By Dave Parsons
It was a night that brought fans of metal, rap, rock, and everything in between together at the Pavilion at Star Lake for Falling in Reverse’s Popular MonsTOUR (Part II) tour. The Pavilion at Star Lake, is just outside Pittsburgh in Burgettstown, PA, and even with a mid-week 4:30 gate opening, the amphitheater filled up pretty good even by the time that Jeris Johnson took the stage at 5:30.
Johnson has a unique blend of rock and pop, along with an attitude. He came out with Welcome to Vahalla, working the crowd on both sides of the stage. His song My Sword, complete with a large sword he wielded added to the song and the fans seemed to embrace his high-energy blend. As the opener of 5 acts, he was a good act to get the crowd broke in for a long night.
The night moved along to rap as Tech N9ne took the stage next, merging hip-hop and touching on a few other genres. Tech N9ne worked the stage from the moment he appeared singing The Industry Is Punks, and morphing into other songs without warning, his set required a seat belt to stay in one lane or the other. His high energy show ramped the crowd up a bit more, leaving them trying to catch up to him.
Dance Gavin Dance was next, and they brought a unique blend that quickly grabbed the crowd’s attention. Entering the set with Spooks, the next step up in energy was quickly drawn and did not let down their entire set. During tracks like Synergy, the band’s tightness was on full display, winning over their fans and gaining some new ones. Dance Gavin Dance brought everything up a notch leading into the last two acts.
Next up, Black Veil Brides brought a goth type theatrical edge to the stage. The band had a cinematic dramatic entrance from the moment they began. As they opened with Faithless, fans cheered, and ate up the dramatic overtones that Black Veil Brides is known for. Andy Biersack commanded the audience with powerful vocals and intense stage presence.
Throughout their set, Biersack encouraged crowd singalongs, while the band showed why they have been on the road all of these years. Their stage style and show extras made their mark on the crowd, setting a high bar for the final act.
Finally, it was time for Falling in Reverse to take the stage. Making his entrance with a stage presence and confidence, lead singer Ronnie Radke went into Zombiefied with reckless abandon, and brought home by the beginning of a nearly nonstop pyrotechnics show.
Radke is a showman taking the crowd on head banging rides, and then talking about themes like mental health, addiction, and self-reflection. The crowd was with him every step of the journey. The stage production was impressive feat, with the fire pyro, fog machines, and light show emphasized the songs. Knowing where he was and the crowd wanting to take it up one more level, Radke came out for the encores waving a Terrible Towel and wearing a TJ Watt Steelers jersey.
Overall, this wasn’t just a concert, but a celebration of all the different genres coming together to produce an unforgettable night of music for the thousands who attended.
Jeris Johnson Setlist:
1. Welcome to Valhalla
2. Take Me Away
3. My Sword
4. Story Of Our Lives
5. Here’s to the Years
6. When the Darkness Comes
7. Kiss From a Rose
Tech N9ne Setlist:
1. The Industry Is Punks / Riot Maker / Straight Out the Gate / Einstein / The Beast / Worldwide Choppers
2. Come Gangsta
3. Blackened the Sun / URALYA
4. Dysfunctional / Caribou Lou / Like I Ain’t / Face Off / Hood Go Crazy
5. Stamina / E.B.A.H
Dance Gavin Dance Setlist:
1 Spooks
2 Synergy
3 Straight From the Heart
4 Lemon Meringue Tie
5 Carve
6 Speed Demon
7 We Own the Night
8 Evaporate
Black Veil Brides Setlist:
1 Faithless
2 Bleeders
3 Devil
4 Rebel Yell
5 The Legacy
6 Knives and Pens
7 In the End
Falling In Reverse Setlist:
1 Prequel
2 Zombified
3 I’m Not a Vampire
4 Fuck You and All Your Friends
5 Bad Guy
6 The Drug in Me Is You
7 Losing My Mind
8 Game Over
9 Just Like You
Encore
10 All My Life
11 Popular Monster
12 Voices in My Head
13 Watch the World Burn
14 Ronald (with Tech N9ne)
