AVENGED SEVENFOLD NIGHTMARE AFTER CHRISTMAS TOUR
1/20/11 - Reading, PA & 1/22/11 - Lowell, MA
RAWR Magazine's Coverage
Review by Alaura Christine.......
We ladies at RAWR Magazine had an AMAZING time at both shows!
Despite having issues in the beginning with our names not being on the list, we made phone calls to our A7X connections who came to us personally with our passes, thank God! Unfortunately, we missed New Medicine & Hollywood Undead at both shows. We were able to catch Stone Sour only at the PA show....but hey, these things happen.
After getting our passes at the 1/20/11 PA show, the opening date of the tour, we made our way down to the photo pit just in time to catch Stone Sour rock the house. Frontman, Corey Taylor, sporting some hair growth, showed the crowd what he is made of....pure raw adrenaline! They belted out tunes from their latest album 'Audio Secrecy' as well as some older ones, including my personal fave 'Through Glass' from their album 'Come What(ever) May'. The crowd was loving them and so was I! A perfect opening act for the ones everyone came to see.
Looking out into the crowd, at both shows, you can see an ocean of "Deathbats".....on shirts & on skin! These people are here for AVENGED SEVENFOLD! No fans, in my experience & own opinion, are as collectively devoted to the music and band they love! They are family! If you don't believe me, you need to go check out www.deathbatnews.com and www.a7xfans.com which are fan bases for the band where they come together as a family.
Waiting for the band to go on, the familiar chant "Sevenfold! Sevenfold! Sevenfold!" fills the air....the lights go dark and you hear the sounds of a storm rolling in, meshed with screams from the anxious crowd. The curtain goes down and a Gothic set with a haunted house, gates, gargoyles, and skulls is presented. Then stunt man, Terry 'Cowboy' Parker, jumps to his theatrical death, struggling with a noose around his neck and then hangs there, lifeless. The crowd goes wild as the familiar chilling xylophone intro to 'Nightmare' fills the air. Synyster Gates, Zacky Vengeance, Johnny Christ & M. Shadows hit the stage with such energy! This IS their show!
The following song 'Critical Acclaim' begins with Shadows sitting at the organ playing the intro.....this song has the great late Jimmy 'The Rev' Sullivan's vocals screaming through the speakers at which point Shadows raises his hands and looks above welcoming his fallen brother to the stage. Jimmy's light and spirit could certainly be felt. I believe he is there with them. It's just something you can feel.
Before the third song begins Shadows introduces Arin Iljay, the drummer they had chosen to take out on the road with them. A perfect introduction to "Welcome to the Family". Arin's drumming was right on, showing that A7X made the right choice. Watching Arin from the photo pit, I can see the passion in which he was playing. I believe 'The Rev' would be proud!
One of the encore songs was "Fiction" written by The Rev and given to his brothers just days before his untimely death. It was performed beautifully; brilliantly. A dark stage. On the right, a piano....with heavenly spot lights shining upon it. Shadows was singing his parts at the far left of the stage in a less brilliant light and Synyster Gates standing by the piano but I can only see him darkly silhouetted. Yes, I shed tears as many others around me did too. A few people told me they saw Syn shedding tears up there on stage. It's very hard to explain how profound this was but if you hit a show you will feel it too.
They closed the show with the theatrical song "A Little Piece of Heaven" from their self titled album. The crowd went nuts!
The only thing different at the MA show on 1/22/11 was that the fearless stunt man did not get to do his hanging due to, from what info we gathered, was the locals used in MA for the set up. The doors opened late. People were kept outside an extra hour waiting to get in. New Medicine did not get to perform and Hollywood Undead's set was cut short. Hey, like I said earlier, things happen. But Avenged Sevenfold did not disappoint! The show was AMAZING!
~~ foREVer ~~
The A7X set list for both shows was:
Nightmare
Critical Acclaim
Welcome to the Family
Danger Line
Buried Alive
So Far Away
Afterlife
God Hates Us
Bat Country
Unholy Confessions
___________
Encore:
Fiction
A Little Piece of Heaven
Avenged Sevenfold - 1/20/11 - Reading, PA
Avenged Sevenfold - 1/22/11 - Lowell, MA
Stone Sour - 1/20/11 - Reading, PA
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Check out the cute little "Shmiggin Shmuggs" below . They are the youngest A7X fans we have seen to date! They were close to the stage and every time Syn came to our side the little lady with the pink earmuffs waved so excitedly! Her parents said the little one is IN LOVEEEE with Syn! She even has a poster of him on her bedroom door!!!
The little dude was rockin' out as well!
What cool parents!!! RAWRRRRRRR!!
We got permission from M. Shadows himself to put these videos up for you guys to see!!!
THANK YOU MATT!!!
