On April 29th, The Resurrection Tour — featuring Asking Alexandria and Black Veil Brides — made its stop at Iron City in Birmingham, Alabama. Despite the fact that it was a Sunday, the venue was packed to the gills with people ready for a rock show.
The evening was kicked off by blessthefall. Hailing from Phoenix, Arizona, this metalcore act is no stranger to the city of Birmingham, having played Zydeco on occasion. The band showed up ready to tear the place down. With a setlist that included songs such as “Cutthroat,” “Hollow Bodies,” and “Sleepless in Phoenix,” blessthefall had the crowd moving, encouraging a circle pit and challenging everyone to be as energetic as the eight-year-old boy having the time of his life at his (presumably) first rock/metal concert.
As blessthefall left the stage, the noise level slacked off before gradually ticking back up. Those at the front, myself included, were shoved into the barrier, the crowd growing restless. The lights dimmed and the music heralding Asking Alexandria’s set began. Little did we know it would be ten more minutes until the band emerged.
The roar that greeted the appearance of front man Danny Worsnop and lead guitarist Ben Bruce can only be described as deafening. They opened with “Into the Fire.” From that instant on, the Asking Alexandria fans demonstrated that they were there in full force: there wasn’t a song played during which Danny didn’t have company on the lyrics. Ben was in constant motion, belting out the words to the audience and tossing his curls around. Personally, I found him to be the most entertaining throughout AA’s set. The highlights included “When the Lights Come On” and “Under Denver,” along with an acoustic portion made up of Danny and Bruce doing “Vultures” and “Someone, Somewhere.”
And then, it was time. The moment we’d all been waiting for was here. Black Veil Brides drummer Christian Coma settled behind his kit and the screaming was enough to hurt your ears. CC was quickly followed by guitarists Jake Pitts and Jeremy “Jinxx” Ferguson, bassist Ashley Purdy, and last but not least, vocalist Andy Biersack. The band ripped into “Faithless” and it was pure magic for the next hour and a half.
It had been seven years since my last Black Veil Brides show (sorry, they don’t exactly frequent Alabama), and I had forgotten that they have that special something when performing live. Each of the members is riveting, be it Andy’s sway with the crowd or Ashley prowling the stage, Christian’s relentless energy or Jake and Jinxx with their dualing guitars. The fans know every word to every song. On multiple occasions, Andy was almost drowned out by those around me.
Unlike Asking Alexandria, who offered up multiple tracks from their latest release, Black Veil Brides played only two songs from their 2018 album Vale. They hit most of the high notes, however — “Wake Up,” “Rebel Love Song,” “The Legacy,” etc.
After “Knives and Pens,” the band filed out of sight, yet no one budged. Shouts and yells filled the air, chants of “BVB!” echoing to the ceiling. The eager didn’t have long to wait. CC returned to his drums and Ashley strode to the riser, asking an ecstatic crowd if they wanted more. Needless to say, the answer was a resounding affirmative.
Closing with the anthemic “Fallen Angels” and “In the End,” Black Veil Brides gave 100% until the final note, their own electricity returned in full measure by an audience that never wanted the night to be over.
I don’t have a rating system for concerts, but I would highly recommend seeing all three of these bands if you get the chance. For tour info, visit their official sites.
Note: Pictures are in a separate post. Click me.
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