Photo of Falling in Reverse’s Ronnie Radke by Erica Vining
I joined a cult on Saturday.
I didn’t head to Maryland Heights, MO, with plans to be the newest inductee, but as I rocked out to Falling in Reverse at Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, Ronald welcomed me and 14,000 others in attendance to the Cult of Ronnie Radke.
Proclaiming the set as his favorite of the tour, Radke and the rest of Falling in Reverse came prepared to put on the show of the year with more pyro than I’ve seen in any single set before (barring Rammstein, because I’m not sure anyone could ever have more pyro than Rammstein).
Opening the night was Jeris Johnson, who found viral fame through social media that propelled him into the mainstream rock scene. Johnson’s music tends to be ego-driven and heavy on the covers, with remakes such as “Kryptonite” feature a lyric change to “she calls me Superman, said I’m her Kryptonite well baby she’s the backup plan.” Yikes. Despite the content of his lyrics, Johnson’s sound is arguably catchy and the set Saturday showed us that his showmanship extends to his performances. Johnson took the stage wearing a fur vest with no shirt underneath, studded denim pants, and a blinged out skull belt buckle. The singer’s long blonde hair framed a large tattoo across his stomach proclaiming “future of rock.” Johnson’s sound is a blend of pop, hip hop, and rock, reminiscent of early Hollywood Undead. His Game of Thrones-esque LED board introduced us to the singer as he took us through songs including “Welcome to Valhalla,” “When The Darkness Comes,” and an impressive cover of Seal’s “Kiss from A Rose.”
The legendary Tech N9ne took the stage as the second of five acts Saturday, and while I was unfamiliar with his music prior to the set I will say he was probably my favorite act of the night. Performing as a strictly rap act at a rock concert, it can be difficult to keep the attention of the audience. Tech N9ne had no problems, however, with a rowdy crowd for the entirety of the set. The rapper was interactive with both the crowd and the photo pit, frequently taking time to point at photographers as well as fans in the stands, offering numerous opportunities for that perfect shot. Tech N9ne played through several of his popular songs including “Riot Maker,” “Like I Ain’t,” and “Face Off,” all while using space across the stage to dance and jump.
Dance Gavin Dance was up next, and this is a band that has been on the scene for many years with several lineup changes over the years. Most recently, vocalist Tilian Pearson exited the band in April after a tumultuous few years including sexual assault allegations. The current roster features only Will Swan on guitar and Matthew Mingus playing drums as original members of the band. Andrew Wells has replaced Pearson on vocals, and I found his energy through the set to be engaging and erratic, working every area of the stage and interacting with fans throughout the set. Jon Mess is the band’s current screamer, and I find him to be good on recorded tracks but he seemed tired on Saturday with his screams appearing a bit more forced than I’ve seen in prior live performances. The band opened the set with “Spooks” off their 2011 album Downtown Battle Mountain II. “Spooks” features Swan rapping, which breaks up the heaviness of the song. “Lemon Meringue Tie” and “Carve” were two more highlights of the set, before the band closed with “Evaporate” off their 2018 album Artificial Selection.
Forming in 2006, Black Veil Brides (BVB) have firmly established their place in the hearts of rockers everywhere since their debut album We Stitch Their Wounds dropped. Leaning heavily into the 2000s emo scene, BVB has traded their heavily made-up painted faces and black leather garb for a more natural look in recent years. Although their looks have evolved, their sound has remained consistent and continues to thrill fans both new and old. The set opened with “Faithless,” followed by their recent single “Bleeders,” which was also the title of their tour earlier this year. Taking time between songs to stop and smile at fans, vocalist Andy Biersack is well known for his devious grins and memorable baritone vocals. Biersack makes a great front man, both for his personality and appearance as well as his vocal prowess, comfortably navigating screams and clean vocals for a unique and unforgettable sound. The set Saturday was short and sweet, only seven songs, but they utilized their time well, moving through tracks but interacting more with the crowd than those before them that night. BVB closed their night with “In The End” off their 2011 album, Set the World on Fire.
Finally, four bands in, it was time for the headliner of the night—Falling in Reverse. I have seen this band too many times to count at this point, yet I am forever impressed by vocalist Ronnie Radke’s vocal range. Despite his incredibly polarizing social media presence, Radke’s reach is apparent in his sold out shows and ability to continue to fill venues to the brim at any city he chooses to visit. While Radke is the core of the band, they have achieved their current level of success largely because of the variety of talent both in the front man as well as their instrumentals. Bassist Tyler Burgess is an exceedingly talented rapper and his vocal prowess allows Falling in Reverse the ability to rely little on backing tracks. Luke Holland is arguably one of the best drummers in the scene currently, overcoming hurdles such as a seizure disorder to be where he is today. Recently, Holland was severely burned during a set at a festival when high winds blew pyro onto him, yet he continued to play as the flames consumed his arms. Metal.
The set opened with “Prequel” off the bands most recent album, Popular Monster. I knew there would be a lot of pyro because that is something Falling in Reverse has always utilized, but I didn’t expect it to be so early in the set, and certainly not as frequent as it was. Every few seconds saw blasts of fire across all corners of the stage, it was a rare moment for the stage to not be ablaze. “Prequel” started dark, with Radke rapping his way through the shadows before the fire bursts lit the stage and the rest of the band. Radke spent the majority of the set running back and forth on the risers and tossing his microphone in the air, appearing shocked every time he made the catch. Photographing the set on Saturday was complicated by the high risers and the band choosing the stand back, and it took every bit on my 5’10’’ frame and full overhead extension with my camera to get a shot of the instrumentalists for the night. After the first three songs finished and I was able to sit back and watch the show, it became apparent how beautifully the fire and light show worked together, turning each song into its own performance.
Falling in Reverse chose a healthy mix of their older songs, including fan favorite “I’m Not a Vampire” and “The Drug in Me Is You” as well as songs off their newest album such as “All My Life” for the set list. The highly anticipated collaboration with Tech N9ne titled “Ronald” was a showstopper of an encore with the rapper joining Radke on stage for the rapid-fire word games that make Radke stand out from other current rock-rappers. On the drive to the show, we debated in the car if they would perform “Watch the World Burn,” and if so, which of the three endings he would choose for the night. The answer was yes, and…yes. Radke didn’t choose an ending, he blessed the crowd with all three endings of the song including the heavy drop, the operatic ending, and the clean ending. What a treat. The Popular Monstour II: World Domination wraps up in the states late next month before heading overseas for the next leg. | Erica Vining
