fox theater — blog hidden

While this may sound redundant and blatantly obvious, the Lamb of God concert at the Fox Theater in Pomona on May 28, 2016 was absolutely brutal. Massive circle pits erupted and lasted for nearly the entire show. Frontman Randy Blythe was incredible to watch live. His never ending energy transferred to the crowd as he jumped off of his platform again and again. Luckily, he did it enough times for me to get a good shot of it!

The stage was brightly lit by various screens projecting fire, smoke, and pictures during the show. During one song, Randy dedicated the song to US military personnel who have lost their lives, showing their pictures on the screens behind him. One of the reasons metal bands are awesome is because of their support of the military. So many bands thank our military while performing on stage, and Lamb of God is one of them. The lighting during the show had a great deal of reds and yellows which went well with the tone of their music and the fire being shown on the screens. For a few songs, Lamb of God had smoke cannons blast out into the crowd, bringing the intensity to an insanely high level.

Lamb of God’s new album “VII: Sturm und Drang” debuted at #3 on the US Billboard 200 and has been doing quite well for them. They are currently on their headlining US tour with Clutch and Corrosion of Conformity.

Setlist: Walk with Me in Hell // Ruin // 512 // Ghost Walking // Now You've Got Something to Die For // Still Echoes // Descending // The Faded Line // Blacken the Cursed Sun // Anthropod // Hourglass

Encore: Vigil // Laid to Rest // Redneck

The last time I got to see Killswitch Engage perform live was at the Music As A Weapon IV tour in 2009. To say the least, things were quite different back then. I was still in high school, Howard Jones was still the frontman of Killswitch, and I had no idea what I was doing with my life, and I got grounded for going to the show (totally worth it by the way). That being said, seeing Killswitch Engage perform live and having the amazing privilege to shoot it was such a fantastic experience.

Thanks to Timmy Farmer, I got VIP passes to the show where I got to photograph and chill with Memphis May Fire and watch the show backstage. Definitely a step up from only being allowed to shoot the first three songs in the pit. Hanging out backstage with them was such a blessing because they’re all humble dudes who’ve got great personalities. They are not egotistical divas who don’t have time for anyone. Everyone was always down to chill with fans, take pictures, and have a good time.

Anyway, the show was fantastic and Memphis May Fire absolutely killed it. Unfortunately, as a support band for Killswitch, there was barely any light during their show which made it insanely difficult to photograph. Frontman Matty Mullins delivered a high energy performance that had the crowd off of their feet. Some people have natural talent and Matty (and the rest of MMF) is one of them. Their music sounded exactly like it did on the album which is so refreshing to see these days. The down side to the show was I wanted to see them play more songs, but that just means I’ll have to go see them headline their upcoming tour with We Came As Romans, Miss May I, and For Today!

Killswitch Engage obviously put on an amazing show. I got to see vocalist Jesse Leach perform with KSE for the first time and hear songs off of all their new records since I saw them last. While their light show brought the intensity up, there were a lot of red lights which made photographing KSE difficult. During a couple songs they had smoke machines pumping out haze adding to the atmosphere and helping my pics out a bit. With a setlist of 17 songs, Killswitch played 4 song off of their new album Incarnate, 4 songs off of Disarm The Dissent and The End of Heartache, and a few songs off of their other albums. Sadly, they didn’t play a few of my favorites like Reject Yourself, The Arms of Sorrow, Daylight Dies, The Element of One, The Hell In Me, and Time Will Not Remain. I guess thats my fault for always being busy during their concerts over the years. While they’re getting older, they still play with ferocity and the crowd always responds in kind.

Killswitch Engage Setlist:

Strength of the Mind // A Bid Farewell // Numbered Days // No End In Sight // Beyond the Flames // Alone I Stand // This Fire Burns // Vide Infra // Always // Breathe Life // Hate By Design // Rose of Sharyn // Embrace the Journey…Unpraised // My Last Serenade // The End of Heartache // My Curse // In Due Time

Memphis May Fire Setlist:

Beneath The Skin // Prove Me Right // Legacy // Stay The Course // Alive in the Lights // No Ordinary Love // The Sinner // Vices