On Wednesday, April 23rd, I went to see Avenged Sevenfold at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Their opening acts were Adrenaline Mob and HellYeah. Doors opened at roughly 6:30 p.m. and the show began at 7:22 p.m., according to the usher we befriended. Ha!

I wasn’t very familiar with Adrenaline Mob. I had done a little research prior to the show, but all I really found out was that they are a super group and that their bassist is John Moyer, who used to be with Disturbed (a fact that excited me, since I love Disturbed). The band totally rocked it. They were a great way to kick things off, closing their set with their first single, “Come On, Get Up.”

Then came HellYeah. Vocalist Chad Gray knew exactly how to work a crowd and by the time they finished, the room was positively buzzing. Highlights from their set included “Drink, Drank, Drunk” and the title track from their upcoming release, “Blood for Blood.”

Finally, it was time for the main act. Avenged Sevenfold took the stage to the familiar sounds of “Shepherd of Fire” and the audience went insane. I can’t even begin to describe how I felt at that moment, and the feeling didn’t leave me for the entire set. The guys were a little more lackluster than I remembered, yet their performance still held a magic that only Avenged Sevenfold can create for me. The set list was spectacular and hit every high point of their fifteen year career. Each song filled me with joy and made me think “I can’t believe I’m here.” However, the crowning moments for me were “Hail to the King” and “Fiction,” for I had never before seen them do either song live.

I have now been to six Avenged Sevenfold concerts and though this was not the best, the California natives did not disappoint. I look forward to seeing them again, hopefully in the very near future.

[Photo credit goes to my brother Rick, who was closer than I was.]

Oh, and after the show, we ran into Adrenaline Mob at a Waffle House. They were extremely nice!