights. This band is as pure and raw as they come, they play hard and fast, and they play as if each note may be their last. There always seem to be rumors about the band retiring but based on this show they are nowhere near ready for that.
FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH MEMBERS:
Ivan moody – Vocals
Zoltan Bathory – Guitar
Andy James -Guitar
Chris Kael – Bass
Charlie Engen – Drums
FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH SETLIST:
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
10. Wrong Side of Heaven
11. Salvation
12. IOU
13. Under and Over It
14. Never Enough
15. The Bleeding
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Wasn’t good enough to be on stage as a performer, so the next best thing was to photograph the people who are. Shooting my R6’s is nearly as great as holding my Strat. Getting up close to an artist and feeding off the crowd is exhilarating. Concert photography allows me the opportunity to capture a once in a lifetime live moment and then share it socially.
