Concert review: Falling in Reverse w/ Slaughter to Prevail & Hollywood Undead | 09.02.25, Hollywood Casino Amphitheater (with photo gallery)

Photo of Ronnie Radke of Falling in Reverse by Erica Vining

After delivering what might be both the summer’s best (“God Is a Weapon”) and worst (“All My Women”) rock releases, I was eager to see what Falling In Reverse would bring to their current tour. True to form, with plenty of pyro and lasers, they didn’t disappoint.

Traffic on the route made the journey to Maryland Heights significantly longer than expected and I missed out on the first opener of the night, Sleep Theory, which was a dissapointment. Anyone present at Pointfest ’24 knows Sleep Theory puts on a great show, and with vocalist Cullen’s recent…mishap…I was excited to see how they would play into it during the show. Sadly, we encountered several of our own vehicular theatrics en route and didn’t make it in time. Just remember Cullen, the internet never forgets!

Sprinting into the venue (literally), I made it just in time for Hollywood Undead’s set. I’d last seen them sharing the stage with Halestorm at the amphitheater last summer, and honestly, that show edged out Tuesday night’s performance. Where the earlier set leaned heavily on props and theatrics, this one felt a little flat. The band came across as tired, though they still delivered an engaging show, with crowd favorites like “Everywhere I Go” and “Undead” sparking big crowd engagement. During “Comin’ in Hot,” vocalist Charlie Scene pulled a young girl from the audience to join him on stage as his co-captain—only after she proudly announced that he was her favorite member of the band though.

Slaughter to Prevail followed, and if unmedicated ADHD were a genre, this would be it. Chaos seems to trail vocalist Alex the Terrible like a shadow, and he’s fully embraced it as part of his musical identity. While he’s notorious for wild stage antics, his Maryland Heights set was surprisingly restrained—at least by his standards. Missing from the lineup was drummer Evegny Novikov, unable to make it into the U.S. in time for the tour date, cheekily replaced on stage by a mask on a stick.

Falling in Reverse hit the stage after a tongue-in-cheek intro from “Donnie,” the tattooed puppet who jokingly threatened another cancellation. It was a playful nod to the band’s history, most infamously pulling out of a 2022 show after their laptops were stolen, along with more recent cancellations due to illness. Once Donnie wrapped, Ronnie Radke and crew stormed the stage with “Prequel” from their latest album Popular Monster. “Zombified” followed in a blur of fire and fog, cranking the packed amphitheater’s energy to a deafening peak.

The highlight of the night for me came early with “God Is a Weapon,” my favorite release of the year, where Radke’s operatic range took center stage. From there, the band wove old favorites like “I’m Not a Vampire,” “The Drug in Me Is You,”and “Just Like You” into the mix, striking a balance between nostalgia and their newer sound. Radke made a point to connect with the youngest fans, doling out fist bumps to kids in the crowd and encouraging the next generation of rockers.

The chaos peaked during “Ronald,” with Alex the Terrible of Slaughter to Prevail joining Radke on stage for a four-minute frenzy. The night closed with “Watch the World Burn,” complete with all three of its dramatic live endings. While the setlist leaned heavily on their Popular Monstour run, it hardly mattered. It was the kind of show you wouldn’t want them to change. Even with a familiar setlist, Falling in Reverse proved once again that their blend of spectacle and sincerity keeps fans coming back for more. | Erica Vining