It’s been just over a month since the widely anticipated release of Life Is but a Dream by Avenged Sevenfold. After two massive shows at the infamous Kia Forum and Madison Square Garden in June, Avenged Sevenfold officially kicked off its tour in Camden, NJ on Tuesday, July 18th. Night two of the tour brought the band and supporting acts Kim Dracula and Alexisonfire to the Xfinity Center in Mansfield, MA on Wednesday, July 19th.
The lineup kicked off with Kim Dracula, this only being their second live performance. The Frontman resembled similarities in sound of Jonathan Davis of Korn, Johannes from Avatar, and even the rap-like style of Ronnie Radke, with a presentation familiar to Gerard Way of My Chemical Romance. The Singer, along with a masked band, played a short, but energetic and entertaining set, incorporating a chainsaw and chess set as props. Included in the set was their cover of Lady Gaga’s hit “Paparazzi,” the cover that brought them TikTok fame.
Second up for the night were Canadian legends Alexisonfire. After a short disbandment and farewell tour in 2012, the group came back in 2015 and has been pretty active since. Even without much stage room, the members in Alexisonfire made every inch of space count. Bassist Chris Steele and Singer George Pettit stood out the most as their stage presence and energy were off the charts. Even without knowing much of the band’s material beforehand, it was easy to get into because of the contagious hype of those two.
Right out of the gate, it was apparent headlining band Avenged Sevenfold had knocked off any cobwebs they still had from a long five years without touring and were firing on all cylinders. A7X strongly opened with the first track of LIBAD, “Game Over.” Singer M. Shadows began the song wearing a black ski mask with embroidery of “We Love You…” and “Nobody” while sitting in a chair center stage. Having seen the live debut of this track in Las Vegas just two months ago with its fast paced riffs and tongue twister lyrics, it felt noticeably more rehearsed time around. Following the track list on the album, the band went right into “Mattel.” Hearing these new songs live gives them an entire new feeling, as if the band has entered a new era. In addition to these tracks, the first two singles off the album, “Nobody” and “We Love You” were also played Wednesday night.Unfortunately, not everything went smoothly for Avenged that night. During the epic 8 minute long song “The Stage” off their 2016 album with the same title, Lead Guitarist Synyster Gates seemed to disappear. While the song continued, Bassist Johnny Christ and Rhythm Guitarist Zacky Vengeance seemed confused as they searched the stage for their fellow bandmate. After the song finished, the band walked off stage to see what was going on. Upon coming back out, Shadows informed the crowd that Syn had injured himself badly and was being tended to by paramedics. Shadows was honest with the crowd that the show needed to be paused as the band was determining a solution for the remainder of the night. The crowd’s energy remained strong as the fans continued to outpour support and concern for the band and their injured member. Luckily, the group decided to continue the show with Syn powering through the remainder of their set playing guitar and doing background vocals backstage. Because of the delay and a strict venue curfew, the end of the show’s setlist had to be cut. Instead of ending with tracks G,(O)rdinary and (D)eath off the new album, it was back to the classic and fan favorite “A Little Piece of Heaven.”Immediately after the show, it was posted by M. Shadows that Syn was already at the hospital being tended to and that the injury was possibly a calf rupture or achilles strain. The following morning, Shadows posted an update on Syn, stating “Hey guys – SG is back and seems like a pretty severe contusion of his calf. He’s got crutches and can’t walk on it at the moment. Gonna be sore for a few days. Doc said it could be from dehydration, possibly last night’s show, the heat and not enough water today. Bottom line is he’s watching it closely and hopefully be able to stand on it soon.” With that said, it’s still unknown if any upcoming shows will be affected or not. Perhaps it’s possible to get the popular throne that Foo Fighters Singer and Guitarist Dave Grohl and Guns N’ Roses Singer Axl Rose have both used after having leg injuries for Syn while he heals.Avenged Sevenfold Setlist:1. Game Over2. Mattel3. Afterlife4. Hail to the King5. We Love You6. Buried Alive7. The Stage8. So Far Away9. Nobody10. Nightmare11. Bat Country12. Unholy Confessions13. A Little Piece of Heaven
