Halestorm and I Prevail Rock the Roof Off The Hartford Healthcare Amphitheater in Bridgeport, Connecticut on July 23, 2024

July 26, 2024
International Concert Reviews, International Galleries
by Jody Wilk Photographer/Writer

In the midst of a rainy week, Halestorm and I Prevail came to Bridgeport Connecticut’s Hartford Healthcare Amphitheater along with a cloudy but rain-free evening. The venue, in its third season, was a former baseball stadium, turned into a boutique amphitheater. It features an updated sound system this year and boasts many food trucks and vendors from local eateries. It holds about 5000 concertgoers. Along with the co-headliners came Hollywood Undead and Fit for a King to open the show and get the fans pumped up for a killer evening of music.

Fit For a King is a metalcore band from Texas that has been on the scene for about 17 years. Hitting the stage at 6:00 pm, these guys came out like a tornado, setting the bar high for the rest of the bands. I think they spent more time in the air than on the stage. They kicked the show off with their most recent release, “Keeping Secrets” which came out earlier this year. They played an 8-song set which included 3 off of 2022’s The Hell We Create. Lead vocalist, Ryan Kirby has a great voice transitioning from a growling scream to a melodic and almost mesmerizing sound. Many of their songs are written about personal life struggles and challenges. The third song, “Falling Through the Sky”, they dedicated to Hollywood Undead. Ryan “Tuck” O’Leary could be seen helicoptering his bass around numerous times when he wasn’t high in the air. They ended their set with “When Everything Means Nothing” off of their 2018 album, Dark Skies.

Fit For a King is:

Bobby Lynge – Guitars, backing vocals

Ryan Kirby – Lead vocals, unclean vocals

Ryan “Tuck” O’Leary – Bass, clean vocals

Daniel Gailey – Guitars, backing vocals

Trey Celaya – Drums, guitars

Setlist:

1. Keeping Secrets

2. Breaking The Mirror

3. Falling Through the Sky

4. End (The Other Side)

5. Deathgrip

6. Reaper

7. Technium

8. When Everything Means Nothing

Hollywood Undead, hailing from California, brought their brand of Rap-Rock to the stage with just about every member showcasing their own style of vocal abilities throughout the set. They got to play a 12-song set starting with “California Dreaming” off of their 2017 album Five “V”. In front of the keyboards was a cardboard sign with Hotel Kalifornia painted on it like the cover of their most recent album of the same name. The crowd had packed in and were ready to party. These guys brought an energetic set of music to the stage which kept the crowd on their feet and even got a mosh pit going for a while. “F@$# That Shit, Let’s start a Riot” everyone was chanting during “Riot”. Later in the set, for a big change in pace, they broke out the acoustic/electric guitar for their rendition of Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues”. Hollywood Undead kept the crowd’s attention with their unique style of upbeat songs that are easy to groove with even if you never heard them before. These guys were so much fun to watch as they interacted with one another on stage. At one point someone on their crew came out to play tambourine and J-Dog was pouring beer into his mouth as he was playing. (see photo below) Definitely catch these guys on tour this summer if you can.

Hollywood Undead is:

Jorel “J-Dog” Decker – Vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards, programming

Dylan “Funny Man” Alvarez – Vocals

George “Johnny 3 Tears” Ragan – Vocals, bass

Jordon “Charlie Scene” Terrell – Vocals, guitars

Danny Murillo – Vocals, keyboards, programming, guitars, bass

Matt “The Cat” Oloffson – Drums, percussion (touring)

Setlist:

1. California Dreaming

2. CHAOS

3. Riot

4. Everywhere I Go

5. Renegade

6. Comin’ In Hot

7. Another Way Out/ Du Hast

8. Ruin My Life

9. Hear Me Now

10. Folsom Prison Blues (Johnny Cash cover)

11. Bullet

12. Undead

Local on-air personality, AJ, from 99.1 WPLR‘s and 95.9 The Fox‘s “Chaz and AJ Show“, was in attendance and on stage to announce the headlining acts. That morning Chaz and the other show members told AJ they would give him five dollars for every time he mentioned their show. He was able to earn himself an extra $25 during the band intros. Tonight, I Prevail came on at 8:00 pm, before Halestorm on this co-headlining tour. The stage dimmed, and a hooded figure appeared on the video wall and began talking in an electronic voice about dreams and monsters and the end of the world as you know it. The band opened their set with a run of 4 songs off of their current album, True Power. Brian Burkheiser, clean vocalist recently came back after recovering from two surgeries and sounded great. I Prevail really brought their A-game to the show playing all their fan favorites and even putting their own spin on Taylor Swift‘s “Blank Space”. They continued on playing songs off of True Power and Trauma with the crowd moshing along and banging their fists. There were even a few fans dressed in costumes, one as a banana and one as a hotdog, both in the mosh pit. The sound seemed louder than most I have seen at this venue recently, maybe the loudest this year. I Prevail left the fans exhausted and elated with their high-energy performance.

I Prevail is:

Brian Burkheiser – Clean vocals

Eric Vanlerberghe – Unclean vocals, clean vocals

Steve Menoian – Lead guitar, bass guitar

Dylan Bowman – Rhythm guitar, backing vocals

Gabe Helguera – Drums

Setlist:

1. There’s Fear in Letting Go

2. Body Bag

3. Self-Destruction

4. Bad Things

5. Blank Space (Taylor Swift cover)

6. Deep End

7. Visceral

8. Breaking Down

9. FWYTYK

10. Judgement Day

11. Choke

12. Hurricane

13. Bow Down

14. Gasoline

Lzzy Hale had recently done a short run of shows with Skid Row, after their most recent singer, Erik Gronwall, left the band to better take care of his health. Many fans were hoping she would do more shows with them, however, Halestorm comes first, as it should. Tonight’s stop would feature Halestorm in the final time slot of the evening on this co-headline tour. Lzzy hit the stage donned in a pantsuit with a cropped jacket and a black corset and an attitude to match. They started the set off with an aggressive set of hard-hitting fan favorites which had the crowd on their feet and singing along. Lzzy always brings her powerful voice to the show which, at times, punches you in the chest. Her intense and passionate personality shines throughout the night. Arejay is always a showman, and during his drum solo, the rest of the band comes out and they all do a synchronized bit on floor toms before Arejay heads back up to his kit to finish out his performance. And next was the song she got to write and produce with I Prevail just recently, “can you see me in the dark?”. I Prevail’s Eric Vanlerberghe came out to sing it with them. They ended the set with the same song as the last time they performed here, “The Steeple”.

Halestorm and I Prevail brought their powerful, high-energy show to Bridgeport Connecticut. It was probably one of the loudest shows I have seen there. And it would be a shame to call Fit for A King and Hollywood Undead support acts, as they kicked ass and took names. These bands all put on a show that you don’t want to miss. Catch them on tour at a city near you.

Halestorm is:

Lzzy Hale – Vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards, lead guitar, bass

Arejay Hale – Drums, percussion, backing vocals

Joe Hottinger – Lead Guitar, backing vocals

Josh Smith – Bass, keyboards, backing vocals